Mélisande Malle | Destination Granville Land and Sea

Meeting Mélisande

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

I’m originally from Normandy, born in Vire. I went to hotel school in Granville and then started working in the seasons in Courchevel and in the South of France in luxury hotels. To perfect my English, I went to London: I was supposed to stay there for 6 months and ended up staying for 6 years. It was mainly there that I was able to learn the trade, climbing the ladder little by little and gaining experience in top gastronomy and Michelin-starred restaurants. I then came back to France, to Paris, where I helped open around ten restaurants as operations manager or sommelier. I then spent a year in New Zealand. When I came back, I wanted to start my own business. Being from the region and wanting to leave Paris, it was only natural that I wanted to do it in Granville, as there wasn’t necessarily anything on offer at the time. I finally set up in December 2022 in the Rue des Juifs.

Selene in Granville

Can you tell us about the concept behind your establishment?

It’s an evolving concept. Originally, I wanted to open a wine cellar to get away from the restaurant concept and its working hours. So I started by opening a wine shop and wine bar for a few hours in the evening. Then, as the demand for restaurants was so great, I got back behind the stove. So I’m a wine bar, a wine merchant, a restaurant, I also do outside events, I supply a few restaurants in the area with wines and I also sometimes accompany Sarah Herpin on her performances. I like the restaurant business when it’s shared, and I like the ‘good understanding’ between the different sectors. I was lucky enough to be recently listed in ‘Le Fooding’ and ‘Gault et Millau’, which is a great reward for me and my work after a year in business.

Sélène

Sélène is a multi-faceted boutique. It's a wine shop by day, which transforms into a wine bar from 6pm, serving seasonal small plates to share (seafood, vegetarian, Asian...

Catering

What products do you use?

All the wines I offer are natural, biodynamic or sustainable. They are “clean”, quality wines. To get my supplies, I go to the market, to the shops in the area: cheesemongers, oysters from Lenoir-Thomas and bread from the bakery “Les champs libres” just next door. As I buy in small quantities, it’s easier for me to do my own shopping. I create my menus according to my inspiration and the seasons. I have a menu of around 7 or 8 different dishes to share: as much organic and local produce as possible, with a good selection of vegetarian and seafood dishes. I also make a lot of things myself: I make my own ‘ pickles ‘ and, for example, I recently went to pick up somewild garlic to make my pesto for my croc’. I love cooking! I also offer a wide range of wines by the glass: bubbles, whites and reds that change every week. I also offer picnic baskets concocted in fishing hoods. People can call me the day before and I’ll prepare the tablecloths, cloth napkins, cutlery and glasses: nothing gets thrown away! And always with home cooking: hummus, a sandwich, a banh-mi or desserts from the “Les champs libres” bakery. I’ve also had a few requests for special wine-tasting evenings, so that’s a possibility for the future. At the moment, my clientele is mainly local, from Granvilliers. They come as a ritual every week.

Selene, wine bar and cellar in Granville, 68 rue des Juifs, 50400 Granville

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