Top chefs opt for simpler life

The two greatest living French chefs are planning to open simple restaurants far removed from the Michelin three-star establishments on which their reputations are based.

Joel Robuchon, who retired aged 51 in 1996, will return to Paris early next year to cook with a small team In L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, which will be set up in the Hotel Pont Royal, near the Orsay Museum on the Left Bank.

Most of the seats in the restaurant will be at a circular counter with the emphasis on simplicity and getting the food from chef to diner as quickly as possible. No reservations will be taken.

There have been rumours for some time that Robuchon was planning a comeback of some sort, although he has hardly been idle. He has backed a restaurant venture in Tokyo with Paris restaurant Taillevent; he consults for a number of other establishments; he led the team that revised the chefs' reference book Larousse Gastronomique last year and he is a regular on French television.

Meanwhile, Alain Ducasse, who would be the choice of many as the world's greatest working chef, also announced this week that he plans to open a restaurant offering simpler fare.

Ducasse is taking over the humble Paris bistro Aux Lyonnais. As its name suggests, it specialises in the food of Lyon.