The Restaurant Marathon continues with the first restaurant on my list . I went there with Fabrice who not only ate there before but also claims he knows the chef, and Marie-Aimée, an adventurous eater. The restaurant, a market based bistro, with changing dishes and a lot of history in the “bistro-gastronomic” world.
Early evening? No, it was 21:30 but still light outside.
The dinning room, from outside.
Another place modestly decorated, focused on the food, trying to keep low prices so that everyone can enjoy their great seasonal food.
The menu: 3 course meal for 38 euro. About 5 choices of each course.
Fabrice happily selecting the wine for his two girls.
As an Amuse bouche, a big ceramic mold of terrine arrived to our table, a family style chicken and pork terrine which each dinner self serving from the terrine and it’s rotated around the tables.
Together with these small cornichons. I like the concept that it’s self served, as if saying: welcome to our house, feel free to taste our terrine. It was tasty together with fresh bread.
Our waitress was very nice and gave a good service. Here she’s opening our bottle in grace.
Very nice choice of wine Fabrice!
Soupe de tomates relevée au piment d’Espelette, chair de crab rafraichie, huile d’olive et citron. Tomato soup with espelette pepper, crab meat olive oil and lemon.
Gambas sautées vivement au piment d’Espelette et Jambon d’Espagne, risotto crémeux à l’encre de sieche. Shrimps with ham, creamy risotto with squid ink. Best entrée in my opinion because the shrimp were cooked so well, not sure how, they were so soft and light, melting in the mouth.
Maki de saumon mariné, concombre, menth et fromage frais salad de légumes croquants. Marinated salmon, cucumber, mint and fresh cheese, salad of crisp vegetables. I liked the seasoning for the salad and the beet root sauce.
Finished plate obviously
Dorade grise sauvage juste snackée, légumes confits comme en Provance, émulation d’un parmesan. Wild sea bream, vegetables confit and emulation of parmesan.
Was cooked nicely and dipping the bread in the sauce was just right.
One of the specialties of the day. Don’t remember which fish was it, with girols mushrooms and mules foam.
Magret de canard rôti au poivre noir, jeunes choux pointus, oignon nouveaux et gingembre, jus acidulé. Roasted duck breast with black pepper, young savoy cabbage, onions and ginger, tangy juice.
This was my favorite main course. What was great, beside the duck breast cooked nicely pink, was the juice with the cabbage. Sweet-salty with some bits of bacon. A winner dish.
Soufflé chaud au Grand-Marinier. Hot Souffle with Grand-Marnier.
Minestrone de melones et nectarines, rafraichis au sirup gingembre, sorbet melon maison. Melon, nectarine and strawberries soup with ginger syrup and melon sorbet with a butter cookie. It’s the melon season and all the restaurants have this melon dessert with melon sorbet. I liked the syrup with the spices.
Petits pots de crème à la vanille, framboises et coulis de fruits rouges. Small pots of vanilla cream, raspberry and red fruit coulis.
The dessert were very traditional for me, which was a bit of disappointing because the rest of the menu was more creative. Yet nothing creative about the desserts. They were all good but nothing that tickled my brain (and taste buds).
Overall it was a very good dinner, nice atmosphere, great ambiance and warm and cozy dinning room. We were slowly eating and talking no apparent singes of rushing us out.
