Eating better to preserve the environment

Among the Aquarium’s various missions, preserving the biodiversity and the environment is the primary goal. For the Brasserie Là-Haut located on the 2nd floor of the Aquarium, these are also indisputable objectives. Every day of the year, the chef and his team cook local products or products from sustainable agriculture, in a way that respects both the people and the planet.

Local producers

Regardless the season, 90% of the Brasserie’s menu is made up of French products. Concerned about boosting local agriculture and highlighting the flavours of the region’s flagship products, the restaurant also works in direct contact with producers on the Île de Ré.

Passionate oyster farmers for over 50 years, the Le Corre family supplies the brewery several times a week with the oysters they produce on their farm located in the small village of La Flotte.

To salt the chef’s dishes, Brasserie Là-Haut has chosen the very best Atlantic salt from the Sanselme family’s salt marshes. The salt is harvested in keeping with local tradition, and therefore respects ecological concerns

Algoculture

The locavores dishes served at the Brasserie are as tasty as they are innovative. This includes ingredients that are not well known by the general public, such as seaweed, for example.

For this product, the Brewery can count on Algorithme, a young startup based in Ars-en-Ré. Developed by Hélène and Tanguy, a young couple of passionate people, it is specialized in algoculture. Algoculture is simply the harvesting and exploitation of algae, for food use, but also for cosmetology and medical research.

Labelled products

In addition to cooking seasonal products from sustainable agriculture, the brewery also cooks labelled products. Among these products, saithe, hake, sea bream and mackerel cooked by the chef, have been MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified since March 1st, 2019. This certification ensures that species are only fished when resources are sufficient. For example, fishing is suspended during breeding season.

The MSC label also guarantees fishing that is respectful of the planet, managed in such a way as to maintain the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem.

The benefits of this fishing method:

improving inventory management
reduces incidental catches
reduces bird catches
expansion of protected areas
improves knowledge on the impacts of fishing on ecosystems

Simple actions for the planet

In the kitchen, used oils and fats as well as used coffee grounds are systematically recycled. The fruit and vegetable peels are preserved and then transformed into compost. The hot water is preheated by a heat pump system that reduces energy consumption.

A pedagogical approach

The Brewery recently published a booklet on taste in order to raise awareness among children and families in general about the importance of consuming fresh and seasonal products. This booklet is available for each family having lunch at the Brasserie Là-Haut. Pencils and a pencil sharpener are also provided with the educational booklet.

An inspired and innovative cuisine

In addition to respecting the planet, the cuisine of the Brasserie Là-Haut is a gustatory revelation. Good products, combined with the innovative ideas of Chef Julien Conca, are the perfect combination for the creation of tasty and surprising dishes.

"My cuisine is open to the world and others, it is a mixture of genres, simple and accessible without forgetting the desire to discover certain products and to surprise.
I also like to mix cooking, tastes and techniques in order to differentiate our cuisine from other more traditional breweries, while keeping in mind the "eat healthier" through a less fat, rich and sweet cuisine".

Julien Conca

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The Brasserie Là-Haut