Mon Plaisir

The story

Mon Plaisir: Michelin-Recommended Modern Cuisine in Saint-Hippolyte, France

A Culinary Home in the Doubs Countryside

In the small village of Chamesol, just outside Saint-Hippolyte, Mon Plaisir sits quietly on a south-facing slope of the Lomont plateau. The restaurant has been here since 1995, when chef Christian Pilloud returned to the terroir of his childhood after years cooking in prestigious kitchens around the world. What he built is a place that feels both intimate and open – a house where modern cuisine meets deep-rooted conviviality.

Patricia Pilloud welcomes guests into a dining room decorated with paintings and sculptures set against warm wood panelling. Outside, the landscape is green and wooded. The atmosphere is unhurried, personal. “Like at home,” the couple says, and they mean it.

Chef Christian Pilloud: Ambassador of Franche-Comté

Christian Pilloud calls himself an ambassador of Franche-Comté gastronomy. His cooking starts with the best local ingredients – cheeses, meats, vegetables from the region – then travels. He has spent years exploring culinary traditions around the world, and that curiosity shows in his monthly-changing menu. The result is a cuisine that is rigorously crafted yet surprising: products of the Jura mountains lifted by spices or techniques from elsewhere.

The Michelin guide has recognised Mon Plaisir with its “Recommended” distinction, noting the chef’s creativity and the quality of his sourcing. Pilloud also holds the national title of Maître Restaurateur, a guarantee that everything is made on site from fresh, mostly local produce.

A Commitment to Sustainability

Beyond the plate, Mon Plaisir is engaged in a deliberate sustainability effort. The restaurant works with short supply chains, minimises waste, and values plant-based ingredients. It is a candidate for the “1000 restaurants durables” label from the French environment agency ADEME. This is not a marketing angle; it is a continuation of the same rigour that defines the cooking.

Learning in the Kitchen

Pilloud also opens his kitchen to guests through cooking classes. These sessions let you step behind the stoves, learn his techniques, and understand how he builds a dish from local raw materials. It is a natural extension of his belief in transmission – sharing what he knows.

Mon Plaisir is a restaurant that rewards attention. The modern cuisine is precise, the setting is genuine, and the welcome is warm. It is a place to taste the Franche-Comté as it is being reimagined.