Heading Down South (ooh yeh...)

Wednesday 19/08/09

I wake up at fucking 7 AM. Horrendous. We need to get to the train station early to travel south. Getting up early on holidays is surely in violation of the Geneva Convention…

The ‘foto incident’ is still in my mind but I am over it. I shall have the memories with me.

We catch a train to Toulon (4hr trip on the super quick TGV), traversing literally all of France in this time.

We arrive at Lea’s family house…should I say mansion…or estate? It is a convent built in the 17th century. It has room to sleep 50 ppl. There are 4 separate houses off the main building. There is a tennis court. And a 20m long x 5m wide x 3m deep ‘basin’ (swimming pool), full of carp, with lions at each end shooting water…




I spend like 5 hrs reading by the pool

Lunch is salad de tomates, baguette, tapenade, fresh olives from the estate, jambon, terrine, melon, local 08 rose de provence. This is the life.

Dinner is to be a touch surreal.

We are driven half an hour to a huge house half way up a hill, gazing out onto the bay in front of Toulon. It is owned by an ex French national rugby player, all 210cm and 120kg of him. A mountain. The house is a kitchen, an open room with a pool, 2 bedrooms, a lounge and bathrooms. We have access to all but the bedrooms and lounge.



Dining takes place on a totally open deck with a 200degree view. Amazing. We are there this evening with one other table only.



The rugby player cooks whilst his wife serves. We have rouge (small fish about twice the size of whitebait, but with far more flavour), floured and dipped in lemon and chilli. We have squid with aubergine, lardons, tomato, pesto. Then morue (a giant white sea fish) with a tough meaty texture, served on more eggplant with an eschallot and onion jam. To finish, sorbet d’abricot et fraises, with molten choc puddings.



We drink chateau valentine 2008 provence blanc??? Tastes of viognier and sauvignon all wrapped together. It is spicy, fragrant, crisp and refreshing. (nb I later discover it is a blend of rolle and ugni blanc…oops)

A truly amazing setting, with dinner served in a unique way.

I have eaten too much tho and crash as soon as i get home, having to decline the offer of a digestif (eau de vie de prune). Next time.

Ps got on the scales, no noticeable change but I FEEL fatter…hmmm. Time to eat more.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Tuesday 18/08/09

I get up super early to venture out to lavinia and check out wine while lea is still asleep.

La Lavinia is considered to be one of the best wine shops, if not the world. It doesn’t disappoint. This place is fucking cool. Sooo may wines, it’s like the goddam david jones of wine, the harrods of wine, the coles of wine. They have every country, every region, verticals, horizontals (diagonals probably but I couldn’t find them).

Downstairs, they have a locked room at the back containing all the awesome old stuff, the rare and top marques.

THEN at the back of this is a cave, like an actual cave, with a cast iron frame gate and a massive padlock….there are boxes inside…covered in dust….its like fucking Aladdin. I can see fun words like “yquem” and “lafite” peeking through the dust.

So I wander across all 3 floors for over an hour, scope the wines I want, pick out a dozen, torture the staff with questions in broken French, then eventually resort to English to sort out the details of sending it home to Sydney.
“je suis desolee monsieur, I ahm sorry buht we cannot send vine to oz-traylia for yew.”

BALLS.

Plans in tatters, I stumble home, following instructions and looking for a cheese shop that is seemingly not there anymore.
Once home lea tells me Le Chateaubriand, the restaurant we planned to have lunch at, is closed for lunch this week only.
The day gets better. Little did I know what was in store.

We spend a pleasant afternoon in the south of paris, having Vietnamese at a place called Pho14, then checking out some bookshops and cheese shops near Trocadero. We visit a mosque (?don’t ask me leas idea?), and have some sweet mint tea in the sun.

From here to la tour Eiffel – breathtaking everytime I see it. Apparently it was entered in a fair or exhibition, and then was planned to be taken down!?! They changed their mind and the world thanks them. We walk down the champs de mars.

We visit palais de Tokyo and explore the flights of the Apollo missions and see never before released fotos of the lunar landing in the “a man on the moon” exhibition.

