Brasserie Georges
Where? Brasserie Georges (Lyon, France) Map Menu
When? Saturday May 13, 2017
Who? Me
Food Style? French
Literally across the road from my hotel is a very large restaurant, capable of sitting hundreds of people. It's very well rated on various websites and I couldn't be bothered walking far for food, so here I am. It's a bit intimidating as the staff to patron ratio is very high at the moment; there's at least 10 waiters...waiting. I'm hoping for something memorable to finish my time in France.
Entree
French Onion Soup with egg yolk and madeira
This first dish says it is prepared in front of me. I'm not sure what to expect. A glass of something is put on my table and I have no idea what it is supposed to be. It almost looks like a lemon honey ginger drink. I hope it's part of the first course.
Well I'm glad I didn't drink it because it's egg yolk and wine, and it's poured into my soup and mixed. That wasn't much preparation at all. The egg cooks in an instant. There's also melted cheese, baguette soaked inside and lots of onions, but I think the wine is perhaps a bit too strong for me. It will be really embarrassing if I get drunk off this soup. Otherwise it's quite good, I love the taste combination of the cheese and onion.
Mains
Rossini-style duck and potatoes with parsley
A plate of duck appears. It smells delicious, all that duck fat is definitely what I am smelling. There is perhaps a bit too much, the sauce tastes quite oily and the skin on the two pieces of breast is a bit soggy, not as crispy as I would have liked. But it's cooked nicely, with pink still on the inside. The foie gras is amazing though, such a beautiful smooth texture, and the potatoes are also masterfully done. The dish really needs a salad to balance the oil and fat though, I don't think I can eat all of the duck skin.
Dessert
Iced nougat with red fruit coulis
I wasn't going to have dessert but I feel like I should have something to rinse the taste of fat out of my mouth, and what better way to do that than with sugar. My iced nougat arrives with a sea of berry coulis. I go to cut a bit off the corner and my heart almost stops when it chips off suddenly, almost flying off the plate. It stops just short of the edge. It's very good though, lots of nut and fruit flavours, and not too sweet. A pleasant way to finish the meal.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:37am on Saturday June 10, 2017 :: 0 comments :: 
Chez Leon
Where? Chez Leon (Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, France) Map
When? Friday May 12, 2017
Who? Me
Food Style? French
I'm famished after a day of kayaking 32km down the Ardeche River. Lunch consisted of a banana and several chocolate chip cookies. I want good food and lots of it.
Entree
Assortment of Ardeche charcuterie
A decent sized plate of charcuterie arrives. It bears much similarity to the platters I got when I was in Italy, sans cheese. I don't care, I dive in. The terrine and meat are great with the baguette, but I'm not sold on the salad dressing. I think it's too strong and doesn't go with the other items on the plate; something light like a vinaigrette would be perfect. I'm feeling far less hangry now, thankfully.
Mains
Joue de Boeuf
A thick, meaty smell is the first thing I notice about the beef cheek. It's from the sauce, and it's absolutely delicious. The meat is a bit tough, but it's so appetising that I'm willing to let that slide. I love the chestnuts on the plate, they've soaked up that amazing sauce. The boiled vegetables are the unfortunate disappointment, I think they're purposefully bland to counterbalance the richness of the sauce.
There is quite a lot of food and I have definitely over ordered, but I have already committed to dessert. Time to get that second stomach into action.
Dessert
Le Coucouru
I can't see the dessert underneath the massive mound of cream. I remove the top half and see the meringue base, a slathering of chestnut jam, and some ice cream. I drizzle a bit of the raspberry coulis on the top and dig in. Wow, that chestnut is amazing. Why haven't more people caught onto this? The dessert is tending towards the sickly sweet side though, the meringue just being that little bit over the top.
I am well and truly stuffed. I think I need to lie down.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:52pm on Friday June 9, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Le Coconuts
Where? Le Coconuts (Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, France) Map
When? Thursday May 11, 2017
Who? Me
Food Style? Touristy Pub
Vallon Pont d'Arc is a super small town, mainly here to cater for the tourists wanting to explore the Ardeche Gorges. As a result, I expect a lot of these restaurants to be quite touristy, and with a name like "The Coconuts", I'm not expecting much at all. But I'm here because I feel like a burger, and a burger I shall be ordering.
