The band G.A.N.G. needed to move on. 
Brasserie atmosphere
Cyril Molard puts it bluntly: the idea suited him just as much as it did Stéphanie Jauquet. For a long time, he had been dreaming of a second restaurant, one that was more accessible and free from the pressure of Michelin stars. What Specto offers him in practical terms is, first and foremost, the equipment: a Josper oven, a pizza oven, woks – tools he doesn’t have at Moutfort and which open up new cooking possibilities. “I’ve always dreamed of having a second restaurant to take the pressure off the fine-dining restaurant,” he confides. Here, there’s no investment, no star hanging over his head.
The cuisine he has devised for Specto is based on a simple observation: a restaurant like this is a place where you come with friends, have a drink and listen to music. “The enjoyment should be the same, whether you spend 60 or 300 euros,” he says. In practical terms, this translates into bold cooking, carefully crafted sauces – “the glue that holds it all together”, in his view – and a table where you help yourself, dip your bread and share. A philosophy of unashamed generosity, the antithesis of a plate measured down to the gram.
The menu reflects this ambition: six starters ranging from homemade charcuterie to radish and crab ravioli, a vegetarian main course, four fish dishes including a barbecued blue lobster tail, and three meat dishes cooked in the Josper oven. La Cave des Sommeliers provides the wine pairings; a significant advantage when dining on a dish created by Cyril Molard. And to extend the experience beyond the menu, a four-handed dinner is scheduled for 27 April with René Mathieu, the Michelin-starred chef from Fields, featuring a six-course vegetarian menu for €89. The sort of event that says something about the mindset with which Cyril Molard is approaching this venture: to break free, to explore, without the pressure of the guide.
On the plate
The €48 lunch menu (starter, main course, dessert) is an excellent value for a restaurant helmed by a two-Michelin-starred chef. The leek salad makes an elegant start to the meal, although the spinach garnish struggles to hold its own and the vinaigrette would benefit from being used a little more sparingly. It is with the Josper-grilled beef chuck that the menu truly delivers on its promise. The charcoal cooking does its job: the meat is melt-in-the-mouth, imbued with a deep smokiness that envelops every bite. The chips (which we shamelessly dip into the thick, generous sauce) do the rest. A straightforward, hearty dish that makes you want to scrape the plate clean.
For dessert, the apple millefeuille with Moutfort honey, caramel and mead is a real favourite: the sweetness of the local honey, the caramel thread, the flaky apple layers (everything comes together with a precision that hints at the chefs’ origins). The ice creams, also homemade, confirm that the sweet course has not been left to chance. In the evening, the à la carte menu takes over: expect to pay €38 for meat and fish dishes, rising to €44 for lobster. Ultimately, the restaurant has delivered on its promise. The chefs recruited by Cyril Molard (straight from Ma Langue Sourit) know their stuff, and it shows on the plate. For generous, well-executed cuisine: we’ll be back.
