Burgundy and The French Riviera (8 of 12) - La Chevre D'Or, Eze

En route to Eze on the Middle Corniche

A morning drive along the Middle Corniche brought us to the town of Eze. This is one of those hugely pretty drives where the views are stunning and demand regular stopping for photo ops. We had allocated one hour for the drive - two would have been better and keep slow because the opps whiz by quite quickly.

View from Oriental Garden, Eze

As I remember, getting to the Middle Corniche required a drive through Nice to get on to the road which also took a little time to get through the mid morning traffic. 

Eze is one of those mountain top cobbled stone path villages with that pink red brick medieval feel about it.  There is an Oriental Garden at the top with great views across the bay, though it gets to be a hard climb up the hill and the stairs to get there - not for everyone if the knees are a bit creaky. But the plants were pretty and so were the views. 

Cheesy bits and Rose fizz overlooking the Med

Was also a good way to work up an appetite for our lunch which was to be at the Chateau de La Chevre D'Or, a two star Michelin perched on the side of Eze village and overlooking the cliff down to the sea below. The name means "House of the Golden Goat" and the goat was well in evidence both at the entrance and as a mascot looking out to the sea.

The food is fading into memory, but the view was stunning. The restaurant has a truly breathtaking view across the Med and was worth the price of admission in itself. We got escorted to a balcony area where we started with Rose Champagne and some tasty cheese bits and crunchies on the Terrace under an awning to totally enjoy the breathtaking aspect across the midday Mediterranean. The weather was being truly kind to us - brilliant sunshine and blue skies. Can still taste the salty cheese biscuits and bubbles now and soaking in the sound and sight of that breezy cliff top overlooking the Med. Brilliant memory.

After about twenty minutes of lazy lounging in this perfect spot we got told that our table was ready and could we please be seated. On the way, I got a photo of Lenglui with a Buddha headbust that was parked next to an Oriental style indoor pool. Seemed an odd location for a Buddha, but with the water flowing there, the Qi was indeed very positive. Just to digress a shade, Qi (pronounced "Chi")is the Buddhist concept of the lifeforce that flows through everything, and good Qi is attracted by indicated by motion. Flowing water in particular creates good Qi and the positive vibes. So. There was a pleasant sense of peace in the pool. In contrast, the staff seemed a bit frazzled and bemused and not sure of who or where we were supposed to be sat. We made our way up some stairs to a corner window seat that opened the whole vista to us. One one side the hillside and on the other the sea. 

Hello Buddha...

It was a brilliant and perfect place to propose. I think I did and got turned down. Again. Choi…. no luck.

Ambience of La Chevre D'Or

The restaurant interior was delightful in white and splashes of violet from orchid like plants. The Michelin inspector says the restaurant is: 

"An exceptional hotel demands an exceptional restaurant! An institution amongst the eating establishments of the French Riviera, Le Château de la Chèvre d'Or combines the highest quality ingredients to produce sophisticated, fresh tasting cuisine served in a high class setting. Excellent service."

Hard to disagree. 

We had the Euro75 Gourmand set lunch and quaffed Euro500 worth of drinks between eight of us so after taxes it was not a cheap lunch. Coffees and water alone was Euro115 so the wine was also a fair whack. Not sure how they work the taxes but it came out at about 11%. But it is again probably once in a lifetime, and lifetime is never as much as we want or know so sometimes you just have to go for it. Not sure that the food was worth it. There is certainly little in the memory of what it was or how it tasted, though I seem to now recall the lobster was crisp and sweet and succulent whilst the Pollack was light and firm. Tasty wines too. Clearly pretty in its presentation, and clearly paying for the location as well as the food. Michelin + Eze = Whack the Wallet. But the location was magnificent. Perhaps that was the problem - so mesmerised by the view and no chance to concentrate on the food. Even so, to La Chevre D'Or I would like to return. Just for the view. And those cheesy bits with the fizz on the balcony. And that Goat statue shining golden in the sun. And a second attempt at proposing. Have to get her more drunk next time. Maybe I could also write about the food…