Dinner is at Il Vino by enrico bernado. A concept restaurant, owned and run by “Le Meilleurs Sommelier du Monde 2004”, it offers a menu of only wines. You select a glass and a dish is presented to accompany it. It is considerably swankier than I had imagined – double cloths the texture of silk, glasses with flowers on each table, richly padded white leather chairs etc.




The wines are intruiging and we go to town.
To start 2 glasses of champagne that isn’t – blanc de blanc by Pierre Something-or-Other (I can’t remember everything…), from in the geographic region of Champagne, but outside the viticultural boundaries.
Lea has a “blind tasting menu” – 4 wines served in reidel black stems, unknown, with dishes to match.

To wit
2007 Franz Haas Spatlese with terrine de foie gras with apricot and peach chutney, fresh endive (we share this, bringing my foie gras count up to 4 ☺)
2006 Lurton Torrontes with squid stuffed with farce des legumes on a bed of confit tomato with a slightly paprika/white pepper sauce thing. The least appetsing (and the only wine I didn’t pick – I pegged it as new world viognier)
2006 David Dugat (spelling?) Vosne-Romanee with veal, spinach studded gnocci and artichokes, Excellent, the veal soft and tender, the burgundy (biodynamique) young and effervescent and vital, the tannins not fully integrated.
2008 Moscato d’Asti, I ignored the producer, too caught up in my own dessert (more on this later). It was grapey and fresh, like all bloody moscato. I love it but c’mon, everyone’s doing it.

For me –

With Lea’s foie gras I have a glass of 1997 Schwartsberger Reischgraff von Kesselstadt – perfumed, soft, delicate yet profound.

Then 2004 Weinbach Grand Cru St Catherine Riesling with tartare of tuna topped with a quenelle of what we are haughtily told is “Alberta” caviar. Hmmmm.
The tuna is dressed in mirin and almond oil and surrounded by a smooth avocado and shiso puree. Nice but a tad bland. This is becoming a common theme in Parisian food….

Next 2004 Clape Cornas. Peppery and olive scented, it is full and rough and ready and excellent. The accompanying dish is not so – 2 full legs and breasts of pigeon served so rare I struggle to cut it. I fucking eat my beef rare but this is insane. It bleeds everywhere – not rested obviously, it is tough and chewy, the slightly crisped skin offering the only real excitement. The selection of spring vegetables that accompany it are perfectly fresh and well and good and you know what’s coming – nice but bland. I feel the word “nice” encompasses bland well enough actually. So it is just nice.

Dessert is a redeemer – 1992 Puffeny Arbois “Vin Jaune” in all its salty, hazelnutty, lemony glory, is served with a 3yr old Comte from affineur Madame Quatrehomme. Stunning. I also curiously receive a little garden salad. Innocuous enough and yet superfluous I feel. Oh well it is fresh I suppose.

It is at this point that those with sensitive eyes should divert them elsewhere because I’m about to get very angry.

We are content and happy enjoying this dinner very much, Lea and I. I am taking a few discreet fotos around the dining room when Lea suggests I turn the beeping noise off on the camera (triggered upon every touch of a button). It is a new camera and I am as yet unaware of how to do this. Lea offers to help. She disengages the beep. Somehow however, in all of her technological wisdom, she manages also TO DELETE EVERY SINGLE PHOTO I HAVE AS YET TAKEN ON MY ENTIRE TRIP.

SANCERRE – GONE
PARIS’ GARDENS – GONE
SACRE COEUR - GONE
L’ARPEGE – GONE
EIFFEL TOWER – GONE
ALL 4 MUSEUMS VISITED _ GONE
EVERY SINGLE OTHER FOOD AND WINE SHOT – GONE
ALL TONIGHT’S DINNER – GONE

FUCK

I estimate 200 photos. From the trip of my lifetime. As previously mentioned I have been unable to upload any shots to my computer yet…so they were all on the memory card. This is why I've had no photos up till now...

bitch.

The colours fade to grey. I am no longer hungry. I am tired, angry and alone in a city that can’t understand my accent.

We have however already ordered extra dessert because we are greedy.

Pour elle – salted caramel tiramisu with vanilla oil, accompanied by Donnafugata ‘Ben Rye’ Passito
Pour moi – baked apple with fromage blanc ice cream on a bed of almond sponge, accompanied by Weinbach Vendange Tardive Gewurtz.



