We went to this charming little restaurant on our last night in Beaune. Booking is essential as it only small and very popular and we witnessed numerous people being turned away. The service was knowledgeable and friendly, there was an an excellent wine list and some serious cooking in a cosy unpretentious atmosphere.
I knew that we were in trouble when on arriving at the restaurant we were greeted with a blackboard proclaiming "le truffes et arrivee!" The truffle menu had to be ordered for at least two persons and Robert and I could not resist it. At a cost of £60.00 each it did not make for a cheap night but the food was very good and they were generous with the truffles which we had on 4 successive courses. Starting with foie gras and creamy potatoes then moving on to oueffes coquette which was perhaps my favourite use of the truffles. We then had a fish course of a local white fish which was excellent. Rose had the same fish as a main course but served with a red wine sauce which perhaps overpowered it a little. Sadly I am yet to be converted to fish and red wine as a combination.
We then moved onto our main course of Burgundian beef, very good but I think that truffles go best with dishes of delicate flavour that allow you to pick up all the nuances and smells of the truffle itself. As puddings were included in the price and even though I was full to bursting I ordered a rose pannacotta and was I pleased that I did. This was a simply awesome sweet of rose scented, creamy smooth pannacotta that was just so good that I made everybody try it! A real triumph that summed up this lovely little restaurant that I would heartily recommend to anybody going to Beaune.
RESTAURANT LE P'TIT PARADIS
25, rue du Paradis 21200 Beaune. Téléphone : 03 80 24 91 00
Restaurants in Cumbria
Showing posts with label restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restaurants. Show all posts
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Thursday, 4 June 2009
The Nut Tree Inn Murcott near Bicester
Surfing round the internet for somewhere special to eat the Oxford side of the Cotswolds I was delighted to find the Nut Tree with its recently awarded Michelin Star. In our old farming days we used to visit the Nut Tree quite regularly, as it was about an half an hours drive from our farm near Tring and had a deserved reputation for excellent steaks. It was run by a very genial mine host who got on well with my father and I have happy memories of some enjoyable times there.
It was with a sense of anticipation and slight trepidation that I drove through Murcott to the pub as my last visit would have been all of 25 years ago and I often find that revisiting places after such a gap often gives a slight feeling of disappointment that things are not as you remember. However for once in my life it was better than I remembered. A lovely, picture postcard, thatched building, very nicely kept up with a friendly feel on entering. Two ducks were waddling gently out the door as we walked in and with a smile we elected to sit outside on the back terrace as it was a perfect afternoon.
A one choice luncheon menu was incredibly priced at £17 for a Michelin star production but as nearly always happens I suspect, we ended up choosing different dishes off the full menu to try and fully sample the food. For starters we shared some Seared Scallops with Lemon Curd, Caviare and Fennel that was simply fantastic. The superbly cooked diver caught scallops with the sweetness of the lemon curd and the crunchiness and flavour of the fennel, was a truly winning combination. Weirdly we felt that the caviare was not needed and we would rather have had another scallop! I have an army friend who's dictum is “time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted” and I had read the website and picked up on the passion and reputation for pork dishes so we had the Pork Terrine. Again this was extremely good with a true depth of flavour that went perfectly with the Alsace Pinot Blanc that we had chosen. The wine list was not huge but adequate and the mark up perhaps not unreasonable.
For main course we had Slow Roasted Belly of Pork that really hit the spot, a real favourite of mine. A Salmon Fishcake with a Gratin of Spinach and Tomato Butter Sauce that was bursting with flavours and every morsel was cleared up! For a sweet we shared a soufflé of lime and coconut with some mango sorbet that was just sublime. My bill came to £82 and compared to what you can spend to sample Michelin star food, extremely reasonable. The service was unhurried, efficient and friendly, always a winning combination. I will definitely return given the opportunity and do not intend to leave it another 25 years and we would both thoroughly recommend it to anyone going down the M40 or anybody lucky enough to live close by. It would perhaps also be a good idea to pay a visit before the prices go up!
Restaurants in Cumbria
It was with a sense of anticipation and slight trepidation that I drove through Murcott to the pub as my last visit would have been all of 25 years ago and I often find that revisiting places after such a gap often gives a slight feeling of disappointment that things are not as you remember. However for once in my life it was better than I remembered. A lovely, picture postcard, thatched building, very nicely kept up with a friendly feel on entering. Two ducks were waddling gently out the door as we walked in and with a smile we elected to sit outside on the back terrace as it was a perfect afternoon.
