Not worrying, but living

I thought I'd write a post about the sort of stuff I do when I'm not worrying and not at work (the two are not mutually exclusive, mind).

I'm not actually a dessert person but I appreciate this idea :)

This weekend, for example, my DB gave me a choice, as my boys had gone to see their dad. We could either go away somewhere or eat out in a nice restaurant. An image floated into my mind of a nice hotel room and me spending Saturday evening munching on a tomato. I wondered where we could go in this cold weather and decided that I couldn't be fagged to go anywhere if it meant something crappy for dinner.

So I voted for staying put, with bed warmer, cosy cat and dinner out. We went to a restaurant called l'Authentique and had a lovely evening eating, drinking and chatting. After a fishy mise en bouche, I started with a millefeuille of brandade de mourue with prawns, mussels and a red pepper sauce, followed by taureau steak (Aubrac), all washed down with a delicious and perfectly balanced red from Domaine Henry, le Paradines 2010 at €25 per bottle. It was well-presented, very tasty and with good service. The place was full too.

Yesterday I went a bit cooking mad. I had cooked a turkey leg in the slow cooker on Saturday so turned it into individual pies in a leek sauce, meat for wraps or maybe turkey pasties, and stock for soup. Then I cooked a lamb Madras dish from Saturday Kitchen which I got into a bit of a mess with as I don't have a spice grinder and my small food processor does a crap job. By the time I'd decided that the burnt bits were not going to affect the overall flavour, the dish was almost ready, not to eat mind because my DB doesn't eat lamb. The boys and I may have it tonight, or I might be so fed up with it that I'll just chuck it in the freezer until I've forgiven it for being such a pain in the arse.

It brought home to me the importance of having the right tools because 'good enough' just isn't when it comes to some things.

This brings me to my favourite tele programmes at the moment. Right up there at the top is Saturday Kitchen which is great fun in a jovial, blokey kind of way, has some delicious-sounding recipes, and interesting guests. Last Saturday, they had Swedish chef Magnus Lisson who made a complex Porridge of grains from Jämtland. They cooked a haggis in a potato pancake dish which I might try as I'm partial to haggis and have a tin of it for emergencies.

When I'm not being nagged to free up the tele, I also then watch The Good Cook with Simon Hopkinson who demonstrates how to make restaurant-quality food in your own home. He was particularly enamoured with this recipe for grilled aubergines with olive oil, garlic, parsley and feta cheese.

On Mondays at 10pm (French time) we have Lewis, on Tuesdays there's Death in Paradise, on Thursdays and Fridays there's Silent Witness and on Sunday there's Mr Selfridge which I like watching because I used to have a summer/Saturday job there. If I have to miss one because there's something worth watching on French tele, then I can just catch up with BBC iPlayer on my IP hider.

Last weekend, my DB and I watched a French film, Poupoudidou with Jean-Paul Rouve and Sophie Quinton. We were not expecting much joy from it (because we are not great fans of French navel-gazing films), but this one turned out to be a bijou. It's set in Mouthe, the coldest town in France and focuses on the murder of Candice Lecoeur, a (bottle) blond bombshell who is convinced she was Marilyn Monroe in a former life. The police chief has his reasons for deciding her death was a suicide, but a visitor to the area, David Rousseau (JP Rouve), a successful author of 'polars' (thrillers), is not convinced. He decides to stay for a bit, not necessarily because he wants to interfere in the police work, but because he wants to investigate Candice's past and hopefully find some inspiration for his next book.

The deeper he digs, the more dirt he finds, and his life becomes the target for someone who wants to keep him quiet. We really enjoyed the dark humour and irony in this film, the intriguing scenario, and the muffled ambiance reflecting the stifling effect of snow on sound.

Dinner - Reserve Rimbaud, and Stats

Well we had a lovely time last night at La Reserve Rimbaud. Nothing went awry, it was all impeccable, charming and professional. We were able to sit outside in the balmy Indian Summer evening air overlooking a bend in the river Lez. The water was so still it looked almost stagnant. It was only when you squinted up one eye and fixed a leaf and length of railing that you could detect movement. It's the two dams, the cause of the hold-up we were told.