The Golden Goat - massive pretty restaurant

MENU DEJEUNER GOURMAND

European Lobster, Green Beans, Claws in Tartar and Coral Mayonaisse, Razor Clams as a Tartar, Avocado and locally grown Peach;

Filet of Pollack, Truffles, Condiments and crushed Zucchinis;

Pure Creation "Juliene Dugourd" Red Fruites Panna Cotta

Wines: Giraud Rose, Montee Tonne Chablis, St Aubin Remilly 2011

Amuse Bouche

European Lobster and Razor Clam

Filet of Pollack

Red Fruit Panna Cotta

Eze Village

Kien and La Chevre D'Or Sommelier 

Signboard at the Restaurant

Entrance to Chateau de La Chevre D'Or

Tasty Cantonese Creations - IWFS Noble Mansion July 2013

Wines waiting to get uncorked

Umnnnngg  fuzzy head. Bleugh. Where's the plinkplink fizz when you need it?

Belter of a night with the IWFS last night. Everyone seemed in the mood to party and whoooo, that was what everyone seemed to do.

The Noble Mansion is the latest addition to the Oriental Group of Restaurants. Opened in January 2013, Noble Mansion showcases the latest creations of Executive Chef Justin Hor. As the name suggests, the restaurant is a modern interpretation of a Chinese traditional mansion. It is divided into a number of sections: The Lantern, The Bamboo Courtyard, The Terracota Rooms and The Grand Hall.

The Cuisine of Noble Mansion is inspired by that found in the renowned food province of Shunde in Guangzhou, China.  Shunde cuisine has a reputation for being regarded as providing the foundation for fine Cantonese cuisine. While the cuisine of Guangzhou has been Traditionally very minimalist in its use of flavors and seasoning, Shunde cuisine is noted for being generous in the delicate sweet side of things, using ingredients like tangerine peel and dates. Though occasionaly rustic and homely in appearance, these belie the preparation and expertise of chefs creating dishes that offer pleasant and delicate blends of texture and taste.

Let's raise a glass...

I seem to have got lumbered with organising the event.  A stab at a committee tasting died with only myself and Lenglui meeting with restaurant manager Jason and finalising the menu with the budget I was given. Possible matching wines within the drinking window at the IWFS Cellar all seemed to be French and quite attractive, so that  sorted itself. 

Always a bit apprehensive with organising a Chinese cuisine dinner for the members. They don't usually get too much support. Still, the Noble Mansion was a new place in a part of town generally free from traffic jams and with easy parking so it offered potential. And not a bad turnout at the end with 42 stumping up the RM250. 

Cheers!!

Notwithstanding a couple of service hiccups at the start with staff feeling a bit uncertain as to how to serve the wines (and getting pressganged into serving food as well - a bit overworked they were) there did not seem to be too many complaints about anything. Well, except for the fact that more wine was wanted than was available. Both the whites got downed at a scarily rapid rate ahead of the food coming out. Equally, the burgundy barely survived to get matched with the duck. The Bordeaux appeared to have an easier time of things, with the assembled having seemingly become more civlised in their drinking by this time. 

Oops - forgot to photo... remains of the Crab

Lots of good comments about the food, with the starter Crab and Asparagus and the Razorclam coming in for very special mention. The starter was indeed quite delightful - crab meat with a crunchy cucumber and what felt like an asparagus pate. The whole was a sourish bracing freshness around the mouth with the crab offering the soft sweetmeat to complement. The pairing Aligote had good spice and clean balance with a slight pepper mouth. Remniscent of a Gewurtz withouth the lychee and sugar. Nice and clean and a shade oily but good oily rather than kerosene you occasionally get with fierce Sauvignon Blanc and the cheap stuff. The prawn was big and fresh, though maybe slightly overcooked, and as said the Razorclam was stellar - garlic and glass noodle and clam in vinegar sauce had the table in paroxysms of tongue tickling ecstacy. Indeed, it was tasty and long in finish with afternotes still being tasted way after the plates got cleared. It paired nicely with the Chablis, though it soared with the Aligote - the oil cutting through the chewy meat and the spice giving the garlic and vinegar a good run for the tasting money. On its own, the Chablis was massive - complex, smoky butterscotch with a long clean finish.