A one choice luncheon menu was incredibly priced at £17 for a Michelin star production but as nearly always happens I suspect, we ended up choosing different dishes off the full menu to try and fully sample the food. For starters we shared some Seared Scallops with Lemon Curd, Caviare and Fennel that was simply fantastic. The superbly cooked diver caught scallops with the sweetness of the lemon curd and the crunchiness and flavour of the fennel, was a truly winning combination. Weirdly we felt that the caviare was not needed and we would rather have had another scallop! I have an army friend who's dictum is “time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted” and I had read the website and picked up on the passion and reputation for pork dishes so we had the Pork Terrine. Again this was extremely good with a true depth of flavour that went perfectly with the Alsace Pinot Blanc that we had chosen. The wine list was not huge but adequate and the mark up perhaps not unreasonable.
For main course we had Slow Roasted Belly of Pork that really hit the spot, a real favourite of mine. A Salmon Fishcake with a Gratin of Spinach and Tomato Butter Sauce that was bursting with flavours and every morsel was cleared up! For a sweet we shared a soufflé of lime and coconut with some mango sorbet that was just sublime. My bill came to £82 and compared to what you can spend to sample Michelin star food, extremely reasonable. The service was unhurried, efficient and friendly, always a winning combination. I will definitely return given the opportunity and do not intend to leave it another 25 years and we would both thoroughly recommend it to anyone going down the M40 or anybody lucky enough to live close by. It would perhaps also be a good idea to pay a visit before the prices go up!
Restaurants in Cumbria
Saturday, 26 July 2008
Fru Inger Seafood Restaurant, Trondheim, Norway
14th July 2008
Fru Inger seafood restaurant is very conveniently situated near the station looking out over the old harbour. With its original attractive wooden buildings built originally I assume for warehousing. I did not realise how large wooden buildings can be and these are fascinating all built on stilts to allow for the tide to rise and fall. There are now marinas on both sides of the harbour and we enjoyed watching one boat having docking problems. Going in far too fast with too much momentum and giving another boat and the mooring a good bash. A good healthy argument ensued, we felt some sympathy for the guy who got hit as you could see from way out that the boat was making a mess of it.
The restaurant itself is modern and comfortable with plenty of windows to take advantage of the harbour. I particuarly liked the glass dining tables, which were huge maps of the Trondheim basin with all its myriad of islands and a neat idea. The wine list for Norway was reasonably priced and we had a good bottle of Dopff au Moulin, Alsace, Riesling for £35.00. The menu was limited as they had been very busy over the weekend and their supplies were late arriving. However we were happy to have a portion of Scampi between the two of us which comprised of 8 decent sized prawns on a salad bed with a chilli sauce. Very tasty, perfectly cooked and a good appetiser. For main course Father chose perhaps their signature dish of Hitra balls which are fish dumplings originating from the island of Hitra. They were served with bacon, sausage what I would call neeps and tatties. A nice dish with contrasting textures and flavours, the fish dumplings themselves were very light and not a suet base. Though perhaps if one was being critical they were a little bland. I had grilled turbot a favourite of mine accurately cooked and very good.
The service was excellent, again with a waiter Thomas who's english was impecable with no trace of an accent. Trondheim has the biggest ratios of cafes and restaurants to population in Norway and being a university town has plenty of educated students to man them.Though most of them are empty most of the time and as it is so expensive you cannot work out how they all survive. Our bill was £95 for this lunch with coffee thrown in and we enjoyed it.
Nigel Milsom.
Restaurants in Cumbria
Fru Inger seafood restaurant is very conveniently situated near the station looking out over the old harbour. With its original attractive wooden buildings built originally I assume for warehousing. I did not realise how large wooden buildings can be and these are fascinating all built on stilts to allow for the tide to rise and fall. There are now marinas on both sides of the harbour and we enjoyed watching one boat having docking problems. Going in far too fast with too much momentum and giving another boat and the mooring a good bash. A good healthy argument ensued, we felt some sympathy for the guy who got hit as you could see from way out that the boat was making a mess of it.
