Restaurant Spy - French

La Matelote, Boulevard Sainte Beuve - 62200, Boulogne-sur-mer - France

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:10:02 +0000

Address:
Boulevard Sainte Beuve - 62200 Boulogne - sur - Mer

Review:

This was our second visit to La Matelote in Boulogne, on a slightly damp Friday lunch time in early June 2008. My wife an I had not booked and even though our previous visit was nearly a year ago we were recognised and welcomed like old friends by the Maitre d’, another character from French central casting.

Situated opposite the Nausica Sealife Centre on the sea front, parking was free and plentiful -English seaside resorts please take note. The restaurant is traditional, warm, welcoming and comfortable. Teddy Bears and ceramic chickens on display show that this establishment to be completely unstuffy, contradicting the first impressions conveyed by the formal layout and very correct service.

Waterside Inn, Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AT

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:52:06 +0000

Address:
Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AT

Review:

In the dark days before Britain discovered food, you would head into the countryside for a meal with all the enthusiasm of a Roman centurion venturing into Boudicca’s local for an afterwork pint. Dining options seemed limited to a clutch of dowdy restaurants and woodbine-scented pubs, all seemingly locked in an eternal battle to see who could get the most breadcrumbs onto the menu. It was not a good time to be a scampi.

La Becasse, 17 Corve Street, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1DA

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:43:40 +0000

Address:
17 Corve Street, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1DA

Review:

14 Feb 2008 On arrival we called to check the parking arrangements and located free parking behind the restaurant - great start :o) We were shown to a lovely room with old wood panelling, to a perfectly laid table near the window. Crisp white linen, rose pink glass chargers set the scene for a lovely Valentine's Day lunch with our friends Robin and Michele.

We opted for the Gourmand Menu @ £55 although we were very tempted by the eight course Valentine's Menu with champagne @ £65. It was possible to opt for the Menu Du Jour at £24 for 3 courses. It was explained to us that exchanging one or two of the items in the menu was perfectly acceptable. Our service was impeccable all the way through the meal. We were waited on discreetly yet shown great attention when it was required. The food was a beautifully presented work of art, tasted amazing and was delivered with the correct timing for a leisurely lunch with friends. Recommends from our meal are: Winter artichoke salad - was a delight, the quails egg and fried risotto balls were a perfect delicate balance with the flavour of the artichoke. Crab risotto with champagne foam was a great hit too. Lovely texture and flavour. Parmesan crusted scallop with curried vegetable and parsnip crisp was wonderful in contrasting taste and texture. Venison steak with beetroot and juniper berry jus, blackcurrant, chestnut and a brussel sprout was enjoyed by all. Cheese option @ £9 supplement is very extensive and served from a wonderful wood and glass display brought to the table. The aroma was tempting. Selecting 4 cheeses with the expert guidance of the waiter was a pleasure. His knowledge was extensive about taste and texture and location. Served with fine crisp wafers in a choice of flavours, the desserts were out of this world - presentation made it all the more desirable. Coffee served with a supply of delicious chocolates brought our meal to a successful end.

Le Vivier, 6 rue Dominic Maisto, 13200 Arles, Provence, France

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:44:37 +0000

Address:
6 rue Dominic Maisto, 13200 Arles, Provence, France

Review:

This was near our hotel and looked really promising. The interior was quite shabby, the seats on the chairs had “gone” (not literally) and it had not been redecorated for some time, but this need not be a bad sign in a French restaurant. The food is the thing and the menu looked excellent. We went for the €25 menu: my soupe de poissons had been diluted once too often and was very watery, but came with the traditional croutons, aoli, grated cheese and garlic. L started with foi gras with lavender bread and lavender ice cream, and while it sounds a bit unlikely, it was actually the star of the meal. When did you last have ice cream and foi gras on the same plate? My main course of fish gratinée was nice enough, but it was a tiny portion, and no bread or vegetables accompanied it. L had a variety of grilled fish, well presented, but some were overcooked. My dessert - chocolat crème – tasted OK, but the presentation was complicated and didn’t really come off as the pudd slid dangerously around the plate on its way to the table, dislodging some of the fruit garnish. Of L’s plate of four cheeses, two were very salty, and he had to ask for bread as no biscuits or bread came with it.

