a signature Ducasse dish, features slowly stewed seasonal vegetables and

grains. And not to be overlooked are the elegant pastries, including a

crispy chocolate praline whose shape recalls that of a boat.

“What we are looking for is harmony between what you see, what

you eat and what you breathe. Everything has to work together,” Ducasse

says. “It’s my idea of what cooking is about, what design should be, how

you should experience Paris. And it all comes together very nicely for a

delicious experience.”

Indeed, every detail has been considered. As guests arrive at

Ducasse sur Seine, a light graphic is projected on the pier and again on

the ceiling of the dining room. Adjustable leds adapt to the time of

day and lights of the city outside. An original soundtrack, with tracks

from Daft Punk to Édith Piaf, is interpreted by a harpist and played

in a precise order to correspond to the monuments diners cruise

past during their meal.

Upon embarking or disembarking, guests are also likely to catch

sight of the Ducasse sur Seine logo and a special phrase on the bow of

the ship: voluptas urbis adposita. Inspired by the official motto of Paris –

fluctuat nec mergitur (“tossed by the waves, but not sunk”) – the words

loosely translate as “the delights of the city unfurled at your table”, or as

Ducasse envisioned, this unique proposition: “a feast for the eyes as well

as the palate”.

magine cruising down the Seine River, your boat
gliding silently past the Eiffel Tower and Musée d’Orsay
en route to Notre Dame and your turnaround point at
Ile Saint-Louis. Now imagine a couture-clad waiter
placing a glass of grand cru Château Latour and an artfully presented
dish of warm guinea fowl and duck foie gras pâté in front of you,
courtesy of none other than the esteemed French chef Alain Ducasse.
If it sounds too good to be true, Ducasse himself has assured me it is
in fact for real – and the realisation of a long-held dream. “It’s such a
unique proposal in Paris, I must say. An electric boat: no pollution, no
noise, no bad smells,” remarks the chef with 21 Michelin stars under his
belt when we meet at Rech, his restaurant at InterContinental Hong
Kong. “There’s a restaurant on the Seine, in the middle of Paris.
It’s unique.”
Ducasse sur Seine is a joint venture between the Ducasse Culture
division, river and harbour tourism experts Citysurfing, and anchor
investor La Caisse des Dépôts. It’s the first fully electric boat built
to receive guests (ie not solely for private use) and to offer a complete
fine-dining experience with its fully equipped kitchen as well as
36 cooks and pastry chefs preparing everything on board during each
100-minute cruise.
“Not many people thought we could succeed in having a 100 percent
electric boat,” says Ducasse, who brought his passion for the
environment and preserving our natural resources to the project. “Even
the architect of the boat thought it was a joke at first. But by the end of
the meeting, he was convinced I was serious.”
Once engineers figured out how to move 300 tonnes using only
electric power, thanks in part to China’s cutting-edge battery technology,
Ducasse sur Seine was constructed outside Paris by specialists in Seine
River boats. Resembling a land-based hunting lodge rather than a naval
ship, it stands out for its classical symmetry paired with a generous use of
curves, as well as large bay windows that allow uninterrupted views
between interior and exterior.
The architecture sorted, Ducasse and his team turned their attention
to the decor and the cuisine. Design duo Maurizio Galante and
Tal Lancman translated the chef’s vision of purity and simplicity into a
palette of grey and silver with river- and wave-inspired finishes. Even the
tablecloths, tableware and porcelain represent a link between French
tradition and modern hospitality, down to the unusual images of the rose
window at Notre Dame found on the underside of the dessert plates.
The recipes, meanwhile, showcase French regional traditions as well
as the elegant, contemporary fare for which Ducasse is famed.
Free -range, corn-fed chicken is deboned and butterflied, spread with a
PHOTOS: ANNIE YUNG (MAIN); PIERRE MONETTA (FOOD & VIEW FROM RESTAURANT)herb butter under the skin and then roasted. The single-serving Cookpot,

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#prestigewinedine | JULY 2019 PRESTIGE 173