Burger
Hamburger Coconuts - potatoes, steak, green salad, goat's cheese
I have eaten many burgers in my lifetime but even I was surprised when this came out. I know the French word for potato so I knew it would be present, I was not expecting the buns to be hash browns. I don't think I've ever had that before. I had a breakfast burger from Burgerfuel with a hash brown in it, but this is ridiculous. It is also quite delicious and juicy, with the beef patty cooked medium rare and the cheese coming through nicely. It's completely lacking greens but I suppose the salad and salsa on the side makes up for that. I think given all the physical activity I'm doing tomorrow, it's perfectly acceptable to be carb loading like this.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:05pm on Friday June 9, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
L'Epice and Love
Where? L'Epice and Love (Avignon, France) Map
When? Wednesday May 10, 2017
Who? Me
Food Style? French
Though the name is a strange combination of Franglaise, this little cosy restaurant is highly rated for its Provençal food. It holds at most 20 people, so I'm here right on opening time to ensure I get a table. The menu is handwritten and not only am I struggling to decipher the handwriting, I'm also struggling to understand the words. Thankfully the waitress speaks English, and she very helpfully explains everything to me.
Entree
Tartine au chèvre with strawberry honey almonds
That lovely aroma of toasted almonds is the first thing I notice. The bread is layered with strawberry jam and honey, and the sweetness gives way to the savoury of the cheese as I bite into it. It's like eating cheese and quince with crackers. It's delicious and very homely. The salad is dressed with a light honey sauce and the toasted almonds give it that little bit of depth. For future reference, I would personally be happy if every salad I had contained toasted almonds.
Mains
Sauté de porc a la Provençal
The mains comes out and it's smaller than I was expecting, and also not quite what I had pictured in my mind. It's essentially a stew, possibly bordering a soup, but at least the flavour is there. Again, it has that homely feel to it, but I probably wouldn't order this again.
Dessert
Parfait au chocolat noir
Again that toasted almond smell fills the air. The parfait has a perfect texture, so soft and moist. It's incredibly rich but that little bit of cream and custard balances it out perfectly. This was the best dish tonight.
As I pay, I tell the owner that the dessert was delicious, and she remarks that she forgot to put it on the bill so it's free. Yuss!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:57pm on Friday June 9, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Fou de Fafa
Where? Fou de Fafa (Avignon, France) Map
When? Tuesday May 9, 2017
Who? Me and a bunch of other Flight of the Conchords fans
Food Style? French
I am so amused by this place. Fou de Fafa doesn't mean anything in French, but it is of course, a famous Flight of the Conchords song where they sing random French words for two minutes. I have to eat here. The lovely owner speaks impeccable English (she's from Eastbourne in the U.K.) and I ask if the restaurant is named after the song. It totally is. I tell her I'm from Wellington and I've seen Bret and Jermaine walking around before. She tells me she visited it two years ago and loved it. Tres bien!
Amuse bouche
The amuse bouche is sour cream, chives and anchovies. It reminds me of Grainwaves without the texture.
Entree
Pan fried calamari with mango, coriander and cashew nuts
The pan fried squid smells and tastes great. There's lots of complementing flavours here, with the mango, tomato and cashew making a very delicious sauce. The squid is fractionally overdone and I wish the cashews were roasted and crunchy, but this tastes great and I can tell the ingredients are of good quality.
Mains
Pan fried duck breast with strawberry and balsamic vinegar, fresh salad and mashed potatoes
The duck comes out. It smells very strongly of strawberry, I hope it isn't actually as overpowering. The meat is cooked perfectly, a little pink in the middle, but most importantly, delicious crispy skin. I try the sauce next. It tastes quite like strawberry jam with a splash of balsamic and generic savoury. It's odd. When I eat it with the duck though, it's very good, with the saltiness balancing the sweetness perfectly. The sauce goes even better with the vegetables. I think perhaps strawberry isn't the fruit I would have paired with duck - I've had plum and orange work well before.
Dessert
Banoffee Pie with banana, caramel and whipped cream
It's certainly not the epic portion that Strawberry Fare used to serve, but the balance of flavours is absolutely perfect. The caramel isn't sickly sweet at all, it has a bit of depth to its flavour. I don't feel overly gross after this either.
What a great meal! I hope one day Bret and Jermaine will visit this restaurant. The owner has extended her warmest invitation to them and says they will dine for free if they make it. I've used the power of Two Degrees of Separation in New Zealand to see if I can get the word out!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:53pm on Friday June 9, 2017 :: 0 comments ::