"On my Michelin 3 Stars Marathon (follow me for all the reviews and updates), in the middle of a 11 in 11 days strike, I had a one day pause in Toulouse. I was on the waiting list for Michel Sarran lunch when I book this one “in case”. Although the first reservation went finally through for the lunch, I decided to rest and just have Dinner in this one.
At the time, I didn’t know that it would become the only 2 stars in Toulouse.

Impressive.

So what’s exceptional here? It’s a 2 stars, so, it must be exceptional (One star interesting, 3 stars extraordinary) ? 2 things, Impressive without needing nobility.
Impressive. The chef is really trying to create some moments to remember. He wants to impress, to divert you from your daily life by creating at least one sparkling moment to remember. I’m not going to develop here, but there’s nothing wrong in that. It’s actually quite important. In several years you may not remember the exact menu of a restaurant, but you’ll remember if something stroke you. One function of a good Michelin star is to create memories. Here the intentions are clear. From the start to the end. And it’s what one could expect from a 2 stars. Again, I think it’s a great mission to have to impress people so it creates a memory.
It’s all the more impressive when you consider that the chef doesn’t necessarily use “noble” ingredients to achieve this. He achieves it by using ingredients available to him, will it be because it’s the region or because it’s commonly used by people who are living here (spices for couscous for example, or the Spanish influence). No need to impress with caviar etc… The focus is to impress with what one can find in the friendly store next door. It’s about integration. He’s impressing you with integration, not elitism, and showing you what we can achieve by taking the best out of it. That’s what really makes him a two stars.

The room was mainly couples and family. It was a week day and I did not noticed business or big friends tables. Still it could work for both. The chef was around but I didn’t see him in the room. So I hadn’t a chance to speak with him. The staff was nice considering it’s two big rooms to managed (there are 2 floors).

Bottom line: We spend a nice evening with a friend (it was to thank her for hosting me). It did create memories.

It’s a well deserved 2 stars"

MichelinStarsChallenge R

"First, I have to say - it is a lot of food. We are big eaters and arrived hungry but even we were defeated by the end. Food is technically very impressive, but I don't feel they delivered flavour-wise. Also impossible to find even a sample menu online anywhere, so it's really hard to know what you're signing up for which I find quite arrogant by the restaurant (I've attached a recent one to help others decide).

There are only two menus and both are very seafood driven. To be, the chefs vision isn't clear - the staff say he loves to work with seafood but the dishes themselves were confusing. There were two lovely vegetable dishes that became overly complicated from additions of smoked fish jelly and trout eggs (I did not add the sauce as recommended) - why? The asparagus was already beautifully cooked and in season. Then there was a fish ceviche which was absolutely covered in coriander sauce overwhelming the delicateness of the fish - this is what I mean when I say the chef's vision isn't clear. Sweets and desserts were very good - though I can't really pinpoint any flavours that blew me away they were technically very well executed.

The atmosphere is quite sterile and feels really awkward. Lighting is too bright, the decor is strange - there are rugby balls stacked up against one window - it all feels a bit disjointed.

I eat at a lot of Michelin restaurants and for a two star, I thought this was underwhelming in terms of taste. I love food, but dinner went for 4 hours and we were quite frankly bored and couldn't wait for it to end after the 3rd hour. I love amuse bouche, but there were perhaps ten being served at once, and some were getting cold and others melted because they were all brought at once. There was so much food, I saw other diners get takeaway boxes. It's just too much - both for the mind and the palate - after 4 hours, I can't really think of any dishes that I'd go back for."

Tash Shan

"We dined at PY-r and chose the 8-course tasting menu, and I can confidently say the food was among the best I’ve ever had. Each dish was a testament to the chef’s creativity and skill — both in flavor and in presentation. The duck was outstanding, and the garlic butter alone deserves special mention. There were moments we were genuinely lost in how to approach the dishes — a sign of culinary artistry at its finest.

However, the service fell noticeably short of what one would expect from a 2 Michelin star establishment. Water was only poured once throughout the entire evening, and we had to ask to be served wine — something that should be intuitive in a restaurant of this caliber. The pacing of the meal was also too fast; the entire experience was wrapped up in 3 hours, whereas a menu of this type typically deserves at least 4 to allow diners to savor and digest each course properly.

Overall, I would give PY-r a solid 4 stars. The kitchen delivers an exceptional culinary experience, but the front-of-house team needs refinement to match the level set by the food"

michele califano