The restaurant itself is modern and comfortable with plenty of windows to take advantage of the harbour. I particuarly liked the glass dining tables, which were huge maps of the Trondheim basin with all its myriad of islands and a neat idea. The wine list for Norway was reasonably priced and we had a good bottle of Dopff au Moulin, Alsace, Riesling for £35.00. The menu was limited as they had been very busy over the weekend and their supplies were late arriving. However we were happy to have a portion of Scampi between the two of us which comprised of 8 decent sized prawns on a salad bed with a chilli sauce. Very tasty, perfectly cooked and a good appetiser. For main course Father chose perhaps their signature dish of Hitra balls which are fish dumplings originating from the island of Hitra. They were served with bacon, sausage what I would call neeps and tatties. A nice dish with contrasting textures and flavours, the fish dumplings themselves were very light and not a suet base. Though perhaps if one was being critical they were a little bland. I had grilled turbot a favourite of mine accurately cooked and very good.
The service was excellent, again with a waiter Thomas who's english was impecable with no trace of an accent. Trondheim has the biggest ratios of cafes and restaurants to population in Norway and being a university town has plenty of educated students to man them.Though most of them are empty most of the time and as it is so expensive you cannot work out how they all survive. Our bill was £95 for this lunch with coffee thrown in and we enjoyed it.
Nigel Milsom.
Restaurants in Cumbria
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Solsiden Seafood Restaurant, Oslo, Norway
15th July 2008
After our fishing trip to The Gaula and two days in Trondheim, a quite lovely city with clean open wide streets and very friendly people, we travelled by train back to Oslo। As always in our limited experience of Norway the trains were clean, comfortable, punctual to the second and good value. Father got half price and by booking over the internet at least a day in advance using their minipris prices I got a similar deal. It was less than £85 for two of us to travel first class for a 5 hour plus journey. How wrong have we got it in this country? Far more relaxing than driving with spectacular views and a snooze when you feel tired and far quicker as there is a max driving speed of 56mph on most roads in Norway.
Arrived in Oslo late afternoon, the central station is a mess outside but a short walk got us to our hotel. The Comfort Hotel which is modern, very convenient and comfortable enough। Had a complimentary cup of tea and a council of war to decide where to eat. After consulting our guide book we decided on a seafood restaurant called Solsiden. It is rated as the perhaps the best of its type in Oslo and as it was our last night we were happy with the price guideline of £40 to £60. We enjoyed a gentle stroll down to the seafront past the old fortress and along the seafront and found the Solsiden restaurant perfectly situated with panoramic views over the sea, shipping and harbour. The place was packed on a Tuesday evening a good sign and we got the last table. We settled in with two small beers and took in the menu and the surroundings which were chic and modern. I particularly liked the large bar with the brigade of chefs working away behind it which gave a great atmosphere complemented by the 200 + diners, a happening place.
We both chose the same meal and had a bottle of 2006 Chablis, Vielles Vignes, Domaine George to wash it down with which for Norway was reasonably priced at £47.50. The starter of marinaded salmon and sweet roe was extremely good, though not over generous in portion size it certainly left you wanting more which is perhaps a good thing. Our main course of Turbot with potato and german mustard purè and lobster sauce was brilliant. The fish accurately cooked and sauces and flavours that perfectly complemented the fish. The potato and german mustard purè was something that I shall get my guys to try and repeat when I get home. Simply lip smacking and a contrast to the crunchy lightly cooked vegetables. The desserts were light, imaginative not too sweet and a perfect end. The service was friendly and efficient with the staff very highly trained. A nice touch which we could learn from was an explanation of each dish to the table as they put it down in a choice of languages!
Had time now to look out at the stunning views across the sea with sun starting to set on the horizon, various boats plying their trade around the harbour and to enjoy a coffee. Also to observe the restaurant in full swing. Their signitature dish was a fruits de mers served for two or more people in raised elegant bowls that dominated the tables stuffed with crabs, lobsters, oysters etc. Not cheap at £65 per person but this was not stopping at least 70 people having it! I had to succumb to a fit of professional jealousy with my mind looking at the 200 people and whirring like a calculator especially as everyone was drinking liberally even at Norway's renowned drink prices.
All good things come to an end, time to pay the bill and stroll back to the hotel on a perfect summers evening। As expected the bill was about £140 for the 2 of us however there was a sting in the tail. At the bottom of the bill was a thing called MOMS at an extra 345 krone. On asking we were told that this was the 25% tax. There was no mention of this on the menu or wine list and everyone else in Norway had as in this country included the tax in the quoted price. We did pay it, but it left a nasty taste which was a shame as the meal was truly memorable as was everything else.
