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August 10, 2006
La Taupinière: A gastronomic gem
La Taupinière
route de Concarneau
PONT AVEN 29930
Telephone: 02 98 06 03 12
Website
The signage to this restaurant, on the main road, is about as under stated as it can get. And the thatched roof looks as though it could do with some TLC but inside this elegant restaurant there is a genuine epicurean delight waiting. One suspects that madam you overseas the restaurant takes few prisoners, on the other hand she has clearly been here a long time and she has seen it all. The other half, in the kitchen, can be seen from the restaurant as he tends to his stoves.
After visiting here I find it unsurprising that La Taupiniere has been a centre of gastronomic excellence for over 25 years (when it first got its Michelin star). Needless to say the seafood is super fresh and produced imaginatively however in our meal it was the lamb shoulder that was the most memorable dish. For two we had a entire shoulder, carved at the table and clearly cooked for us. It was delicious and melted in the mouth. Lamb shoulder is seldom seen except on cheap tables: but it is the sweetest meat so it is a brave(and knowledgeable chef) that uses it on his top menu. Clearly Guy Guilloux is such a man.
Posted by Sam at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
Chez Jackie: a seafood delight
Chez Jackie
Port du Belon
Reic sur Belon
Nr. Pont Aven
Brittany 29340
Tel: 02 98 06 90 32
If you ever want to go and eat seafood I doubt you will find a better place. It is both idyllic and ideal. This is not a smart place with two small cramped dining rooms stuck onto the side of this fisherman's cottage. The estuary is adjacent and the oysters beds just around the corner.
The dining room and the outside terrace are both packed with tables and chairs making the seating cramped and the service harassed. However the demand is clearly there and justifiably so too. The cooking is basic but of course the product is spot on. Needless to say there is no alternatives to seafood. In addition the restaurant is closed in the winter.
Posted by Sam at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)
L'Atlantide Nantes top spot
L'Atlantide
16 quai Ernest Renaud
44100 NANTES
Tél : 02-40-73-23-23
Website:
Perched at the top of a modern medium rise building this elegant dining claims to have a view panoramique! Well it does if you like tower cranes, building sites and a fairly boring (at that point) river! However that quibble over this is indeed a first class restaurant and is presumably the best in Nantes on the basis that it alone has a star from Michelin.
There are various menus on offer and at lunch the basic menu des Salorges is 28 Euro and that become 38 in the evening. We settled on the découverte menu at 70 Euros (same in the evening). There was also an epicurean menu at 90 Euros and whatever the chef thinks menu at 110 Euros. From the first dish which was a taster plank through a dish of large prawns, fish and ham to a rolled loin with the kidney in and extra skin it was an interesting and well presented mean and as you would expect attention to detail and great tastes.
Posted by Sam at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)
Brasserie la Cigale Classic decour with classic food
Brasserie la Cigale
4 Place Graslin
Nantes 4400
Tel: 02 51 84 94 94
Website
The most beautiful brasserie in France as some say? Well I am not sure of that but it is certainly has a classic decour and it is well worth a trip to Nantes just to sit in La Cigale and look.
But there is much more. For lunch and dinner the booking is essential and the 100 plus seats are turned over 2 or 3 times: and the food is spot on. As an ex-restaurateur I found watching the organisation was fascinating. But not only is the service good and swift but the food is also right up there with the best. Go for dinner if you like a crowd: or have breakfast if you want to look and get the ambience in a less hectic atmosphere.
Posted by Sam at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
Pierre
Restaurant Pierre
7 - 9 rue Dufour –
71000 MACON
Tel: 385.38.14.23
Website:
In an attractive walking street we trundled into this restaurant on a very hot day and were more attracted to the air conditioning than anything else. It was a Saturday night but France (and England) were playing in the World Cup and clearly, even in Burgundy, the game took preference over dining and this restaurant was lightly populated. However the staff provided us with a seat under the aircon and first class service from there on in.
The Gastronomic menu started with a foie gras salad style dish, nicely presented with height and colour, followed by fish with asparagus and then Pan-fried fillet of Charolais beef specially prepared with foie gras and a side dish of scalloped potatoes. Quite delicious but the little pre-desert barely prepared us for the raspberry mille fleur. As the pictures attest to this was a top class meal.
Posted by Sam at 7:48 AM | Comments (0)