The story
Au Fil du Zinc, at 18 rue des Moulins in Chablis, is a bistro that Le Fooding listed in 2026. Chef Mathieu Sagardoytho, formerly of Agapé in Paris, runs the modern cuisine here, and the plates carry sharper, more unexpected seasoning than the room suggests.
Mathieu Sagardoytho took over the kitchen from Fabien Espana. The dining room kept its exposed stone walls and whitewashed rafters, so the change shows mainly on the plate. The cooking draws on Asian spices, with Vietnamese pepper in one dish and Sichuan pepper in another.
A lunch visit reported a €34 menu. Sardines from La Trinité-sur-Mer came two ways, one crisp and cornmeal-breaded, one raw in a tangy marinade, served with green curry gazpacho. Pigeon arrived with Mirabelle plums and chard, and dessert was white peach sorbet with hibiscus and Sichuan pepper cream. The chef also offers five- or seven-course tasting menus.
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There’s something new in Chablis! Fabien Espana handed over the keys to his restaurant Au Fil du Zinc to Mathieu Sagardoytho, the former chef at Agapé in Paris. You won’t find any major changes to the dining room (exposed stone walls, whitewashed rafters, pistachio green velvet armchairs) with the Serein River babbling away peacefully down below… But the dishes really shake things up! The day we went for lunch, the €34 menu included: a masterful duo of sardines from La Trinité-sur-Mer (the first prepared as a crispy yet tender fillet breaded in cornmeal, the second served raw in a very tangy marinade), paired with a green curry gazpacho with cucumber, coconut and basil; a cheeky pigeon (thigh confit and roasted breast meat) with Mirabelle plums, chard leaves and root, plus pigeon liver cooked in butter and Vietnamese pepper; before a very harmonious dessert of white peach slices and white peach sorbet, with a hibiscus and Sichuan pepper cream, meringue petals and whipped cream – a stunning combo! FYI: the chef also offers up five- or seven-course tasting menus. // G.D.
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