Our stroll back to the hotel was enlivened by all manner of prostitutes which apparently Oslo has a reputation for. Fathers macular degeneration prevented him seeing the sites but eventually a large well endowed Romanian gypsy lady accosted him and would not take no for an answer. Father informed her that he was 75, would not be much use to her, had never resorted to her kind and was not going to start now! Sadly I think that much of this would have been lost in the translation though she did go away.
Nigel Milsom 23rd July 2008
Restaurants in Cumbria
After our fishing trip to The Gaula and two days in Trondheim, a quite lovely city with clean open wide streets and very friendly people, we travelled by train back to Oslo। As always in our limited experience of Norway the trains were clean, comfortable, punctual to the second and good value. Father got half price and by booking over the internet at least a day in advance using their minipris prices I got a similar deal. It was less than £85 for two of us to travel first class for a 5 hour plus journey. How wrong have we got it in this country? Far more relaxing than driving with spectacular views and a snooze when you feel tired and far quicker as there is a max driving speed of 56mph on most roads in Norway.
Arrived in Oslo late afternoon, the central station is a mess outside but a short walk got us to our hotel. The Comfort Hotel which is modern, very convenient and comfortable enough। Had a complimentary cup of tea and a council of war to decide where to eat. After consulting our guide book we decided on a seafood restaurant called Solsiden. It is rated as the perhaps the best of its type in Oslo and as it was our last night we were happy with the price guideline of £40 to £60. We enjoyed a gentle stroll down to the seafront past the old fortress and along the seafront and found the Solsiden restaurant perfectly situated with panoramic views over the sea, shipping and harbour. The place was packed on a Tuesday evening a good sign and we got the last table. We settled in with two small beers and took in the menu and the surroundings which were chic and modern. I particularly liked the large bar with the brigade of chefs working away behind it which gave a great atmosphere complemented by the 200 + diners, a happening place.
We both chose the same meal and had a bottle of 2006 Chablis, Vielles Vignes, Domaine George to wash it down with which for Norway was reasonably priced at £47.50. The starter of marinaded salmon and sweet roe was extremely good, though not over generous in portion size it certainly left you wanting more which is perhaps a good thing. Our main course of Turbot with potato and german mustard purè and lobster sauce was brilliant. The fish accurately cooked and sauces and flavours that perfectly complemented the fish. The potato and german mustard purè was something that I shall get my guys to try and repeat when I get home. Simply lip smacking and a contrast to the crunchy lightly cooked vegetables. The desserts were light, imaginative not too sweet and a perfect end. The service was friendly and efficient with the staff very highly trained. A nice touch which we could learn from was an explanation of each dish to the table as they put it down in a choice of languages!
Had time now to look out at the stunning views across the sea with sun starting to set on the horizon, various boats plying their trade around the harbour and to enjoy a coffee. Also to observe the restaurant in full swing. Their signitature dish was a fruits de mers served for two or more people in raised elegant bowls that dominated the tables stuffed with crabs, lobsters, oysters etc. Not cheap at £65 per person but this was not stopping at least 70 people having it! I had to succumb to a fit of professional jealousy with my mind looking at the 200 people and whirring like a calculator especially as everyone was drinking liberally even at Norway's renowned drink prices.
All good things come to an end, time to pay the bill and stroll back to the hotel on a perfect summers evening। As expected the bill was about £140 for the 2 of us however there was a sting in the tail. At the bottom of the bill was a thing called MOMS at an extra 345 krone. On asking we were told that this was the 25% tax. There was no mention of this on the menu or wine list and everyone else in Norway had as in this country included the tax in the quoted price. We did pay it, but it left a nasty taste which was a shame as the meal was truly memorable as was everything else.
Our stroll back to the hotel was enlivened by all manner of prostitutes which apparently Oslo has a reputation for. Fathers macular degeneration prevented him seeing the sites but eventually a large well endowed Romanian gypsy lady accosted him and would not take no for an answer. Father informed her that he was 75, would not be much use to her, had never resorted to her kind and was not going to start now! Sadly I think that much of this would have been lost in the translation though she did go away.
Solsiden Restaurant, Sondre Akershus Kai 34
Tel 22333630 www.solsiden.no
Nigel Milsom 23rd July 2008
Restaurants in Cumbria
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