The countryside is shrouded in fog on this autumn day, but the surroundings are no less striking. Archibald and Rachel De Prince have chosen to live in the beautiful countryside of the Mullerthal region. “It was our dream to have our own establishment,” confides Archibald De Prince, who for the last eight years has worked as sous-chef alongside René Mathieu at La Distillerie at the Château de Bourglinster. After the crazy adventure of winning the Bocuse d’Or for the Belgian team, chef Archibald De Prince is now embarking on a new phase in his life: taking over an outdated hotel-restaurant and turning it into a new gastronomic and convivial address.
“We bought the property in May 2024. I might as well tell you that everything happened very quickly,” says the chef turned entrepreneur at the age of 33. “My father works in real estate and had heard that the Vieux Moulin hotel-restaurant was for sale. The building isn’t listed and we weren't tied to a brasserie contract. So we seized the opportunity and immediately set about renovating the estate. We set ourselves an opening date of 1 November and we managed to keep to that schedule. There are still a few finishing touches to be made, of course, but the establishment is fully operational,” the chef is delighted to report.
A beautiful property, but in need of renovation
It has to be said that it was worth the effort, because the property does indeed have a few assets: a one-hectare estate with just over 1,500m2 of premises. The main building houses the restaurant, with the main dining room known as La Rotonde, which is linked to a terrace complete with a pool of water and a small waterfall. There is also a private lounge and the kitchen, which has been completely refurbished and opened up towards the dining room so that customers can enjoy the cooking brigade’s show. The decor is nothing like it was before, with the entire place having been completely revamped. The kitchen now has beautiful green marble slabs on the walls, and the dining room is painted warm grey.
Upstairs are two bedrooms and a suite. “We also have a second, more modern building with a seminar room. And there’s another annex with other rooms, some of which are duplexes. Here, everything is recent and we didn’t have to do anything.”
A restaurant in their image
The kitchen is Archibald’s domain. With the help of his young second-in-command, Lucas Andrieux, he creates a cuisine inspired by nature. There is no à la carte menu, but a unique eight-course meal (€145), also available in a 100% plant-based version, which is prepared according to the produce available. Working with chef René Mathieu and his passion for plant-based cuisine has inevitably left a few (good) marks. Absolutely everything is homemade, with a rigorous selection of products. “Bourglinster is 20 km from here, so I already have a good knowledge of local producers,” says the chef. He chose to continue working with Les Paniers de Sandrine, cooking trout from Ourdall, pigs from Luxembourg and smoked ham from Meyer salaisons. The couple is originally from Belgium, so there are also a few products from across the border, such as Tomme de Rochehaut, Royal Belgian Caviar and, of course, chocolate.
During our visit, we were able to discover a surprising ‘bite’ of a Hugo (served as an amuse-bouche instead of a cocktail), a tasty baked Agria potato served with caviar, and tender barbecued candied pork belly. But these are just a few of the 15 dishes served on the full menu. It’s a highly technical cuisine, perfectly mastered, but one that retains its simplicity for shared pleasure.
The dining room is Rachel’s domain. “I’m delighted to be returning to service,” says the 28-year-old. “After managing the restaurants at Château de Bourglinster, I wanted to put the administrative side of things to one side and get back into direct contact with the customers.” The aim is to have a relaxed atmosphere while remaining ultra professional, “a bit like going to eat at a friend’s house while being served.”
Rooms to make the most of
And as well as the restaurant, there are the rooms. “At the moment, we have opened six rooms, but we will eventually have 12,” explains Archibald De Prince. “We really wanted to be able to offer our guests the chance to stay overnight after their meal. We really appreciate it ourselves when we can do it, so we wanted to have this offer here too. It allows guests to fully enjoy their meal, to take their time and discover both the food and the cellar, if they so wish, without having to worry about getting home.””
View of one of the duplex rooms. Photo: Guy Wolff/Maison Moderne
At present, the team consists of seven employees in addition to the owner couple. But they are aiming for 13 in the medium term if all goes well. This new situation also allows them to enjoy time with their two young children. “We made this choice partly for them. It’s a wonderful environment to be able to grow up in,” says Archibald De Prince. “It’s the project of a lifetime and I hope we'll be able to stay here for the next 30 years.”
, Lauterborn Maison 6, L-6562 Echternach. The restaurant is open from Thursday evening to Sunday evening (inclusive). The hotel is open all week.
This article was originally published in .