Tag Archives: wine

Italian Food, Risotto, Veal

Restaurant L’Ostéria for a classy lunch

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Restaurant L'OstériaRestaurant L’Ostéria was our rendevous with M-D’s former boss and his wife. Jean-Pierre had been the head of the Belgium office when Marie-Danielle had worked there a few years ago and now, like M-D, had returned to France.

From time to time, the four of us meet up and dine somewhere nice and, since they live about an hour and a half’s drive away, we take it in turns to go to them or they come to us. This time, they came to us, so we decided to try a restaurant that is only about 3 miles from where we live and is situated right in the middle of the Forest of St Germain.

L'Osteria interiorRestaurant L’Ostéria is a former hunting lodge with a huge fireplace that gives the dining area a wonderful atmosphere. It is open 7 days a week, which is not so common around Paris. The service and welcome were excellent and the wine list was original and unusually wide. There’s a large terrace but January weather is not ideal for eating outside (though it should be great in the summer) so we snuggled at a table near the log fire and enjoyed some of the best that France has to offer (even if it was Italian!)

The food was more than good enough to rate this as a true Osteria in the best Italian traditions (establishments serving wine and simple food with menus that tend to emphasize local specialities such as pasta, grilled meat and fish). Often, when visiting Italian restaurants we are disappointed because they are nothing more than slightly upmarket pizza parlours. At L’Ostéria we tasted the true stuff of Italian cuisine (they even speak Italian if you want them to).

L'Osteria interiorM-D and I both started with baby squid salad in a tomato and basil sauce… delicious. When, for the main course, M-D and Jean-Pierre moved on to Foie de veau vénitienne (veal liver, Venetian style), Janine (Jean-Pierre’s wife) chose a Filet de bar de pêche au champagne (fillet of bass with champagne) and I settled for a delicious Risotto coquilles Saint Jacques (Risotto with scallops and asparagus tips). It was simple but excellent and I rate it amongst the best risottos I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a few!). Wonderfully smooth and creamy with the delightful taste of fresh scallops and tender asparagus and just a hint of the onion, garlic and olive oil that the rice had been coated in prior to cooking.

We helped our food down with a rather splendid bottle of Menetou-Salon. Menetou-Salon is an ancient wine-producing area with documented vinyards dating back to 1063. It produces both white and red wines and we chose a red which was light and refreshing and perfect when diners eat varied foods (me with my risotto, M-D and Jean-Pierre both with their veal liver and Janine with her fish). Desserts, coffee and good conversation topped off a perfect lunch (well, it was almost 5pm when we walked out of there!).

Tomorrow (Saturday) we have a former work colleague of M-D’s coming to lunch at our place and I’m doing Filet Mignon with Sage and Rosemary. I’ve done it a few times before and it’s stunning, yet very, very simple… looking forward to it!

And then it will be back to the diet! I’ve lost 20kg (44lb) in the last four months so, when I eat well, I have to pay for it for the rest of the week. Ah well, life’s pleasures should never be simple – otherwise they probably wouldn’t be such great pleasures!

Chinese Food, Isle of Man, Restaurants

Life’s never too hectic for food!

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It’s almost two months since I lasted posted a blog entry. That’s not because I’m being lazy, it’s just that the world won’t wait for me to catch up!

We moved from France to the Isle of Man in early October (we dodge from once country to the other every couple of months). This time we came by car (we often fly) and loaded up with all the ‘goodies’ that you can only get in France – like fabulous French wines at a fraction of the price in UK.

Isle of Man houseHowever, one of the main reasons for spending some time on “The Island” at this time of year was to do some work on our new house (it’s 120 years old, but it’s new to us!). The builder did a great job of renovation (take a bow Jason!) but everybody personalizes their homes so there were lights to buy and fix, bathroom fittings to choose and fix, curtains to choose, additional furniture to buy, pictures and paintings to hang, additional electrical sockets to wire in, plus, plus, plus…. well you get the picture anyway! And that’s my excuse for not having made a blog post for two months!!

At least we found the time to pay a visit to a couple of our favourite Island restaurants. First of all, we went with my brother and sister-in-law to The Abbey Restaurant near Ballasalla. M-D and I had been before, but for Steve and Jeanette it was their first visit. So let me give you the good news first… the meal was excellent. We all enjoyed quality food in quality surroundings. The bad news was that they had a party of 18 dining that night, and the morons decided to quaff drinks at the bar for over half-an-hour before sitting at their table in another room. For those of us seated near the bar, it was a disaster – but one that the staff could easily have avoided if they had politely asked the cretins to sit down and take their drinks at their table.

Don’t let this put you off going there because, as I say, the food and the surroundings are great (and, in fact, we even stumbled across a magnum of St Emilion at a very reasonable price). However, you may feel it worthwhile, when booking, to ask fo a table away from the bar… it will save disappointment later.

The other restaurant M-D and I went to was The Majestic Chinese Restaurant (called The Water Margin under previous owners) overlooking the sea in Onchan. When we learned that the previous owners were leaving, we were truly disappointed because their standards were high and the food (mostly Cantonese) was excellent. However, the new owners have maintained the previous high standards, so our disappointment has been reduced! Sure, there have been some changes (that’s natural) but essentially the restaurant continues to serve great Chinese food at a sensible price. “The Majestic” is perched on top of a headland, overlooking the 2 mile sweep of Douglas bay, so try asking for a window table when you book – the evening view is very special.