We were given delectable amuse bouches including a tiny bowl of fantastic olive oil into which we dunked some focaccia. My starter was homard bleu. Not being a lobster connoisseur I asked if it was blue because it was practically raw or for some other reason. It's the name, apparently. They come from Brittany. Anyway, the essentially claw meat was delicate and delicious, served with what seemed to be slivers of turnip that had been given rings of beetroot juice (although the menu says vinaigrette à la beetroot), plus carrottes anciens and caramelised onions des Cevennes.

My main course was hunks of the tenderest fillet of veal ever. They must travel far to find such a supplier because I've never tasted veal that good around here, even when buying it from the butcher at vast expense. It was served with fried girolles and potimarron confits and was une merveille!

I didn't have a dessert because I'm not really very desserty and there was nothing that grabbed my fancy. We had dinner with a bottle of white wine as I'm having my teeth whitened and cannot drink red or rosé. Only white and champagne!

The service was excellent - not too slow, not too fast; it was attentive without being overbearing. Really, it's a very nice place to go for a celebratory dinner (or lunch).

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On a slightly different tack, my stats have been going mad recently, with huge inexplicable peaks. If anyone has an idea why this is happening, I'd be interested to know. If it had only happened once I'd think it was a Blogger Blip, but it happens regularly. Ideas on a postcard please.

Restaurant Review - Le Clos des Oliviers

I couldn't go out for dinner on my birthday as it was a Monday and very few restaurants are open on a Monday down here. So I decided to wait until Friday when my TWDB booked a table at the Clos des Oliviers at St Gély du Fesc.

I've known this restaurant for several years and even used to live just around the corner, but it's recently changed hands and is now run by M Didier Latour. I was very optimistic because my good friend Diane has been there recently and raved about it, which is always a good sign. My friends are suitably fussy about where they eat so can be relied upon for credible information when it comes to restaurants. Before I hunt on Trip Advisor or the like, I ask around.

As you can see from the photo, it's been decorated in shades of aubergine and wood. This is not my photo but comes from another blog where you'll find many more photos of the dishes served (if you're interested).

The welcome as you walk in is warm and friendly as you're greeted by Mme Latour who is a perfect hostess - not ingratiating, but makes you feel your custom is appreciated. This is most gratifying. We were the second set of clients to arrive and were taken to our table for two. The atmosphere was intimate and perfect for a peaceful dinner. As the evening wore on, all the tables in our section filled up, so they are obviously doing well.

We took an aperitif, me the house one which was a sparkling type of kir with subtle dash of cognac. With it came a couple of nibbles (see other blog) to help stave off starvation as we waited to order. There were two menus - one at 32€ and one at 39€ with a selection of goodies, and another at 54€ where you can choose anything from the carte - 4 courses plus Trou Languedocienne between the fish and meat courses. We chose off the 39€ menu, the Menu Lucques, and ended up having the same:
Starter: Huîtres de la région en tartare, Asperges blanches juste cuite, Fine tranche de « Jamon iberico de Bellota», Ecume de Thé vert et agrumes
Main course: Filets de Bar roulés aux Saint-Jacques, Fleurs de Courgette en tempura, Embeurré de Poireaux et Essence de Chorizo
Dessert: Sablé Cardamone, Crémeux Extra bitter, Glace aux feuilles de Kumbawa en Orthogone chocolaté 

The local oysters were chopped up into a tartare and served on the asparagus with a jambon hat set at a jaunty angle. The flavours went marvellously together and the oysters were delicious and fresh. We sat and appreciated the depth of the flavours, concentrating on identifying the subtle components of the mixture.

The bar (seabass) fillets were rolled around a scallop, a delicious combination, and set elegantly on the slab of slate. I'm not terribly keen on dessert, and I usually go for the lightest one possible. All three on the menu were quite substantial, so I went for the chocolate choice. It was a chocolate coffin in which were placed the pastry, chocolate mousse and an interesting citronella mousse. Fantastically original, but not very light so I couldn't finish it.