(Hooray for 1st photo)

As you can see I’ve stopped paying attention.

Enrico stops and chats, Lea tells him I work with wine, we get more free stuff (that makes 3, chalk it up) – this time an insanely fragrant eau de vie – Alsatian, Mettier I think, Framboise Sauvage to be sure. It is very good. He also advises a company that will send my wine home. Sweet.

We depart sated and me a little grumpy. Sleep is needed.

First Eating Adventure

Monday 17/08/09

(Sound of trumpets)
The dawn breaks on what will be the day of my first *** experience – L’Arpege. This has been one of Paris’ premier restaurants for over 20years now, with famed chef Alain Passard at the helm. He shook up a storm about 6 years ago when he decided that he was mostly done with the cooking of meat, and would focus instead on all that could be gleaned from the soil. To this end he purchased 3 farms (poatgers) and grew a selection of herbs and vegetables at each. The kitchen receives vegetable deliveries THREE TIMES A DAY.

So today was to be a discovery of vegetables. We were to dine in the garden.

We skip breakfast and just head straight there. Upon arrival we are seated in the corner, with a commanding view of the small dining room. The décor is odd to say the least – strange paintings on the wall, colours from the early 90s, fucking vegetables on the table…hmmm

We are soon diverted with a selection (nay a procession) of amuses – small tartlets with vegetables and contrasting purees – highlights are radish and praline as well as beetroot and carrot.

The cutlery and the crockery are all very old school – classic French (read expensive and polished).

We begin with a glass of Duval-Leroy 1999 en magnum……served……wait for it……ELEVATEUR. What the fuck. Superstar, you are not as crazy as I thought. Obviously they do not take it to the extremes that Quay does, so it looks rather elegant and not showy and poncy….nontheless….

Moving on – there are 2 degos plus a la carte to choose from. Seeing as one of the degos is 320euros PER PERSON without wine, we obviously choose the other one. Much to my chagrin (as I observe the other tables over the course of the afternoon) so does nearly everyone else. Oh well.

To begin – a small concentration of tiny “blackcurrant tomatoes”, dressed with a vinegre de Xeres. Sweet and soft, finishing with a zing. Fine. Nice. Interesting.

Next – sashimi of vegetables. Tomato, Beetroot, Carrot. Each slice of vegetables has been done sous-vide (guessing here – confit perhaps – texture is soft and supple) and sits atop a miniature rice paper roll, dressed with sesame oil, soy and mirin. The flavour of the vegetables shines. Nothing else does.

At this stage I should mention we are drinking a 2007 Condrieu by Domaine de Pierre Blanche, cuvee Resurgence. It is opened roughly by our sommelier and plonked into a Dom Perignon ice bucket next to the table. Hmmm.
It rocks anyway – peach liqueuer, rose, orange blossom, violet, jasmine leap from the glass. The palate is buttery and weighty, yet very little heat.

Oh speaking of butter we are eating the raddest stuff ever – a salted creamy concoction from Normandy.

Next up is a tomato gazpacho made from 3 types of tomato, served with a dollop of mustard ice cream. The ice cream is quenelled at a portable station in the centre of the restaurant. The combo is awesome. One of the better dishes of the day. The textures of both are impeccable, the fresh flavours in perfect harmony

A trio of gnocci is next – potato and garlic, tomato and lemongrass, mixed herbs centred around marjoram. Plus a little confit tomato. The tomato is good. The herb gnocci is nice. The tomato one is balls.

Next is the shittest dish of the day, if not the entire trip so far. I cannot believe I am eating this in a 3 star restaurant. It is an onion gratin. With crispy basil. And some pepper. That is all. It has a sweetness that is not offensive. It also is boring and insulting. If I want grilled grated onion I’ll fucking well do it at home thank you.

Redemption arrives in the form of a vegetable risotto with fennel parsely marjoram and thyme. Thick, textured, almost crunchy, there is a riot of herby flavours going off, all bound by parmesan and the weight of the rice. Very good.

We recede into mediocrity with the next offering – cous cous with argon oil and selection of vegetables. Again we are treated to white and yellow and purple beetroot, eggplant, courgette, tomato. The herbs are great, the eggplant is interesting, but I’ve had the rest of the vegetables in other dishes already. Not without pure flavour, but really….

