BUSINESS
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La Bouche sur le marché A new restaurant - La Bouche - has opened up in the Central Market. Needless to say, the meal ingredients are both ‘market fresh’ - and really very local. Kieranne Grimshaw investigated
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he new owners of La Bouche Restaurant bought the former market café, Bernie’s, in 2018. Immediately they set about making a few changes to give it more of a restaurant ‘feel’. The focus in on local produce with plenty of tasty gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options. Sitting inside La Bouche, you’re surrounded by the bountiful displays of fruit, vegetables and flowers from neighbouring stalls, with their vibrant colours and scents. Its central position gives it a buzz and feeling of diversity - hardly surprising as the Market is often called ‘the jewel in the crown of St Helier’. Restaurant manager is Melanie Boothman and chef is her husband, James. After both going to Art College, the couple met working in London and have been in catering for around 20 years. They were inspired by the celebrity chef, Elaine Chalmers, whose trademark is - casual dining, with good quality inexpensive food and service. James explained: ‘My concept is not putting the food through too many processes or equipment. We don’t limit ourselves to any style of cooking. As long as it’s balanced, we let the ingredients do the talking.’ La Bouche is perfectly located opposite the market’s distinctive Victorian fountain.
Melanie appreciates that people like a place to watch the world go by, whilst also trying something local. There’s a certain joy in seeing local neighbouring stall holders trading with their customers. Being among fellow local traders is the highlight of the couple’s daily business, which has a real community feel. Melanie said: ‘We can almost see all of our suppliers from the restaurant. James loves speaking with Bill, the greengrocer, who has Sprouts Farm, to find out what’s fresh; as well as other outlets, there’s Diane from Appleblossoms - her wild flowers are a treat.’ Before Covid, the menu was written almost daily and they could just pick anything fresh and seasonal. The recent pandemic has made people think more about the environment, Melanie believes: ‘We’re very passionate about sustainability and have realised how much we need to stop using plastic. The problem is with some suppliers - if they deliver items in plastic, we say “No” and it works - we now have things delivered in bread sacks! James added: ‘During the pandemic a lot of people came into the market and the stall opposite was very busy. Some people became uncomfortable queuing in supermarkets. At least in the market, if the greengrocer is busy, people can go to the butcher and everything is on one site.’
The couple have modified their business in order to continue. By going on to the website Food.je, they readjusted their menu - takeaways and Island wide deliveries took off. ‘Our front of house staff became drivers and cyclists,’ James said and Melanie admitted: ‘if you can survive in London, you can survive with Covid here.’ www.labouche.je E reservations@labouche.je T 01534 625890
RURAL Business Thanks to the sponsorship of Lakey Offshore Ltd, we feature in each issue of the magazine an article on a local business; Lakey Offshore Ltd shares with Rural magazine a commitment to try to promote and assist local businesses, particularly in these current difficult times. Lakey Offshore acted as broker to assist James and Melanie acquire this central market site and are delighted at the success they have had in bringing something that is different and of such 69 quality to our town centre.
