Higher ground

Michelin-starred Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin is all about high standards so to ensure its coffee matches the exceptional food on offer, the team relies on the Nespresso Professional system for the perfect cup, every time.

Is there anything better than a good coffee?

Maybe a perfect meal in a perfect setting. Luckily, when guests visit Michelin-starred Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin, they won’t need to compromise as the exclusive venue utilises the Nespresso Professional system to ensure their diners enjoy a quality coffee.

Now in its 40th year of business, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, which holds two Michelin stars, utilises the Nespresso Professional system to produce high-quality coffee to match its incredible food. In fact, Patrick Guilbaud himself has been so impressed by Nespresso coffee that he travelled to Colombia in 2018 to meet the Nespresso coffee producers and learn about how the coffee is produced.

To find out more about his partnership with Nespresso Professional, we sat down with Guilbaud to chat all things coffee, cooking and more.

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is celebrating 40 years in Dublin this year; what changes have you seen in your business over the past 40 years?

“So much has changed over the past 40 years and certainly what people do for entertainment has changed. A fine dining restaurant like Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is no longer just for special occasions. People are looking for experiences to enjoy and have embraced haute cuisine and fine dining.

Also, the palate of our customers has become more sophisticated. People have travelled more over the past 40 years and have experienced different foods, ingredients and drinks. As a result, they are now more knowledgeable about provenance and quality, and how these translate into haute cuisine.

From wine to coffee, seasonal game, fish and homegrown Irish ingredients, our clientele is much more discerning about what they are eating and have high expectations. They want to know where their food comes from, that it is produced in a careful way and that it is fair to our farmers and producers, and the land they work on. So now that is also a consideration when it comes to choosing what suppliers can come into our kitchen.”

How would you describe a dining experience in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud?

“From the moment you are greeted as you walk in the door, to the final coffee after your meal, we have considered every element of a guest’s time with us. Every detail must enhance the dining experience. For example, there are no flowers on the table as the perfume from the flowers could interfere with the aroma of the dishes being served. Instead, we have beautiful sculptures by Irish artist Orla de Brí.

Also, we have a specific number of tables in the room to create a sense of space and flow but also to ensure the level of service our clients deserve. Our objective is for our guests to be fully immersed in the dining experience with no interferences. It is food theatre.”

Why did you choose to serve Nespresso coffee in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud?

“We were looking for a quality coffee that was consistently good and paired well with haute cuisine. Coffee is often the final element of a dining experience, so it had to be as high a quality as the dishes we serve. The provenance of the coffee was a consideration also, so I travelled to Colombia with Nespresso to see their coffee being produced. I spoke to the farmers and I visited the mill.

It was educational but also important for me to see the level of care that Nespresso puts into growing coffee beans sustainably, ensuring the landscape is not damaged by production and that farmers’ livelihoods are protected. This was fantastic and it became an important factor for us in choosing to serve Nespresso.

We had a tasting session with Nespresso where we tried their Exclusives Selection and chose the Kenya Milima and Nepal Lamjung coffees to serve in the restaurant. The flavour profiles pair well with our food.”

What’s next for Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud?

“I hope to continue our legacy of innovative dining and we will continue to share our knowledge with younger generations of chefs who will go on to create their own wonderful dining experiences in Ireland. I look forward to the future.”

THE PERFECT CUP

Nespresso Professional’s newest release highlights touchless innovations, which in these tumultuous times helps to offer safer coffee moments and peace of mind alongside every cup of coffee. While we struggle to restore normality, it’s encouraging to know that your beverage is as Covid-compliant as possible.

The Nespresso Momento range, which combines modern and timeless design with high volume coffee service, is ideal for bespoke, exclusive venues like Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. Some of the enhanced features of the range include remote control technology, automatic brewing and a safe-to-use lockscreen.

The remote control feature of the Nespresso Momento range allows coffee drinkers to control their machines directly from their phone thanks to an easy-to-use app. Now that workers are returning to offices around the country, this system will help to keep safety at the forefront of coffee breaks – users can insert their favourite coffee capsule and choose their cup size and recipe without having to touch the machine, resulting in a completely contactless experience.

Similarly, the new automatic brewing function will also allow employers to set up their machines to brew quality coffee without touching the screen as the capsule recognition feature will allow the machine to recognise the capsule and brew the coffee according to your pre-selected cup size – good coffee literally could not get any easier!

The Nespresso Momento machines also offer a lockscreen option that can be disinfected between each use, ensuring safe interactions every time.

These new features are particularly important for the hospitality industry. With restaurants only recently open again for indoor dining, it’s imperative that staff and customers are kept as safe as possible. Touchless, contactless solutions, like the Nespresso Momento range, will help to balance safety concerns with top-class coffee.

Check out the new website, nespressoforbusiness.ie, to learn more about Nespresso coffees, machines and accessories, and to follow the journey of a Nespresso Professional capsule from bean to sustainably-produced cup.