The next course is labelled simply on the menu as ecailles ou plumes (fines or feathers), and we are to choose from Magret du Canard with orange puree, hibiscus, radish and confit of beetroot, or turbot with cooked in green tea with smoked potato, spinach roll and parsley puree. I have the turbot on the grounds that I’ve never had it before and it is unavailable in Aus etc etc. It is fine – great texture, regal fishy flavour, nice accompaniments. It suffices.

Lea has
THE DUCK
Believe me it deserves the heading. This is the dish that makes the world right, that saves lives, that makes the day bearable. The flavour is otherworldy. The hibiscus (??? Amazing) is insane, the orange puree like biting into a real orange, the duck soft and pink and crusted to perfection. The radish adding texture. There is also confit of rhubarb. It is quite simply off the hook. And of course I’ve got the fucking fish.

Cheese is to be next, although it is beaten to the table by a plate of petit fours
3 macaroons – Beetroot, Lavender, Spinach
Herby noughat (weird but great)
Rhubarb cake (shit)

Cheese – 4yr old comte (!) salty and strong, salece, morbier, blues from Auvergne, all by affineur Marc Anthony, from Alsace, considered by many to be the best in the world.

The regular dessert is a tarte de pomme (sounds lame), so we do some changing and substitute the famous 12 spiced confit of tomato. An inspired move it turns out.

The texture of the tomato is delicious, soft and supple. It is stuffed with a mix of
apple pear lemongrass cinnamon star anise orange peel almond pistachio hazelnut and carrot!! Spicy, crunchy, sweet, sticky….

A final (though unnecessary) dessert - Strawberries with hibiscus and syrup. Sticky. Plain. Boring

Free glass of jurancon (hooray for sweet wine hook ups) from our rough and ready sommelier.
Service a tad clunky – one member of staff seemed to be new, didn’t really know what was going on, had to retreat and check details at times. The dego was also too rushed at times – one course would be cleared and 5 seconds later the next would be on the table. The girl in charge is excellent however, friendly, professional and graceful.
Things done in public – cutting of bread, cheese trolley, service of desserts, soups etc, all lift the ‘feel’ of the service.

So….the overall impression is odd…there have been mistakes, the food has been, well, boring at times, great at others, but hardly inventive or even dare I say it, outstanding. Yet I’m insanely happy…It has been a great lunch. The whole has been far better than the sum of parts.
That’s what its all about yeh?
X

Dinner at a little bistro called chez gladine in the south of paris – basque food. Very busy, bustling, noisy, cheerful. Red and white check tablecloths. Wines listed by region only, a dozen or so. A basque beer – Oldarki - dark, chestnutty, slightly spiced, yet crisp and dry, goes down a treat. So does a southern French beer – lemony but cheesy, rich then finishing sweet and fresh. Excellent.

We have to wait for a table so sit outside on the footpath drinking, smoking and eating saucisson out of plastic cup. Awesome. Why can't i eat saucisson from a plastic cup at bars in Sydney??

We drink Iroulegey, a pays basque red that serves as a reminder as to why I’ve never heard of this appellation previously – crap.

We have giant salads and I have piperade - spicy an hammy and eggy and good.
To finish we have gateau basque ( and riz “ole” (au lait). Simple, honest and tasty.
The place is noisy and solid. We stay till late talking shit.

La vie Parisien

Sunday 16/08/09
(My Mum’s Birthday)

Breakfast is pain au choc et croissaints again. Sweet.
Lots of walking is to ensue – down canal st martin – peaceful, although inhabited by annoying drunks. to republique, thru oberkampf where we stop for lunch of confit de canard avec miel epice, with more leffe and some terribl coffee.
Then on to bastille, then up to hotel de ville and onto ile de la cite. We stop for ice cream at Bertillon. Tube to musee de rodin and meet Camille, leas friend.
From here we walk thru les jardins de Luxembourg – amazingly beautiful, pristine, layed out with stunning simplicity, acres of space kept in immaculate condition, flanked by the huge senate building, and all for people to lounge and enjoy the sun.