And talking about Chinese restaurants, we have discovered a small one not 400 yards from our home. We’ve not tried it yet, but we certainly will (and I’ll let you know how it goes). One of the things we have discovered over the years is to never be put off by the size of a restaurant. Often there are true gems to be found hidden away in small side streets and we’re hoping this will prove to be one of them.

One of the pleasures of being on The Isle of Man is the lamb! The butcher that we use is A1 BUTCHERS, 7 Snaefell Road, Willaston, Douglas (01624.627200) and they serve only Manx lamb that has grazed on the heather-covered hills, adding a light, delicate flavour to the meat.

Stewey and Tommy sell the finest lamb chops we have ever tasted (they also do a great line in cooked ham, but that’s another story!). The lamb chops are juicy, tender, full of flavour and we have yet to find their equal. Just cook in a frying pan with a few cloves of garlic until they are browned on the outside and pink in the middle (about 6-7 minutes)… truly a delight.

Peel castle across the baySo we have one more month on ‘The Island’ before heading back to France for Christmas and the New Year. Right at the moment (despite what you see on the photo) the sun is shining, the sky is blue and I reckon it’s time for a nice walk over the top of the cliff with a view of Peel bay and castle … sometimes I think we are very lucky people!

 

Seafood, Wine

Zee best in zee world

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Oyster stall at CancalEarlier this year we spent a few days in Brittany with our two French grandchildren. During the trip, we visited Cancale, which lies along the coast to the east of Saint-Malo. It is a picturesque fishing village popular with visitors, many of whom are drawn by its reputation as the “oyster capital” of Brittany. On the sea front there are many stalls selling crustaceans of all types – all fresh out of the sea. I’ve never seen so many oysters of so many different shapes, colours and sizes.

While we were there, we went into a shop owned by one of life’s “characters”! Everything we looked at was ‘the best in the world’… “Ah, zat box of snail shells, ‘ee iz zee best in zee world!” (Actually the guy was speaking French, but I’m sure you get the gist!!)

Well, it seems to have worked because we walked out clutching a bag of ‘goodies’ and were about 100 euros lighter in our pockets! However, one of the things we came away with was a small packet of Court Bouillon Marin (marine fish stock – and that’s a very loose translation!). I used it once and it was truly excellent, it really does add all the flavours of the sea to the fish. According to the packet, all it contains is sea salt, seaweed and herbs, but I can promise you, it really is “zee best in zee world”.

If your French is good enough, you can order this Court Bouillon Marin from the family that makes it… http://www.lehomedys.com/saveur.php. It’s perfect for (as the name implies) a court bouillon, but also for mussels, fish soup, or any sort of fish or crustacean.

SamphireSo, tonight, we’re going to be eating halibut, cooked in Court Bouillon Marin, and I’m really looking forward to it. However, we also bought some samphire (one of the salicornia species, also known as glasswort or pickleweed). If you’re not familiar with samphire, it is a succulent, salt tolerant plant that grows in salt marshes, on beaches, and among mangroves. Salicornia species can generally tolerate immersion in salt water and it is highly edible, either cooked or raw. Due to its high salt content, it must be cooked without any salt added, in plenty of water. It has a hard stringy core, and after cooking, the edible flesh is pulled off from the core. This flesh, after cooking, resembles seaweed in color, and the flavor and texture are like young spinach stems or asparagus… truly worth looking forward to with a nice crisp Chablis!

Cheese, Duck, Quail, Wine

La Petite Rôtisserie

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So – was it Salade des Gourmets or not???

Well, believe it or not, I was able to resist and, for a starter, I went for the Salade de Caille et Magret de Canard (Salad of Quail and Lean Duck Breast). Deeee-licious! Now I have two favourites to choose from! What’s a man to do, I ask?

La Petite Rôtisserie is living up to its reputation. The food, the service and the wines were just perfect. Starting with a little apperitif (M-D takes an Americano and I take a Cocktail Maison), diners are given plenty of time to study the menu and the wine list before having to choose. As a main course, M-D took Rognons de Veau (Veal Kidneys) which were cooked to perfection. I took a fillet steak, rare, with a sauce of Bleu d’Auvergne (a blue cheese from the Auvergne region of France). These were accompanied simply by a few sautéed potatoes and mushrooms… very simple but very effective.

We followed up with cheese from the amazing selection that they keep here. I took some Pont-l’Évêque, some Chaource and some Bleu d’Auvergne (yeah, I know, I’d already had that with my steak!). Nadine (the restaurant owner) keeps her cheese in perfect condition and the Chaource just melted on my plate (as, indeed, it should!).

Dessert (which follows the cheese in France) was, for me, an aumônière which, literally translated means a purse or sack. In fact, it’s ice cream wrapped in a crèpe (thin pancake) and tied with a strip of orange peel, the whole thing sitting on a bed of thick chocolate sauce, sprinkled with crushed almonds. Ooooo – I can still taste it!

And all of this was washed down with a 2001 St Julien. The wines of St Julien are the epitome of Bordeaux. Sandwiched as it is between Pauillac to the north, and Margaux to the south, this small commune still makes a huge contribution to the wines of Bordeaux, with a distinctive and elegant style and the promise of consistency which is perhaps unrivalled by its neighbours.

Well – we enjoyed it anyway!!