We washed it all down with a bottle of white Mortiès and the whole bill came to 125€ which was amazing value. Recommended for: welcome, service, variety of flavours, presentation of dishes, quality of ingredients, and value for money.

Le Clos des Oliviers 53 Rue de l'Aven 34980 ST GELY DU FESC

Tél.:04 67 84 36 36 Fax:04 67 54 36 94

contact@clos-des-oliviers.com

Restaurant review - Golf de Coulondres

Industrial vinaigrette

If there's one thing I can't stand it's someone treating me like an idiot, like I don't know what I'm talking about especially when I do!

I had an annoying experience of this sort last night at the restaurant of the Golf du Coulondres in St Gély du Fesc which probably means I'll never set foot in the place again. It's not that the food was bad or anything, but the salad dressing they used came out of a bottle, and they denied it.

It was that white-ish gungy 'vinaigrette' that you get in a bottle that tastes nothing like one made at home from oil and vinegar. You get it in cheap restaurants, and sometimes you get it where you don't expect it, in restaurants which should know better. It shows they are taking the piss out of their clients because they think they either cannot tell the difference between a crappy sludge and the real thing, or they aren't worth taking the time to add oil to vinegar.

Either way, it spoils an otherwise okay meal. I would have said nothing, but the waiter sought my opinion, 'Did you enjoy your starter?' (or words to that effect). He asked, so I answered. I told him the roasted pepper tart with warm goat's cheese slab was lovely, but the salad had been spoiled by using industrial vinaigrette. A look of consternation flashed across the large nose and vivid red pimple which was all I noticed of his face and he said he'd tell the chef.

The next course was okay too - monkfish brochettes with orange slices, some ricey mound and one of those suspiciously similar to every other restaurant that uses industrial cuisine in vacuum packs green veggie mousses. Plus some salad and the ubiquitous white-ish gunge. I conclude that little is home-cooked in this place - another reason to boycott it, if I needed one.

PimpleNose came back at some point when we were ordering another bottle of wine (Chateau LaRoque rosé) to inform us that the chef hotly denied using industrial vinaigrette, it was homemade. Homemade my arse, he must think I'm stupid and have no taste buds. Or, more worryingly, he can't taste the difference so just chucks on any old rubbish that comes out of a bottle. As the most he has to do is probably open up a few vacuum packs, it may also be some sort of induced lethargy from lack of creativity. Whatever it is, that's his problem, and we won't be going back.

Restaurant du Golf de Coulondres - don't bother, it ain't cheap and it ain't worth the money you pay to have someone chuck a bag in a microwave and squirt gunge over salad. Not recommended!

Dining back to front

Do you ever yearn to start your dinner with pudding and work backwards? Was your childhood punctuated by feeling aggrieved because you had to work your way through boring carrots and fish before you got to the yummy sugary dessert? 

I don't remember those sorts of feelings, and now, having tried it, I don't think I was missing much. On Saturday, my TWDB and I went to dinner at La Monde à l'Envers in the middle of the Ecusson old quarter of Montpellier. We chose it randomly from a list of 25 or so restaurants on the carte gastronomique that my TWDB bought as a special comité entreprise offer. You reserve a table for two and pay for just one meal plus wine. Nifty!

We arrived and were asked if we would like to start with the digestif - vodka with crème de violet, so we did. Bad idea. It was very sweet and a bit sickly, and that feeling stayed with me for the rest of the meal. One of the reasons why I wanted to come to this restaurant was because they had on the menu a gazpacho of beetroot and cèpes. I'm trying to train myself to like beetroot and thought this was an original idea and could be an interesting taste experience.

Unfortunately, it's on the menu but won't be available until later in the year. That's the problem of printing an annual menu, perhaps... Anyway, I was disappointed and had to choose a crumble with melted goat's cheese and raspberry instead - dessert.