Dinner is to be at Café de Commerce, in the sth west. A typical French brasserie, but on a big scale – 3 floors. Quite nicely presented, semi formal. We eat LOTS. 3 entrees each – for me, foie gras du canard with a sugary apple compote, 6 burgundian snails with a basil parsley and garlic butter sauce (served with a divine looking torture implement, purely for the sake of removing them from the shell.) To finish, a thick and overly salted soup a l’oignon, topped with a thick coating of gruyere.

We drink Cassis de Commerce – a kir royale made with cassis, lychee, violet and peach. Amazing. Going on the list at Quay. I also try a drink called Suze - bitter, but only just, with an aroma of sweet red fruits and gentle spice. It is served up in a tall shot glass. I have a glass of Graves Moelleux (producer unknown) with my foie – excellent. We also have a bottle of J.L Colombo Syrah de Violettes from pays d’Oc….slightly confected (a trace of maceration carbonique??) it is soft and easy, lacking somewhat in depth.

Dessert is Poire Belle Helene et framboise vacherin with Groult Calvados Pays d’Auge 8 yo

An excellent day in all...

Parisian Life

Sat 15/08/09

Sleep in.
Walk out in to 35 degree heat. Head to st germain by foot, this city is ridiculous. Walk through jardin de tuileries, past the louvre, past the senate and legal council buildings, the high court, the cultural affairs office. All are ornate affairs with columns, sculptures, shuttered windows, towering ceilings, all structures of vast presence. These buildings, these sculptures, steeped in history…counts and barons and priests once trod these paths, battles were fought, bombs were dropped, continents were decided, laws were made, civil liberties that define Europe today were brought into effect.

Where I live, in Surry Hills, people used to get drunk…still do.

My breath is taken away along with my heart.

We visit La Grande Epicerie de Paris – imagine a David Jones Food Hall…of the world…super luxe. There are salted butter caramel biscuits, lemon tart sweets topped with sugar, freshly squeezed grapefruit juices, giant lobsters and 16 types of fish, pate de fruits in giant tins, a cheese section you can smell from 15m away, an entire aisle of olive oils, 3 shelves of salt (!!!), even a wine and beer section…

To follow this, we head to Laduree – the king of macaroons in St Germain. A lovely box of 20 sets you back 32euros, however this box contains all your sugary little heart may desire. Best flavours are orange blossom, blackcurrant and violet, pistachio and green tea, dark chocolate and coffee.

In the evening we stop by Lea’s dad’s apartment to steal (borrow she tells me) some wine and head to a farewell party for one of her friends. Lots of cheek kissing of cute girls is to follow. I am again a curiosity for 5 minutes then conversation becomes difficult. Imagine being tipsy, surrounded by frenchies, trying to mutter non non, j’habite en australie mais je suis visitee Paris pour un mois….they smile condescendingly and answer in Engish…then resume their conversation (often in Spanish…or rapid fire French).

I battle along however, lose at ping pong, step on a cat, attempt to chat up a french red-head (bad move), drink some bad wine, eventually get bored of not being able to talk to anyone and make moves to go home.
Another round of cheek kissing and Franglish ensues (amusing but I’m already over it).

The eating is to begin in earnest on Monday, with lunch at L’Arpege, then a all day feast on Tuesday with lunch at Le Chateaubriand and dinner at Il Vino ☺

Wine Tasting Part One

Still a little tired.
Breakfast has its highlights in the range of home made jams – cherry, blackberry and the fave – rene claude, a type of small yellow plum.

Head off to the town of Sancerre, visit Alphonse Mellot, his wines are super but I’m on a budget and they are a little expensive– like 6 cuvees of Sancerre that we never see here, don’t buy anything. Oh well. Town is mad old – like 1300s.

Also visit a little producer, Pierre someone (fuck I’m bad with names, I’ll check it) – I get given 2 bottles, one of each of his cuvees of Sancerre! Sweeeeeet quay perks paying off already.
Home for lunch & more swimming

Ratatouille w lamb then a blackberry tart for Lunch.

Off to a small producer in the arvo – tasting room is in a tiny old school building
5 rows of vines out the front, cute old lady rattles on about her wines
Purchase first magnum of wine for 10euros….absurd.

