Plate to PalateSignature dish

When multi-star Michelin chef Alain Ducasse this month reopened Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, in Paris, France, after a 10-month renovation, he made global headlines - some might say, for the wrong reasons: he had taken red meat off the restaurant's menu.

"Is this the end of haute cuisine?" cried the headline of a Mail Online article that called the chef's decision "un-Gallic", which is clearly ridiculous. Marie Antoinette didn't say, "Let them eat steak!" when the French peasants were complaining about not having enough bread to eat; meat was something they could only dream of.

The restaurant will be serving primarily organic cereals and produce grown in the gardens at the Palace of Versailles, as well as seafood and small amounts of meat. Ducasse says he also plans to stop using cream and sugar.

I'm sure whatever Ducasse serves at his Michelin three-star restaurant will be fantastic; I vividly remember my experience there 10 years ago and it remains one of the top 10 meals I've ever eaten.

Yes, we had lamb, and a Bresse chicken dish, but also delicious were the langoustine with caviar and Breton lobster with curry spices. Even then, the vegetables were memorable for their flavour, although they played a secondary role in the dishes - I can only imagine how much better they'll be when the chefs pay even more attention to them.

I don't know why the decision is a surprise to Ducasse fans. His menu at another three-star restaurant, Le Louis XV, in Monte Carlo, Monaco, has long been seafood and vegetable heavy. Diners there don't complain about the scarcity of meat.