Summer Menu challenge 2025
Chef Arnaud Bignon– Restaurant “Spondi” 1* Michelin- Athens, Greece
Tucked into the historic neighborhood of Pagrati, Spondi is more than just one of Greece’s most acclaimed dining destinations—it’s a symbol of culinary precision and innovation. With One Michelin star to its name and a legacy of excellence that spans decades, Spondi blends the elegance of French fine dining with subtle nods to its Greek surroundings.
Under the guidance of Chef Arnaud Bignon, Spondi’s kitchen is an atelier where ideas evolve into edible art. The philosophy is rooted in ingredient purity, technical discipline, and emotional clarity—where each dish tells a story of tradition, terroir, and transformation.
With an emphasis on seasonality, sustainability, and meticulous craft, Spondi offers more than a tasting menu—it offers a journey, a series of immersive, flavorful moments that awaken all senses.
About the Chef – Arnaud Bignon
Born in Le Mans, France, Chef Arnaud Bignon was introduced to the world of flavor by his grandmother’s cooking and his grandfather’s garden. These early moments sparked a lifelong fascination with fresh, seasonal produce—a value that remains central to his cuisine today.
Bignon honed his technique in some of the world’s most legendary kitchens, working with Yannick Alléno, Alain Ducasse, and leading teams at The Greenhouse (London) and Spondi (Athens)—earning two Michelin stars in both cities.
Now, as Executive Chef of Spondi, he balances leadership with a hands-on passion for cooking, innovation, and mentoring the next generation. His style is built on contrasts: tradition and modernity, clarity and complexity, boldness and restraint.
“Every day is a new challenge. Creating and exploring our passion is daily work.” – Arnaud Bignon
The Summer Menu Inspiration – Nature, Elegance, and Contrast
For the All4Chefs Summer Menu Challenge 2025, Chef Arnaud Bignon offers a collection of refined, highly expressive dishes that spotlight premium ingredients and his signature balance of French technique with Japanese, Greek, and seasonal influences.
The menu reads like a symphony—each course composed with textural finesse, depth of flavor, and visual poetry.
Expect moments of intensity, like foie gras glazed in elderflower and strawberry, or lamb rack glazed with wild garlic vinegar and miso, followed by whispers of calm like pelargonium ice cream with almond financier or yuzu crémeux with Shiso-mint sorbet.
Throughout the menu, Bignon showcases his mastery of contrasts: warm vs. cold, cooked vs. raw, earthy vs. aromatic.
Summer Menu 2025 – SPONDI, Athens
By Chef Arnaud Bignon | All4Chefs Summer Menu Challenge
Title: A seasonal celebration of Nature, Elegance & Contract
Snacks:
– Brine amberjack stick roll in marinated mooli sheet (ponzu), seaweed marmalade (wakame, nori, soya, yuzu, mirin), and pop black rice with tarragon cress
– Smoked eel batons with Kampot pepper oil, edamame, and mint
– Red onion vinegar and ginger meringue, wagyu tartare, lovage mayo, mustard seeds
Bread & Butters:
– Sourdough with barley and wheat flour
– Brioche feuilletée with Timut pepper
– Olive oil infused with lemon skin and mandarin pepper
– Butter infused with charcoal and samphire ash
Foie Gras Parfait:
– Glazed in strawberry and elderflower juice, with Kampot pepper
and elderflower vinegar gel
Crab:
– Brown crab with verbena mayo, pink grapefruit, fermented tomato sorbet, and crispy crab
Foie Gras & Oyster:
– Pan-fried foie gras with furikake; oyster stuffed with celery and lemon gel; celery juice and oyster leaf oil sauce
Lobster:
– Blue lobster in satay-lime butter, kaffir lime oil, and glazed aubergine with peanut and ponzu
Lamb:
– Lamb rack and saddle with black curry; baby gem grilled; glazed lamb slipper with miso and wild garlic vinegar; Greek yogurt and black lemon powder; parsley bao with braised shoulder
Strawberry:
– Pelargonium ice cream, strawberry sorbet and coulis, lime foam, almond financier, yogurt cream
Vanilla:
– Vanilla ganache montée, caramelized hazelnut, vanilla ice cream, caramelized brioche
Raspberry Dessert:
– Coffee and Dulcey crémeux, cocoa dacquoise, black garlic gel, beetroot-raspberry sorbet, cocoa tuile
Yuzu:
– Yuzu crémeux, pistachio-matcha spongecake, lemon espuma, mint nitrogen espuma, green shiso & mint sorbet
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