Back in Paris we have some Cidre at Lea’s house before heading out to eat at the restaurant she used to work at, J’Go. The name is a play on the name of a leg of lamb – gigeau.
Nb I have just put on jeans that used to require a belt….no longer ;)

We have foie gras ☺, pate made from pig with cornichons, magret du canard on onion jam, ducks hearts and this amazing ham from the south west, made from black pigs. We drink Corbieres and this wicked chardonnay/sauvignon blend from Gascony.
To get home we catch a taxi – “Paris by Night” (a Parisian exprssion designed simply to encapsulate the joy of seeing their city in the evening, from the stillness of a taxi) – the tour is amazing. Rue de Tivoli, the Louvre, The Opera House, The Senate, the Seine.

Back on Track

Thurs 13/08/09

Catch train to Cosne-sur-Loire (on the actual river Loire itself) and go to this fucking mansion with servants and all sorts – a lake, a swimming pool, a tennis court, 3 stories, stone carved stairs, the works. Loveliest people, owned by the family of one of Lea's friends, Domitille.

I am the celebrity because A – I'm Australian
B – I speak shit (or “cute” to their mind) French and
C – I like wine.

We drink Sancerre, Pouilly Fume, and this mad Pinot/Gamay blend from a new (to me) appellation – Coteaux de Giennois (spelling??). This is for lunch….salade de tomates then yellow curry with beef and rice and sultanas.

Dunno if it’s the excitement or my palate but everything tastes better here….

This seems to be the norm for the day – the matriarch wakes in the morning, goes to the garden and plucks this and that, cooks up a feast. At about 1 a giant bell is rung and we descend from all corners of the estate to a giant table packed with bread and salt and salad. Wine is brought. I am made to taste it and pass judgement. The sun is in the sky, beating down its joyous rays. This is, I suspect, as close to heaven as I’m going to come in the next little while.
We spend the day by the pool getting a tan.

For dinner more of the same, plus a sparkling vouvray, plus…Bordeaux. Fuck. A 90 cru bourgeois in awesome condition – fresh and long and vibrant. Amazing colour. Chateau de Clare? I don't even care...

Tarte de girolles – fresh and local
Then quiche au tomates et salade et patates
Then cheese (avg unfortunately)

Day 1 Dinner (12/08/09)

Well I'm falling behind in this already...

My computer is behaving badly and not letting me upload my pictures - I'll add them asap.

anyway dinner is short but sweet - more leffe, a carafe of some dodgy cinsault blend thing, served waaay too hot, but we eat foie gras and some piggy terrine, followed by veal liver cassoulet with wild mushrooms. 

We sit outside on the footpath as scooters whiz past...I smoke and drink and gaze out across this ridiculous city that is casting its ineffable charming spell over me...

Day 1

Yo check this out...

Petit dejeuner - fresh baked croissants, pain au chocolat (still warm) plus these mad little brioche buns filled with a light custard and studded with sugar crystals. Also crispy baguette with stupidly good French butter and strawberry jam.

Dejeuner - tartare de boeuf (sloppy textured spicy oniony meaty goodness) with crunchy bread and wicked frites. Pint of Leffe blonde (on tap EVERYWHERE!!). Awesome.

Snack - vanilla jasmine tea, apricot and thyme clafoutis.

I Haven`t Even Had Dinner Yet!!!

Today's Highlights included - 

* visitng a salon du the par Mariage Freres, one of Paris' leading tea houses

* popping into two consecutive boutique parfumeries and discovering sweet scents

* admiring les plus belles filles francaises....amazing

* Sacre Coeur, the area surrounding Montmatre and a little Dali museum we found (!?)

* a visit to the European Photography Gallery, showcasing an exhibition by Henry Cartier-Bresson (the French master) and an Italian by the name of Fernando Scianna. Vy Good.

Off to Sancerre tomorrow morning - let the wine tasting begin

Oh ps its 30 degrees plus - i'm in thongs ;)

Take off minus 36 hours

In the next month i shall consume more foie gras, truffle, saucisson, jambon and fromage than you can even dream of. I shall return to these sunny shores that rarest of creatures - a fat Banjo.

I currently have reservations for 9 restaurants - 2 unstarred, the other 7 equalling 16 michelin stars between them. Add to this the vast amount of anchovies and jamon i'll be eating in Madrid...Fuck.

This shall be the page to document my journey - food, wine, beer, restaurants, markets, bistros, cafes, shops, wineries, tomato festivals...you name it.

Farewell waistline

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