In preparation of the forthcoming Loire Tour by ombiasy WineTours, Annette and I spent a night at Château de Pray and had dinner at the 1-star Michelin restaurant of this beautiful château.
On the tour in June, we will will also spend a night there and have dinner there. Since the main restaurant is closed on Sundays we get served a light fare on the terrace - weather permitting - or in the beautiful rooms indoors.
See: Announcement: Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours (Sunday, June 09 - Thursday June 20, 2024)
Château de Pray
Hôtel Château de Pray is a 4-star romantic hideaway in the heart of the Loire Valley. The origins of this magnificent Loire Château dates from the 12th century. It is situated a couple of miles from the town of Amboise and is tucked away in a vast park with a very nice outdoor pool and a huge terrace to relax.
As soon as we step into this beautiful Château – close to the town of Amboise - with its gorgeous garden we leave the modern world behind and get carried back to the glory days of life in the Vallée de la Loire. This authentic Loire Château is still privately owned. It was the first one that was converted to a hotel and restaurant in 1950. In 1992 it achieved its 4-star designation.
Château de Pray
After a day of sightseeing, you can relax in the château’s cozy lounge among a 19th-century tiled fireplace, rich wood paneling, antiques, and leaded-glass windows, or linger in the garden with its lovely views of the Loire.
An attractive staircase leads to the charming guest rooms, many with four-poster or canopied beds.
The dining room at Château de Pray is highly regarded, and
it’s wise to make a reservation. The restaurant is set in two rooms: one
is all in shades of gold, while the second features stained glass
windows, beautiful tapestries, and a fine, sculpted-wood fireplace.
Since the Loire is easy to cross at this point, the site has always been strategically important. A fortress has existed here since the 6th century. Named after Geoffroy de Pray, the Château de Pray has been home to a long line of families closely connected with the French royal court who resided at the Château d’Amboise.
This circa 1244 Renaissance house was built around the same time as the Château d’Amboise. Perhaps because of its small size, the Château de Pray always had an owner to protect it from the ravages of time: Elizabeth I’s commissioner of artillery in 1631, a councilor to the kings of Spain and France in the 18th century, and later, one of Lafayette’s officers.
MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View
Upstream from Amboise, on the south bank of the Loire, this medieval castle, remodelled during the Renaissance, catches the eye with its two massive towers. The building presides peacefully over vast formal grounds, where the art of living, Loire style, is alive and well. The orangery, part of which is built into the rock of the hillside, is oh-so elegant, and on sunny days it is a real treat to sit on the pleasant terrace looking out onto the gardens. Chef Arnaud Philippon's cuisine flirts with the zeitgeist: toasted white asparagus, nasturtiums and egg yolk sauce; pan-roasted blue lobster, chickpeas from the Loches area, buckwheat and blackcurrant shoots; hot soufflé with Touraine blackcurrants and fresh blackcurrant sorbet. Delicate execution, balanced flavours, ingredients sourced from local producers: this is château life at its best.
Gault Millau
Arnaud Philippon s’est lancé dans la restauration plus par raison que par passion, «il fallait bien trouver un travail», raisonne-t-il. Une chance, ce métier lui colle à la peau depuis. C’est d’abord à l’Hôtellerie de Rosenmeer, en Alsace, qu’il découvre le milieu. «On m’a vite confié des responsabilités, j’ai pu apprendre beaucoup de choses pendant ces deux années», se remémore-t-il.
Puis l’envie de découvrir de nouvelles maisons le pousse vers la Bretagne. Ainsi, pendant deux ans, il passe l’hiver à Brest et l’été, à l’Hôtel de la Plage près de Sainte-Anne-la-Palud (Finistère). «C’était un Relais & Châteaux où l’on faisait de la bonne cuisine.» En 2007, il part à Bruxelles et pose ses valises au Comme Chez Soi pour deux ans. «C’était un restaurant de ville, c’était tout nouveau pour moi.»
Depuis, Arnaud Philippon évolue au sein de l’Hostellerie du Château de Pray, près d’Amboise (Indre-et-Loire). Arrivé en 2010 en tant que second de Frédéric Brisset, il exerce depuis 2016 comme chef des cuisines et réussit à maintenir la jolie note de 14/20 attribuée par Gault&Millau. «Tant que j’ai du monde autour du moi, ça me fait avancer, c’est une aventure humaine avant tout.»
Château de Pray
See: Announcement: Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours (Sunday, June 09 - Thursday June 20, 2024)