The Fresh Prawn

The Garoupa had been cut into pieces and deep fried in a batter that tasted of soft melon and lemons - sweet but not overpoweringly so with the result being crisp tasty morsels of sweet well cooked fish. We guess the Yin Yang was the crisp outside with the soft inside. A bit gwailo maybe (ie one for the white folks rather than the traditional purist Oriental foodie) but tasty nonetheless. Lovely with the Chablis as one would expect. 

The magnificent Razorclam in Garlic

The beancurd was….   beancurd. I mean, it's all texture and pretty tasteless, though the chef had a decent go with it, searing it in some peppery fat and serving it with a softer and less gooey sauce than is traditionally served with the beancurd. Lenglui liked this. Killed the Burgundy so I didn't eat too much of it on principle - nothing should get in the way of magnificent wine. 

Pairing of the night was the Duck with the Ile des Vergellesses. The Vergelless was initially a shade fierce but opened out in the glass after its temperature got raised to room. It had a clean, glass like sheen on the throat and layers - lots and lots of layers so soft that they created so much depth. I seemed to be the only one who thought the duck was champion. Notwithstanding its hacked appearance, it was so tasty - crisp smoky skin with good lemon salt and great textured meat. As said, brilliant with the Burgundy. 

Yin Yang Garoupa

The rice was fair and offered good carbo for the Bordeaux. I missed the coconut, preferring to quaff. There were five bottles of fizz that were left over from the start so it was decided to crack them to end the night. Also, no one really wanted to take any bottles back to the store. So. It's a fizzy fuzzy that the brain is labouring under at this time of first writing. The more sober reflection suggests next time we crack them at the start to save the white wine from getting guzzled. We live and learn. 

In all, a most successful evening of good food and lovely wines being enjoyed by members clearly in the mood to party. It was good that none of the dishes was bad, though perhaps the purists might say that none of them was particularly spectacular. The Shunde inspired cuisine certainly contrasted with traditional Cantonese styles, being way more delicate in content than more usual offerings. The Governor and The Boss clearly had a good night, telling all and sundry what a wonderful time they were having. Indeed, it was surprisingly successful - some lovely individual dishes and wines and some delightful pairings. The room favourite by vote was the L'Estang, being quite nicely approachable and a good quaffer. The Chablis got my vote - complex, full, chewy and a lovely lingering finish. And the Pinot was belter. Definitely a good night had by pretty much all. And I managed to get my Elvis on. Such a slut for the microphone and karaoke...

Emptying the Bottles

Text and photos Brian McIntyre
Additional photos kind courtesy Jeff Walmsley

Menu

Aperitif

Andrew Peace Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot 2011

1st Course

White Asparagus with White Truffle Oil and Crab Meat

2009 Domaine Taupenot Merme Bourgogne Aligote

2nd Course

Steamed Fresh Water Prawns

2009 Domaine Taupenot Merme Bourgogne Aligote

Course Three

Steamed Razorclam with garlic

2007 Domaine William Fevre Fourchaume, Chablis 1er Cru

Course Four

Yin Yang Star Garoupa

2007 Domaine William Fevre Fourchaume, Chablis 1er Cru

Course Five

Braised Beancurd with Spinach

2005 Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru Ile des Vergelesses

Course Six

Roasted Duck

2005 Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru Ile des Vergelesses

Course Seven

Fried Rice With Dried Scallop, Crab Meat and Egg White

2005 Chateau De L'Estang Cotes De Castillion

Course Eight

Summer Breeze Coconut Jelly.

2005 Chateau De L'Estang Cotes De Castillion

Table A

Table B

Table C

Table D  

Prakash, Yin How and Zul

Brian, Paul, Song and Edna

Dr Rajan, Dr Bachan and Ong Li Dong

Dr Stephen, Dr Rajan and See Cheng Siang