Great Addresses - July August 2024

Le Gril aux Herbes, Wemmel - Belgium, 21 Chaussée de Bruxelles 

Discover this great Belgian restaurant and chef Evan, particularly attentive to cooking techniques. A very beautiful menu of perfectly cooked products and a fairly extensive wine list with reasonable prices! 

We tasted the following dishes there, all accompanied by a Chablis Grand Cru from Dauvissat, Les Preuses 2018.

Label Rouge salmon, olive oil, pepper and Guérande salt

Burgundy poularde, cooking jus, reblochon purée

The Chablis perfectly accompanied the dishes!

A great complexity stands out, between mineral flint aromas and toasted sensations. On the palate, it's perfect balance with a lovely tension and impressive length, all with aromatic concentration. The acidity cuts through the richness of the poularde and purée, while maintaining its length, di-VINE! 

Pincemin - Restaurant Lafayette Versailles, 8 boulevard du Roi 

Magnificent welcome at Xavier Pincemin's second restaurant in Versailles. 

Former Top Chef contestant, he then opened his restaurant Le Pincemin (Michelin starred), then restaurant Lafayette to serve world cuisine there. 

Few covers in this restaurant with a very pleasant atmosphere: the decor doesn't follow a precise line: movie posters, large Madagascar stone table, cookbooks, aging cabinets... The chef even comes to chat at the end of the meal for 10 minutes with us, really welcoming and friendly! 

Here are the dishes we chose:  

Salmon carpaccio, jalapeño, ponzu, lime

Bao, steamed bun, braised beef, spicy Chinese sauce 

Wagyu Tomahawk, wonderfully tender and flavorful! 

Frozen mara-misu: fresh wild strawberry tiramisu, Sicilian pistachio ice cream 

For the meat dish, we opted for a Châteauneuf du Pape 2021 signed Raymond Usséglio: it already tastes very good and perfectly accompanied our Tomahawk, while maintaining its length and power. A lovely table to try.

L'Oustalet - Gigondas, 5 place Gabrielle Andéol 

Magnificent place with very good cuisine, perfect comfort after the effort when returning from hiking in the Dentelles de Montmirail just nearby. 

We went to the bistro which had room for us, but there is also the restaurant, a few meters from the bistro, which offers even more refined dishes thanks to chef Thomas Boirel. 

The bistro, more accessible and equally charming, offers a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere within a shaded terrace bathed in freshness and with southern and soothing decoration. This bistro has found its place in the old bakery of Gigondas. Little brother of the gastronomic establishment, the bistro offers simple, flavorful and generous regional cuisine in a relaxed spirit. Perfect when we're in hiking mode... 

We therefore chose the very affordable lunch formula with fresh products, well executed and flavorful! 

As a starter, sea bass ceviche, leche del tigre sauce 

And for the main course, red tuna and basil-seared zucchini or smoked beef rib with thyme. 

To accompany everything, nothing better than a Gigondas blanc (the appellation had just been created 2 weeks before this lunch) to accompany the starter and tuna, as well as a Beaumes de Venise rouge for the beef rib. 

If you come back for dinner, when it's cooler, or if you haven't exercised beforehand, the wine list is very tempting! Many references from the Southern Rhône Valley to discover, at attractive prices! 

Find notably Clos du Caillou, Gallety, Marcoux, Henri Bonneau and Beaucastel, in vintages not necessarily too young.

Maison Vermer, Saint Malo, 79 boulevard de Rochebonne

Magnificent gastronomic restaurant in Brittany! 

Refined, crafted, original, full of flavors... The l'Esprit du Dîner menu won us over! 

Tomato, stracciatella, tomato extraction with kefir, alues

Fennel in textures, mussels from Maison Morisseau, light aioli

Red mullet in zucchini coating, pistachio praline, rockfish jus

Spiced lamb, vegetable mille-feuille, reduced meat jus 

Candied strawberry, meringue, strawberry milk sorbet 

A killer! 

2 wines were tasted throughout the meal, from the Cazals von Kunssberg Family: more local for these Vins de France made in Brittany! 

Les Annexes - Cabernet Franc and Grolleau noir: floral and mineral nose thanks to the Cabernet, indulgent and fruity thanks to the Grolleau! Peony, raspberry, strawberry jam, black pepper and touch of graphite! Very pleasant. 

Les Longues Vignes, Glaz Blanc 2023: lovely Breton chardonnay! Notes of orchard fruits, lemon, a bit of indulgence thanks to pastry notes, beautiful salinity on the palate and an interesting balance between smoothness and tension. Very nice! 

The wine list is also veeery interesting! Vin de France, but not only!

Le Bruit en Cuisine, Albi, 22 rue de la Souque

Albi is full of small restaurants, choose wisely: many are worth the visit. 

A beautiful Southwest French cuisine, comforting and generous, more pleasant in the evening when the air is cooler... 

We therefore went to the restaurant Le Bruit en Cuisine, offering a magnificent view of the Cathedral. 

No surprise: duck breast and a lovely Languedoc wine (Malepère, Château Guilhem), then cheese plate and a white from Gaillac (Domaine de Brousse)!

A feast for the eyes and the stomach. 

The days that followed also allowed us to try other restaurants in Albi: the institution Lou Sicret and its 900-gram ham hock, as well as a Brazilian-inspired restaurant offering very refined gastronomic dishes (Amapola). 

So don't hesitate to do a food tour in Albi! 

Chez Patacol, Restaurant La Guérinière Noirmoutier 

Located on the island of Noirmoutier, the restaurant Chez Patacole is a gastronomic gem, perfect for enjoying the coast and delicious cuisine prepared from local products. Pleasant culinary experience, relaxed and warm atmosphere with delicious seafood and a beautiful wine list: go there without hesitation if you're passing through! 

So there's a very beautiful menu of seafood, enhanced by sauces and emulsions as well as some original pairings (chocolate and blue cheese éclair) 

Our choice fell on cold oysters with tapioca, brunoise and cucumber foam

For the wine, we wanted to try something local too, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Vendée, L'Orée du Sabia, banc d'essai 2018. It holds up well: 

Cabernet Sauvignon from Vendée, we're testing local and it holds up well. A young estate, run biodynamically, in a spirit of craftsmanship... Bastien Mousset and his team take great care of the vines to produce quality wines! Worth tasting. 

Auberge de la Chèvrerie, Alsace, Rue des Puits Griesheim-prés-Molsheim

Quick trip to Alsace this summer!

What a pleasure to stop at the Auberge de la Chèvrerie after visiting estates and strolling through charming Alsatian villages... 

On the menu at this gastronomic restaurant near Obernai: market menu at €35 for flavorful and very well-crafted dishes (weekday lunch) 

There are also other menus in 3, 5 or 7 acts, at €60, 80 and €110 respectively! 

Attractive prices for lots of pleasure! 

An appetizer of soft-boiled egg in its cheese sauce, lamb shank with eggplant and celery emulsion, lovely plate of local cheeses, then lemon brioche with its light cream and vineyard peach sorbet. Very well done! 

All accompanied by a 2019 sylvaner from Albert Boxler: a very pleasant nose dotted with citrus, beautiful minerality and a minty touch. Beautiful freshness: decant 2 hours before so the wine opens up!