Verdict? Tasty but sickly. The crumble was too sweet and, following on from the violet vodka, my stomach was sending out distress signals. I didn't eat all of it. I then had a tatin style fresh marinated salmon cooked with leeks and served with home-made (they said) skin on chips. It was very tasty too, but quite rich. The salmon was served in an individual pot with a pastry lid. Now I come to think of it, I suppose I was meant to tip it onto the plate to give the 'tatin' effect.

Never mind, I couldn't eat all of that dish either. The food was not enhanced either by the distinctly bland St Chinian we had to go with it. If you're in search of a decent wine list, don't go here because they have just 3 types of each colour wine, and if the St Chinian is anything to go by, you won't be impressed by any of them.

By this time, I couldn't face the next course which should have been the starter, but we were given a list of desserts such as tiramisu, something chocolatey or some other creamy cake. I was feeling very queasy and didn't want the aperitif (kir) either. In fact, I just wanted to get out into the fresh air.

It was an adventure, but not one I'd go on again. Great if you like rich, sweet food in any order. We had the menu at 26.90€ plus 16€ for the wine, total meal: 42.90€ with the gastro card.

Sens Divine

The rather nice restaurant where I was expurgating my stress post-Ikea the other day was in old part of town. My TWDB and I had intended to dine at L'Atelier where they seem to do fun things with edible flowers because Madame is a botanist. Unfortunately, there must have been some sort of a soirée going on because they were hanging out of the windows and standing about in the chill.

Plan B was to backtrack and go to try the ex-Menestrel, now Divine & Sens. Apparently the Menestrel owners decided to pack it in because of the difficulties of making a decent living, what with the 35hour week, VAT, social charges, parking problems, and the development of out-of-town complexes where restaurant food chains attract a large clientele.
Newly open - just one week old - we were pleasantly surprised by the decor. From being traditional, red, practically medieval in style, it had gone to being baroquely chic, trendy and modern. As you can see from the photo, the main dining room is absolutely splendid with its vaulted ceiling, all in a beautiful creamy local stone. The chessboard tiles are enormous, and there's an even more enormous clock face set permanently at 9.30 over the fireplace.

The welcome was warm, but a tad unusual. I think Monsieur le patron had been relieving his own stress in alcohol and, while he was still on his feet, his manner was not quite what you'd expect...

Madame, on the other hand, was perfectly in possession of her faculties - at least at the beginning - but, whilst charming, was having to cover somewhat for her errant husband. This included removing the bread basket with a half-eaten roll that had been plonked on our table. When I asked her if he was feeling okay, she replied that he was, so I suggested that he wasn't exactly quite comme il faut. She knew what I meant, but merely smiled.

Well, he was nothing if not amusing, but this is a restaurant with a menu at 29Eur for two courses so you expect a professional approach. Having broken the ice with my observations, towards the end I engaged Madame in conversation about decorating the stone walls of the restaurant with artwork from Promo'Arts. I plugged away, even had a card to give her, and got her sounding quite enthusiastic!

We did enjoy our dinner actually. I had a carpaccio of duck with salad followed by scallops with crystallized ginger and various veggies. My TWDB had a plate of vegetarian tapas. We washed it all down with some yummy Domaine de Mortiès from nearby St Jean de Cuculles.

Downstairs there is another room which can be hired out for functions. It has a rather kitsch dentist's chair upholstered in zebra and a collection of chairs and comfy sofas. Madame would like to use it to pursue her other passion - fashion - with catwalk soirées of trendy, chic clothes. Sounds cool!

I hope the restaurant works. Obviously there are teething problems, but the concept is good, and I love the table decorations and the friendly ambiance of the place. I quite wanted to walk off with the table mats. They are woven metallic, old gold in colour, set on a black table with white napkins. The cutlery is stylish Guy Degrenne and the glasses are huge.

Not cheap, but lunch is good value. Recommended.
Divine & Sens
2 impasse Perier
34000 Montpellier
Tel 04 67 54 12 30
Email: divine-et-sens@orange.fr