Fanspot
The Pergola
“The owner of the Pergola was watching the lunches, hands behind his back, on the second floor terrace. The sea was green. The sun was falling flat on the orange velum. It was Sunday. It was summer.”
Excerpt from Le Haut Mal by Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon fell in love with La Rochelle and its region. Through his novels, the author included places he loved above all. Among the long list of alleys, hotels or restaurants, La Pergola was one of his favorite places. It is therefore normal that the novelist has decided to include it in many of his works.
In L’Évadé, Georges Vaillant and his son Antoine pass by the establishment, enjoying the view of the beach and the unsettling expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
In Le Haut Mal, La Pergola welcomes Viève and her children for lunch. Louis asks his mother about the little sandy cove where she liked to swim.
Among the other works of the novelist giving a role to La Pergola, we can mention Le Train, Le Voyageur de la Toussaint or his short stories Le Capitaine du the “Vasco” and Annette et la dame blonde.
Georges Simenon mentions more than 1,800 places in his works. A good part of it is located in La Rochelle and its region.
Christopher Coutanceau
Since 1984, the Coutanceau family has brought these exceptional places to life on the beach of La Concurrence in La Rochelle.
In 1984, Michel Crépeau, mayor of La Rochelle, gave the old pergola of the Concurrence beach to the couple Richard and Maryse Coutanceau to revive it.
It was in 2002 that their son, Christopher Coutanceau, joined the ranks of the kitchens, which he bought with head sommelier Nicolas Brossard in 2007.
In 2017, the duo renovated the room, taking inspiration from the sea and its wonders. A blue carpet, a ceiling of sea bottoms and sand-colored walls make their appearances. In 2020, the establishment gets its third Michelin star.
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By Damien Duarte
Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !