Burgundy and The French Riviera (9 of 12) - Robuchon Monte Carlo

At lunch in Monte Carlo

Joel Robuchon Monte Carlo (Michelin 2*) - Dinner

Hotel Metropole, Monaco

For this one I surprisingly had notes. 

We had driven directly from St Paul to Monaco and the GPS did brilliant work in getting us straight to our hotel. We had opted to stay at the better value Novotel perched on the Monte Carlo hill which made for a gentle downhill stroll into the main Casino and swish hotels part of town. Notwithstanding vague plans to meet for lunch, these didn;t happen so we had pizza and salad before doing the Hop On Hop Off bus tour around the town. Little bit confusing as to where the stops were until we spotted a bus pulling up on the road. It was full but another came quite quickly. The secret to these is not to Hop Off at the not so interesting places because the bus gets so full that you can't Hop back on. Darn hot, too. No joke to be stood waiting for a bus that you can't board. Tempers get a bit frayed, but the bus driver was typical French - shrug the shoulder and say yoo wait for ze next one or walk, yoo can chooze. We did not hop off until we did the full round. The place is lots of narrow roads and full of traffic. We saw the famous bits where the F1 cars zoom around and through which was quite fun. Thankfully the Hop On driver had few apparent ambitions to emulate Schumacher or Button. Some great vistas of opulence and yachts on the routes. The place oozes wealth in all its beauty and ugliness. Wealth buys pretty things and people but is often owned by the unbearably ugly and vicious. This became apparent when we got to the casino later in the evening. But jumping the gun here.

Got back to the hotel where Lenglui took a nap and I took a coffee at the very relaxing bar area. Back for shower and change ahead of dinner booked at the Joel Robuchon Restaurant in the Hotel Metropole. An easy walk to the Hotel along the main street and through a Park and we were there. The driveway of the hotel was lined with bigass cars of varying pedigrees, so Lenglui and friends naturally posed for a quick shot. 

Take me to the Casino. Now.

The others had opted to actually stay at the Hotel Metropole so as to be able to get ready and be smack on time for the dinner. Nope. We were spot on time and waited about 15 minutes for them to join, which gave me a chance to stroll around the bar area. We parked with a cocktail and I took some photos.  Very French and opulent, with ornate statues and plush seating and drapes that felt like they would swallow you whole if you got too near them. The stuff of nightmares to a young child like me. 

Bar of the Hotel Metropole

We got joined by the others and got escorted to our round table by the main window. This is a large restaurant, roomy yet a great feeling of exclusivity despite the bigness. It was a darkish affair, though we had been given a large round table near the window and right next to the dessert wagon which looked delightful. With the menus in front of us all, everyone started talking about going individual, but when Lenglui and I opted for the Discovery degustation everyone seemed to fall into line behind us quite quickly. Well, you're here maybe once so go for a taste of what the restaurant thinks is its best, yes? Oui. So that was that. 

Amuse Bouche - no idea what it was but it slipped down with a salty bite. The first course French Beans had liberal sprinkling of what felt like parmesan which, with the caviar, gave a chewy firm salt on the beans and the hint of virgin oil made for a very delicate and refined sensation. Soaking up the caviar oil with the olive bread was total bliss, blitzing the tongue tip with salt zap and carbo oil squeezy suck. It was a cracker with the Premier Cru Chablis that had been ordered to start us off. Should have got shots of the wine labels, but sometimes the food and the company is so good. You can't cover everything, eh?

Bar in the Restaurant Joel Robuchon

The Avocado and Lobster was a firm creamy bite of beautiful and superbly fresh seafood but with a spicy kick and suggestive of a splash of chili oil. Maitre'd later confided that it was in fact a charge of raw horseradish that gave the ensemble its fresh kick and electric zap on the tongue. This is the genius we pay for. Superb.

French Beans, Mimosa and Caviar

Foie Gras was of excellent quality, with the Apricot giving a sugar honey foundation as would a good Sauternes but at a snip of the cost. Must remember this next time Foie Gras comes our way. Ask for Apricots. The Amaretto gave an alcoholic boost and the whole combo kind of leaked and slid its way slowly down the throat. Superb again.

Lobster, Avocado, Spice Oil and Burrate

The Purple Artichoke felt like an overdose of mushroom in the mouth, though the chorizo gave a nice fat spicy spike to what was initially quite a bland dish. However, once the squid kicked in and with the chorizo body, it all came together like a fat spicy oily greasy coating in the mouth with a fresh mushroom crunch over Spanish Salami chew. Lots of this style of food seems to want to offer contrasts that either blend with each other or whack each other up in the sensation stakes. This one was a pleasant blend, giving a full mouth though not doing much for the remains of the Chablis. 

Not sure what it is but it looks pretty!

Wine wise, I have neither detail nor photographs. My notes say the first white was light and fruity, young and crisp The second white had more body and complexity, with apricots on the mouth and spice on the nose. A Premier Cru from Savigny Sur Mer, possibly. The first red gave off toasty oak with good acidity with crisp tannins and low sugar. Possibly a Premier Cru from Savigny Le Beaune. Very tasty, this one - meaty, good spice and chewy tannins. Also got a bit of minerality and steel in the fruit - not made in oak maybe? Heresy…

Duck Foie Gras with Apricots and Amaretto

The Sea Bass came out fried with a good crispy skin. On paper, this should have been a standard fish broth with beans but the addition of the chorizo made for an odd partner. In this, the bland Balotti beans kind of cancelled out the spice of the chorizo, though the contrast against the fish made for interesting sensations. Spicy fish oil but fatty and textured. New as this was, it didn't quite stun the palate. The broth was pleasant enough on its own and with the bread.

Purple Artichoke with Squid

My notes say the lamb cutlets were unbelievable. Tender and perfectly cooked, with firm bite in the mouth and a little crisp on the bone for taste. Oh my freaking god. 

The mashed potato had been built up as the stuff of legend, it being claimed by the world to be the best in the, er, world. Mine was very creamy and moist with an insane amount of butter. Metling in the mouth, rich and creamy, though perhaps I missed it. The texture was too perfect, too refined. We Welsh boys like a bit of potato in our mash and the poor dears in this mash had been blended pretty much out of existence. Some raved over it, others barely batted an eyelid. Nevertheless, an unforgettable sensation. Like sucking whipped mashed butter through a straw. Maybe an acquired taste.

Sea Bass

However, when the whole combo came together the result was sensational. The ensemble of the lamb, the garlic, the plancha, the sprig of thyme and the jus was totally delightful and amazing. Possibly the dish of the tour. 

The Lamb on the magnificent Mashed Potato

There was a great lemon zip on the dessert - good fresh fruit and low sugar. The texture with the Limoncello jelly was cute, lots of zippy citrus and doing a good job of waking up the mouth. The addition of a mint leaf on the strawberry helped it all work like a sorbet refreshing the mouth and palate, though probably one or two dishes too late.

The second dessert was a wild and fruity ensemble exploding ensemble of chocolate and cream and berries with some pistachio helping make for a good crunchy luxurious bite. The chocolate was amazing, rich pure cocoa and not at all sweet. And pairing with raspberry was brilliant, with the sharp sour zap giving the cocoa that bitter quality and setting things up perfectly for the coffee to follow. 

Le Delice Chocolat - yum

The service was pleasant, quiet and efficient and wonderfully non obtrusive. There when needed, but subdued and easy. Most excellent, one of the best service experiences ever. But then I guess that is part of what one pays for. In a previous life, I would never have dreamt of going to these places. But now I understand the food and wine and ambience and service combination a little more, I get why these places can charge what they do. The tastes and textures are subtle and charming, the service brisk and seamless, and the wine and setting underline and punctuate the entire process. Traditional western cuisine and service at its best. One of the meals of my life. If you get the chance, don't think - just go there and do it. 

The Bread Wagon

Discovery Menu

AMUSE BOUCHE

FRENCH BEANS

"al dente" mimosa and caviar

LOBSTER

in an iced veloute of avocado, spicy oil and burrate

FOIE GRAS

of duckserved hot, apricots and Amaretto

PURPLE ARTICHOKE

with squids, touch of thyme, chorizo cooked in a tajine

SEABASS

shallot and white wine broth, white beans, basil fragrance and chorizo

QUAIL

caramelised, stuffed with foie gras and served with mashed potatoes

OR

LAMB

perfect cutlets cooked on the planch with fresh thyme

LA PECHE

champagne coulis. lemon sorbet and limoncello jelly

LE DELICE CHOCOLAT

light red fruits cream and cocoa sorbet

COFFE OR TEA

with chocolate and caramel bonbon

After dinner we strolled in the Monaco evening air and found ourselves heading for the casino. A flash of the passport and we were in. Bathroom stop and while waiting for Lenglui there was this girl next to me shaking. "Are you cold?" I asked in French. "No, I'm terrified," she replied in a London accent. I faked nonunderstanding and quickly walked away - thoughts of fierce Russian yobs with firearms looking to target practice. Not very chivalrous, but the gut said discretion was the better part of valour here. Bit scary. 

The Casino is old school opulent gold and large walls. Mostly quiet as well, with some clearly private areas for the high rollers. Others were gathered around roulette and Blackjack tables and most were doing a brisk trade. We didn't stop long - neither of us are gamblers so we were not particularly interested to punt. Just to have gone in and gawped at the punters and strike it from the bucket list. Ho hum. Note - gents take a jacket and a tie. 

Gentle stroll back to the hotel to walk off the coffee and sleep. Didn't work. Didn't sleep.

The following are some shots from a visit to the Villa & Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat en route back to St Paul from Eze. Very pretty layouts, though we were being rushed around our visit due to a wedding that was to take place there so we didn't get too much of a chance to enjoy it. Bloody French. 

Looking out to St Jean-Cap-Ferrat

The Gardens - very nicely laid out

Sun, flowers and Lenglui - formidable!! 

Buy this for me? Please?

I wish...

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

Burgundy and The French Riviera (7 of 12) - Antibes and Mougins

Lounge at the Hotel du Cap

Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc

Boulevard J.F. Kennedy

06600 ANTIBES France

Not strictly somewhere we went to eat but must include it.

We had spent the day in Antibes with a morning in the Picasso museum avoiding the rain and an afternoon wandering the streets of the town. Seems Picasso had spent a lot of time here in Antibes and the original owner of the museum had offered it to him to create. And he did, massively, with lots of output from the master in his time there. There is a happiness in his pieces here compared to his other more angry work. Good for him. Got to grab the happiness while we can, because age and pain and loneliness catch up soon enough. That is later life for most of us.

So relaxing... at the Hotel du Cap

Lunchtime brought sunshine and a nice stroll along the Cours Massena for sandwich and crepes. Tasty enough and filling and refreshingly alcohol free. Memorable for our neighbour's table parking a huge St Bernard dog next to us. A gentle afternoon stroll along the coast road found photos and toilets before a turn back through town and shops took us the carpark. Streets are a bit cobbled so not so good for the ankles and the knees. Antibes is a tidy, well kept town with enough shop interest to warrant a mosey along the shopping area. Much better in the sunshine.

We met at our original coffee rendezvous to head off further up the coast. The plan was for all to walk along the Sentier Littoral coast path and return to the cars for a drive back to St Paul and change for a drive to dinner. Somehow this got changed so that I would drive one of the cars to the Hotel du Cap and wait there for everyone. Which happened, notwithstanding some issues of not being able to reverse the car. The thing kept stalling in reverse because the brake would not release. Still don't know why. Got escorted to the Hotel du Cap by a French gentleman in his car. Driving into the hotel side, got directed to the restaurant part. Jockey parked and wandered into the very pretty lounge.

Postcard picture perfect - the money shot at Hotel du Cap

The Hotel du Cap was delightful and is a memory etched into my soul. It was perfect - grand, history, glory, and total Riviera of the fifties. Photos of old movie stars frolicking around the hotel and in the water were everywhere, underlining the point that the Hotel du Cap was and still in many respects is the playground of the Hollywood elite. This would be the place they would come to chill with movie friends to get away from the madness. It was very, very nice. Lenglui and I just sat there for about fifteen minutes drinking in the vibe and the history. Someone came and asked if we wanted anything. When he learnt we were not guests he said strictly speaking we couldn't order anything but he brought us tea anyway. Now that was service. Wonderful hour just chatting with tea and watching the sea and afternoon sky. 

We had a little explore around the huge grounds and took our photo opp photos on the gravel pathway to the hotel before heading to the restaurant bar to wait for the others. As they arrived we ordered champagne for them to quench their thirsts after the walk around the coast. Ten of us parked around two tables in the Hotel du Cap with two bottles of fizz as the sun was setting over the bay will stay with me forever. So will the bill for the booze, but sometimes better not to count cost. The memory is too precious. I stole a copy of the drinks menu - full of photos of the rich and famous who have passed through the doors of the hotel. You feel like you're breathing history in the place. Tangible. Must have so many stories. 

La Place de Mougins

La Place de Mougins

41, place du Commandant Lamy

06250 Mougins

Oi garcon, where's the wine? Ah?

As said, the original plan was to go back to St Paul to change for dinner, but time was now against us and given that the restaurant was on this side of the Riviera we opted to go straight there. Mougins is a pleasant town about 5km north of Cannes and houses lots of golf courses and what seems to be a specially constructed village of restaurants. Lorraine had booked La Place de Mougins. Took a bit of finding and GPS seemed to be taking us up a strange road. We asked a Frenchie who directed us the opposite way to what GPS was telling us. We opted to take Mr Frenchie's advice and good thing too - en route we saw one of our number taking photos so we doubled back and parked in the free public car park. A short uphill stroll to the village with vistas of countryside and valley and picture perfect buildings in the evening sun was lovely. La Place de Mougins restaurant was perched at the top of the square, looking like an old country house refurbished for modern tastes. We got ushered and sat and watered. There was a Euro75 prix fixe menu which we were having. Wines got ordered, photos taken. Lovely ambience here, with very good and creatively prepared and presented food. Standouts were the sashimi starter and the bread - warm, olive with rosemary and soft with light crisp crust - taste of heaven with a dip in the oil and outstanding with butter. I also seem to recall that the vegetables were stunning - the artichoke in particular was crisp and full of taste. Looking back at the menu and the photos, there are a lot of contrasts on the plates which worked very well - the sharp mango with the sweet langoustine, the sweet pea veloute with the mouth coating foie gras - which made for explosive little tongue bombs, all zappy and tingling. Very pleasant and unobtrusive service, with the dishes being explained by a helpful maitre d'. Well worth a return visit. 

King Prawn Carpaccio with Mango Sauce

Seem to recall a lot of marketing blurb on well produced cards and brochures. Chef Denis Fetisson is clearly not afraid to spend on producing quality literature and seems to have his name pretty much on all of it. A shade aggressive in the promotion? Perhaps. But he clearly keeps on able to deliver the food on the table and that remains the product on which La Place will naturally continue to be judged. Just wish my French was a bit better so I could better understand what Chef was talking about in his blurbs. There you go, eh?

Foie Gras with Green Pea Veloute

Michelin inspector says the cuisine is creative, where "Chic and pleasing are adjectives equally applicable to this charming restaurant and its cuisine, thanks to a passionate and creative chef. Month by month he gives pride of place to a succession of seasonal ingredients... celebrating the truffle, the asparagus and so on." Yet to get a star though. Given all the rave reviews on the Tripadvisor, shouldn't be long. Better go there before it does and La Place ups its prices. 

Poached Grey Merlu with Octopus and Lemon Cedrat

Getting used to the roads and the GPS by now, so it was an easy drive home along the main road and direct to the villa. Good signage on the roads in this part of France. 

Saddle of Aveyron Lamb with wonderfully crisp Artichoke

GOURMANDISE A MOUGINS 

More wine for you Madame?

Mise en Bouche Autour du Produit a L'Honneur

(Appetizer of the season)

Carpaccio de Langoustines en Saveurs D'Agrumes

(King Prawns Carpaccio, Citrus Fruit Flavour, Mango Sauce)

Foie Gras Canard Poele au Sarawak, Veloute de Petit Pois, Cannelloni a L'Encre de Seiche

(Pan Fried Duck Foie Gras, Green Peas Veloute, Black Cannelloni)

Merlu de Ligne Cuit en Vapeur de Bourrache, Courgettes Trompettes Fumees, Petis Poulpes, Citron Cedrat

(Mediterranean Grey Merlu poached in "Court Bouillon", Zucchini and Octopus, Lemon "Cedrat")

Selle D'Agneau de L'Aveyron en Royale D'Olive Noire, Blettes au Gratin, Artichauts, Fevettes et Girolles

(Saddle of Lamb from Aveyron, Royal of Olive, Swiss Chard, Artichokes and Girol Mushrooms)

Pre Dessert

Souffle Chaud aux Fraises des Bois Biscuit Cuillere et Sorbet Fraise des Bois

(Wild Strawberries, Hot Souffle,Spoon Biscuit and Wild Strawberry Sorbet)

Pre Dessert

Burgundy and The French Riviera (6 of 12) - Cocoon, Cannes

Cocoon signboard

Cocoon

18, rue Bivouac Napoleon, Cannes

Lunch

Everyone else wanted to get off early to Cannes and visit the islands of Ile St Marguerite and / or Ile St Honorat. Lenglui and I took the lazy option and had a leisurely breakfast of fresh croissants I bought from the village before a bus ride into the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer to get the train to Cannes.

Cannes is lovely. Great feel about the whole place - laid back, wealth that is a little faded but friendly and not ostentatious. Very pleasant to wander the streets in the shade. Cute shops in both the Old and New Town areas which were staffed by mostly European natives - didn't get that sense of tacky tourist junky shops manned by people of South Asian or Oriental descent as one gets in much of Italy and the UK. And it was clean. Streets were pretty spotless. 

The Ham and Cheese Salad. Well tasty.

Got to the lunch venue early and parked ourselves with a coffee and some water. Cocoon specialties were the big salads - various types of cheese with Serrano ham which duly got ordered. Not bad and disgustingly healthy. Lots of it and washed down with non alcoholic water which made a pleasant and welcome change from the boozy lunches of the past week or so. Young staff, one from Ireland. They had a board on which they were pinning notes from around the world. I gave them a new RM10 note and they took our photo. Fun and cheerful and light and breezy. A shade stiff pricewise perhaps, but this is Cannes. Their Facebook page shows they seem to be doing well. Nice sunny memory. 

Where exactly are we?

A quick walk through some of the old town would lead us back to where the car was parked, so that became the route. The old town is a maze of small streets full of more knick knack stores and some amazing meat and cheese places. Well shaded and with lots to maintain interest, it made for a lazy meander back. We stopped at a wine bar for a livener whilst the others went off photo shooting. It's easy to see why Cannes is favoured by the beautiful people and we less than perfect can only come and gape in wonder and dream of how life must be for the favoured and the visually blessed. There were some absolutely stunning ladies walking the main street. Young, shaped, perfect hair and sunglasses and shaking the hip with the walk. Yes. I do like Cannes. 

Back to the car and a lingering drive back to the vllla via the long route through town. In retrospect this was good in that we got to see parts of the land we'd otherwise miss. Got back to the villa and I don't remember what food we had or where we had it. Think maybe it was bread, ham and cheese. And wine. Slept like a pig.