Au Tout Petit, 4, rue d'Amphoux, 84000 Avignon, France

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:13:40 +0000

Address:
4, rue d'Amphoux, 84000 Avignon

Review:

We didn't book, and they were full when we arrived, so with regret we walked away. But the man ran after us and said come back in five minutes and we'll have a table for you. We did, and they did !

I had La Trilogie autour des champignons d’automne en poêlée, soupe et glace (cèpes) which was a pungent mushroom soup, a bowl of sauteed wild mushrooms with - I think - marjoram, and ... mushroom ice cream! It all comes together on a tray, and oddly enough, it works. L had trout with almonds, mushrooms (it's that time of year), mange tout and barley, which he really enjoyed.

La Tomate, 6, Rue Four des Flammes, 34000 Montpellier, France

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:11:21 +0000

Address:
6, Rue Four des Flammes, 34000 Montpellier, France

Review:

We tried to get into this place three years ago, at the height of the holiday season and with no reservation. Fat chance. Back in Montpellier again in early October, we took the precaution of booking, though it was probably unnecessary. It looks exactly like a restaurant in the Languedoc should - I’m a sucker for a red checked tablecloth, me. The waiter brought a bottle of chilled tap water immediately, none of that paying extra for bottled water nonsense. The back of the menu has a la carte, but the front has a range of fixed price menus. The €16.90 caught our eyes, and although there were five courses, for that price we felt confident that the portions would be small, more like a tasting menu, really. Hah!

Café Rouge, 6-7 South Grove, Highgate, London N6 6BP

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:26:14 +0000

Address:
6-7 South Grove, Highgate, London N6 6BP

Review:

Twice recently I’ve been out with a friend, and they’ve suggested Café Rouge. The first time was the Hampstead branch, half an hour before they closed, and they didn’t have much food left, or much enthusiasm for serving it either. We paid over a tenner each for lamb chops and some lukewarm pasta in gloopy sauce with about four mushrooms. We shovelled it down because it was only minutes to closing time, and anyway we were hungry. It didn’t seem fair to make a judgement under the circumstances, there are many restaurants which won’t even sit you down at 10.30pm.

The Ewe and Lamb, 26 Maytham Road, Rolvenden Layne, Kent TN17 4NP

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:15:01 +0000

Address:
26 Maytham Road, Rolvenden Layne, Kent TN17 4NP

Review:

A traditional and very pleasant free house which does a superb Sunday carvery as well as classic English and French dishes (so their business card says). Myself and some fellow ramblers all enjoyed our food, I opted for the pork which was cooked to perfection. Others chose the beef which also went down well. Portions are generous and the accompanying leak dish complemented the meat very well. Food prices are reasonable but a pint of coke will set you back a staggering £3 which is excessive by anyone's standards hence the ££££ rating. My dessert was chocolate fudge cake which was delicious, highly recommended. By the time we left the pub was full which is always a good sign. Overall I was impressed although be prepared for high soft drinks prices! The Who

Chez JJ, 86 Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent,

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:13:36 +0000

Address:
86 Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent,

Review:

On the site of the old "86" brasserie - an establishment I passed frequently but never ever saw anyone in, is the new French brasserie Chez JJ.

Most of it is good news. The welcome, service and food is commendable. My steak frites was possibly the best this side of the Tunnel, and huge and hearty too. It came with a salad, beautifully dressed but much too much food for me. Q's coq au vin, from the specials board, was good too. I suppose the big "if" around eating here is the "two-course dinner". Prior to my steak I had the charcuterie board - again fantastic, mounds of salad, beautfiul, fresh, parma ham and salami, but at 9.30 on a Saturday night - just... well, just too much. Q had an excellent Fish soup prior too.

Le Mercury, 140a Upper Street, Islington, London N1 1QY

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:20:01 +0000

Address:
140a Upper Street Islington N1 1QY

Review:

I've reviewed Le Mercury before, but restaurants can change quite quickly, and it is our duty to keep them on their toes. It's a filthy job, but somebody's got to do it. I started with a rich and delicious slice of foie gras, and E had smoked chicken. It was lunchtime, we were hungry and they brought a basket of lovely fresh bread, while we waited for our starters - well, what were we supposed to do with it ? Knit a cardigan ? By the time my lamb and E's fishcakes arrived, along with a selection of vegetables for me and a big salad for her, there wasn't much bread left. Something I regretted as soon as I saw the size of the serving - three great chunks of lean lamb, and a healthy side serving of vegetables, which included some excellent roasted carrots.

