Tarbes: new owner for La Plage

The place is truly magical. As the name suggests, it’s a stretch of beach on the edge of the Arsenale district. As soon as you open the door, you have the impression of being at Club Med, under the umbrellas, with your feet in the sand, in the tropics. And the rolling Adour, nearby, evokes the reels… Since 2015, success has never wavered, the pandemic has been forgotten and the party is back as before. Well, not really, since the place is changing hands… “I decided to buy it”, explains Serge Sanguinet, owner of the pruning company, “first of all because the owner, whom I know well, wanted to continue. But above all because I wanted to pass something on to one of my sons, Peyo, who will handle it.” The 22-year-old is up for the challenge, having cut his teeth at other nightclubs early on. A few days before the inauguration, Thursday 1 June, it’s the excitement for the final preparations. “We work as a family, we are very close”, continues Serge Sanguinet, “there are my other children, my sons-in-law, including Vincent Pinto (professional rugby player at Section Paloise, at Colomiers next season) with us, for help us. It’s a human adventure, that’s how we work”.

A high level leader

But if family matters to him, friendship is just as important. And his reports are numerous, especially in the world of rugby, but not only. “I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of people and I’m curious about others. I like people.” This is how he met Raymond Nordin during a lunch at Fouquet’s in Paris many years ago. The young chef of the prestigious restaurant, who also worked for Ducasse, decided to reconnect with his Toulouse roots and ended up in Lourdes, where he officiated for a while at the Bellfry table. But mayonnaise does not take. “We then met with Serge,” says the young man, “and we decided to work together, because we get along very well.” Serge Sanguinet agrees, and also adds that Raymond could soon be involved in the affair … In the meantime, the young chef has perfected his menu. “We wanted to make quality, but simple, cheap and convivial. Thus, most of the appetizers are to be shared with friends. The same goes for the dishes, fish, rib of beef, which we serve with two side dishes, which the ” we can also chat. The watchword is good and cool. We will also offer weekly tips. Customers will discover, but the general spirit of the menu is southern-inspired, with bigourdan accents, albeit on.” The restaurant will be open every day except Sunday (the closing day of La Plage) and Saturday at noon.

In a few days a new wave will invade La Plage. “We can’t wait, we want to welcome customers, take care of them, create the atmosphere. And we have great surprises in store for them during the summer, with top-level musical guests. Management changes, but Il 90 % of the team stays in place, the servers are the same, the regulars won’t be confused. But there will be something new soon…”