Cannes - where the Fat Cats hang out

Heading back to the van through the Old Town

Main thoroughfare back through the Old Town

Our view of St Paul-de-Vence from the Villa

Burgundy and The French Riviera (5 of 12) - La Roustide, Nice

La Roustide interior - from website

La Roustide

34 rue Beaumont, Nice

Getting into Nice town from St Paul proved a bit strange, basically because of not knowing the roads. We'd tried to input the address in the car GPS but the paper map proved better in the end - it showed which roads were one way so we could find the place and park up. La Roustide proved quite spartan and small, with only space for about thirty people at a stretch. A country kitchen kind of feel, you felt as if you were in a well kept farmhouse and the hostess would also be the cook. Very simple ambience - also no tablecloths or proper napkins, but there you go. Less laundry to do. We took up one half of the room whilst another party were having a jolly time on the other side of the room. It felt somehow a bit trendy - one of those that springs up, gets a bit of attention and then gets forgotten as something new and more trendy comes along. Maybe a bit harsh, but that was the feeling. Writing now two years later, Tripadvisor shows the restaurant to be well established and well patronised and liked by all who visit. There you go.  A somewhat young and delicately fine boned lady took the orders and we settled into more wine. These belly busting trips are fun but after a while the belly does bust and you get to feel maybe this intense gluttony is not so good for the system. A little rest between fine restaurants would allow for better appreciation of the cuisine. But time and its cost is always the enemy so pack in as many foodie places as you can cos we may never come back. What to do?

La Roustide interior - from website

Don't really remember much about the food here. We had a fixed menu that was all truffle dishes, but ask me what dishes I had and were it not for the photos I could not tell you. Except there was lots of truffle taste. Yes. Which was fine for a change. But which felt a bit over truffled after the second dish. Lenglui and I do not salivate at the mention of truffle unlike many foodie friends, so we can happily not fret about never being able to return here.  But the others seemed to enjoy it. And it gets good reports on the travel websites, so it's probably just us. Go there if you love truffles and easy tasteful country farm style spartan ambience. Otherwise go to La Route Du Miam for the stellar duck.

Salmon Carpaccio. With Truffle.

LE MENU DEGUSTATION A LA TRUFFE

Velouté de fèves et sa crème fouettée à la truffe

***

Porchetta de lapin au génépi et truffe

***

Le risotto crémeux à la truffe

***

Noix de Saint Jacques, sauce Katidia (aux noix),
gnocchi glacé à la betterave et mousseline de cèleri à la truffe

***

Crumble de banane au vieux rhum et sa crème glacée rhum raisin

Menu 55 Euros: Entièrement à la truffe tuber Aestivum

They were certainly not ungenerous with the truffle

LE MENU DEGUSTATION A LA TRUFFE

Bisque de homard et crème fouettée à la truffe

***

Terrine de caille au foie gras, bardée de pancetta à la truffe

***

Gnocchis maison à la crème de truffe

***

La pêche du jour aux légumes de saison, jus réduit au safran et truffe

***

Pain perdu aux figues rôties au miel et pignons, glace caramel

Menu 55 Euros: Entièrement à la truffe tuber Aestivum

(Le menu dégustation est servi pour l’ensemble des convives)

Pan fried fish with Truffle oil

A La Roustide, TOUT est Frais et Fait Maison.

Si l’attente vous paraît un peu longue, sachez que les plats sont cuisinés à la minute pour conserver toute leur fraîcheur, laissez à notre chef le temps de les mijoter.

Les huiles d’olive à la truffe utilisées sont à base d’arôme NATUREL de truffe pour ne pas dénaturer le goût de celle-ci.

Les produits sont principalement locaux ou français,  pigeon de France.

Les plats à la truffe sont à la Tuber Aestivum
La carte et le menu changent régulièrement pour vous faire déguster les produits de saison.

Well, I liked it...

The Pascal Thomas Sancerre. Not bad...

Also got some photos from earlier in the day from a visit to Gourdon, another of those towns parked on a mountain. You wonder how they got all the stone and mortar and water up there. Lot of whip cracking methinks. 

On the road to Gourdon

Carved out of the mountain - Gourdon

Lots of pretty stores

Original choice for lunch was too crowded

Gourdon is very well kept

Sidestreet in Gourdon

WE GOT ICE CREAM!!!