Bourgogne Part 4 - Good Food.......and Service!

Our welcome drink and snack!

16 - 24 Nov 2013: During our visit to Bourgogne, we took a small detour to Maison Troisgros in Roanne which celebrated this year its 45th consecutive year of 3 Michelin stars. Location would not be its best selling point these days - directly opposite the main railway station. Yet, once inside the building, there was an institutionalised professionalism, nicely blended with friendly service and efficiency. Modern touches ranged from interior decor to the merchandise....it's a very slick operation! We were shown to a lovely room (the hotel surprised us with an upgraded room!) with view of the garden inside, which we saw very little of because of the snow. Within minutes of settling into the room, a jug of iced tea with raspberry vinegar and mint appeared, together with a deliciously buttery brioche! The iced tea was heavenly, the vinegar giving it a really refreshing and tangy lift!

The first evening we had dinner at Le Central, the hotel's bistro, with an épicerie selling lovely tinned and preserved food items (we couldn't resist taking some sardines and anchovies!). I highly recommend the omelette soufflé with cheese - in the cookbook they make it with Persillé du Beaujolais....but at Le Central, it was made with Fourme d'Ambert......it was light and fluffy on the outside, and soft and runny inside, with the contrasting stronger blue cheese flavour against the delicacy of the egg......yummy and definitely big enough for two to share as a starter or as a vegetarian main course for one person!

The famous classic salmon dish!

On our second evening, we dined at the main restaurant.....and even though the classic dish of 'L'Escalope de Saumon à l'Oseille' does not feature any more on the menu - the chef was kind enough to make it for me.....fresh salmon in a creamy sauce of vermouth, Sancerre and double cream, balanced by the tangy sorrel! It could be a starter or main course....but given the amount of cream, having it as a second course was not a bad idea.

Ceps and eel, saltimbocca

For first course, I had the eel and ceps, saltimbocca! An unusual combination....but strangely it came out rather well - the savoury taste of the ham melted into the eel and the texture of the cep helped complement the softness of the eel.

John Dory with lots of white truffle!

Richard had a plate of John Dory with lots of white truffle.....I think frankly he could have done without the white truffle but was persuaded to have it by the very friendly maitre d'! His main course looked a little rich for me.....filet de boeuf in a rich red wine sauce (and lots of it!)!

 

Filet de Boeuf in a very rich sauce!

Our white wine of the evening was a 2008 Beaune Clos des Mouches, Drouhin: beautiful layers of aromas of citrus, floral, pear, toast and almond.....well balanced, with a good weighty palate, and vibrant acidity to take it to a nice long finish.

For the red, we had a 1999 Volnay Clos des Chênes, Michel Lafarge. Gorgeous bouquet, still lots of primary red fruit, with raspberry, fraise des bois and cranberry.....spicy and notes of game, coffee notes started to appear with a little aeration, and just a hint of underbrush. Very elegant, with a great backbone of fine-grained tannin, that is still taking its time to resolve, with refreshing acidity to balance. A remarkable wine, demonstrating excellent craftsmanship, that has yet to reach its apogée.....in fact after an hour and a half (with no decanting, just aeration in the glass), the astringency came to the fore. I think better approach not before another 4 - 5 years!

The pre-dessert was sensational.....it was like breakfast reconstructed.....yoghurt ice-cream/cream atop a generous sprinkling of granola....with something green appley!

The best part about our stay at Maison Troisgros though was the breakfast spread! There were lots of little pots of goodies....my favourite was cold scrambled egg topped with tomato concasse! Absolutely scrumptious! Not to count the numerous pastries.....and the bread basket! There was a cheesy brioche thing that was ever so delicate!

The breakfast table!

The whole experience at Maison Troisgros was altogether a very different one compared to that at Lameloise, and it probably wouldn't be fair to make a direct comparison. Lameloise to us has still very much maintained its focus on a traditional repertoire of local and fresh ingredients and a relatively traditional style of cooking with some modern innovations, perhaps more visible in the canapés than in the dishes...and the rooms are much more conventional, compared to the modern decor at Maison Troisgros....but the most rewarding part was a feeling of homecoming....that old-fashioned way of hospitality that the staff genuinely cared about your well-being....that's worth something! And the partridge and cep dish was a real treat at this time of the year!  (Frankly, we're spoilt for choices now with so many new hotels and restaurants in the Bourgogne region....and if you don't care for 3 stars, I highly recommend Le Montrachet for a great formula of delicious food, comfortable bed, well-sized rooms, a good shower, and extremely friendly and helpful staff and patron!)

Partridge and cep at Lameloise

Lameloise