Chef and owner Raoul Reichrath opened this restaurant ten years ago and got his Michelin star in 2006. We have visited before and eaten in the garden, when Brigitte was with us and also in the bistro called Preface with Brenda & Bill Fraser, but today due to yet another overcast Sunday, we were in the dining room.
The décor is simple and yet elegant. But that’s not why you come here. It’s all about the food and the outstanding service which features a comfortable sense of pace and no hovering.
We opted for the Grand Pre menu, which on a Sunday comes in at 59 Euros. Lunch is quite a bit less expensive during the week.
This menu is four courses but invariably there is also the amuse bouche and the palate cleanser, not to mention the goodies that come with coffee and tea.
There was no choice in the courses, which is a good thing, because one might not be inclined to order the first course and that would be a mistake because the octopus carpaccio, shown below, was fabulous. It came topped with compote of pimento and mushroom.
Second course, shown below was foie gras with crispy angel hair pasta and figs in a red wine reduction. Might be my best foie gras yet!
Third course was a filet of fish -not really sure what fish - that was so mild, you hardly knew you were eating fish. It was served on a squash puree with a drizzle of chicken stock.
Dessert featured figs with a vanilla bean ice cream.
The quantities were perfect and we came away not feeling stuffed and able to savour each dish.
The table next to us featured the inevitable dog, which was presented with his own water dish by staff. We must assume that the reason dogs and children are so well behaved in restaurants is because they visit such public places from the day they are born. Pay attention North America!
Our next meal is likely to pale in comparison, but we will content ourselves with the concept that one meal is not necessarily better than another, only different. Yeh, right!
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