Bloody French, 147 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London W11 2RS

Tue, 22 May 2007 11:54:33 +0000

Address:
147 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London W11 2RS

Review:

Well, they said it. Boeuf Bourguignon, ladies and gentlemen. What does that say to you? French peasant food? A little auberge tucked away among some hills, near a small gallic village perhaps? A large - I'll say that word again - large - tureen filled with steaming succulence on a a groaning wooden table flanked with lots of bread and a flagon or two of red wine? Followed by lots of cheese? Does it say that to you? Then we are on the same wavelength. If that is what you want do not, repeat not, go to the Bloody French.

Contrast, Glen Moriston Town House, Ness Bank, Inverness IV2 4SF

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 00:14:36 +0000

Address:
Glen Moriston Town House, Ness Bank, IInverness, V2 4SF

Review:

You probably saw this on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisited. The one where he came back to Inverness, offered a few old ladies a gizzard sandwich and then remarked that the new brasserie seemed to be doing very well. Having been to Abstract (the main restaurant) on three occasions now I'll admit I'm a fan. The food isn't flawless and the chef seems to find desserts in particular difficult, but it's always been interesting, sometimes challenging and generally I've left with a smile on my face. Tonight, feeling a little less flash, I decided to try the cheaper brasserie option, and left a little bemused, somewhat sad and wishing I'd saved money for the real deal.

Ardeche, 222 City Walk (Cnr Ainslie Ave) Canberra City 2601 ACT Australia

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 06:37:28 +0000

Address:
222 City Walk (Cnr Ainslie Ave) Canberra City 2601 ACT Australia

Review:

Having looked around Canberra, we selected Ardeche because the Patron was French and on the premises. The staff were French too, and had difficulty understanding us. Everyone seemed to be new, and the Patron did no more than welcome and show people to their tables. Apart from that he stayed behind the bar, out of harm's way.

My grenouille in puff pastry was an ambitious failure. Nice idea, but the pastry was dry and pointless, really. Just four or five little snails, innocent of any sauce, in two crispbready things. L's pancake was not properly cooked - sludgy and tasted of flour. My lambshank was not cooked either - I think it had been microwaved. It certainly had not been cooked slowly in the sauce in which it was presented. I could hardly get any meat off it, and the sauce had been made from a commercial tomato paste, with frozen vegetables, still squeaky raw, chopped up in it. It was a disaster and I ate about a quarter of it. L's steak was tough.

La Cave, Basement Bank Chambers, Montague Close, 6-10 Borough High Street, SE1 9QQ

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:47:15 +0000

Address:
Basement Bank Chambers, Montague Close, 6-10 Borough High Street, SE1 9QQ

Review:

This is a new and welcome addition to the SE1 area, a genuine French Restaurant with exquisit food. The maitre d' was very professional and spot on in his recommendations, encouraging us to be adventurous, he offered us several tasters of his favorite wines until we finally settled on a beautiful St. Emilion. It's worth the visit for banana and chorizo bruschetta experience which is second to none! Big fat king prawns for the main and a greatly varied cheese plate at the end of the meal. A real taste sensation and staff who take great pride in their clearly excellent product.

Tom Aikens, 43 Elystan St London SW3 3NT

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:36:43 +0000

Address:
43 Elystan St London SW3 3NT

Review:

Tom Aikens is superb. It is easy when writing about somewhere you like to use words like that but in Tom Aikens' case it is true. We went for lunch. The exterior is discreet. Inside the restaurant consists of one average sized room with wooden floors and the decor predominantly black and white. Tables are well and thoughtfully spaced. The windows are half covered in raffia blinds. Tall mirrors line one wall and five abstract pictures hang near the entrance. At first this might sound a little austere but the purpose soon becomes clear. This restaurant has been very cleverly thought out and everything concentrates the mind on the food. Which is dazzling.