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| Bras Restaurant in Laguiole - dinner |
We started off with a 2 hour drive from Belvès to a village called Belcastel (a commune of Averyon) where an unsuspecting 29 euro a head lunch was awaiting us at a one Michelin star restaurant - Du Viewx Pont.
As we entered the village, we were struck by the beauty of it, which was only surpassed when we entered the dining room to find our view out the window was the spectacular bridge that passed over the Averyon river that ran through the village.
The children entered the restaurant and immediately noticed they were the only kids there, although much to their pleasure, there were several dogs in the immaculate dining room, as is usually the case in France!
Our lunch started with some beautiful champagne, and then the courses began. What was advertised as a 4 course meal for 29 euros, turned out to be a 7 course extravaganza! The value that this restaurant offers with this menu is incredible. So much so, that a couple that was dining in the restaurant that we spoke to after lunch, bought a house in the area after their first dining experience here 18 years ago. Luckily, since that time, the food quality has remained consistent the many times they have eaten here!
Also luckily, the real estate agent was closed for the day!
Our meal started with a little amuse bouche (appetiser) of fried fromage triangles, a small omelette roll and some foie gras mousse with mango, then a warm carrot soup with an avocado cream on top.
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| Warm carrot soup with avocado cream |
Next was main course, cabillaud étuvé au four, mousseline de cèleri-rave, coulis de herbs (steamed cod, mashed celery root, herbs sauce) which was beautiful. It was served with blette (chard) which I have grown a very strong fondness for since buying some from the market in Pernes-les-Fontaines with my French neighbour. And I have to say, the pureed potatoes that were served with it were amazing. I had never had potatoes quite like it and later in the day, at dinner, I found out that they are a speciality of the region Aubrac called aligot - pureed potatoes with lots of cheese melted through it...OMG - delish!!! I don't think I will ever be able to have normal mash potato again!
Next came a small palette cleanser of strawberries and cherries in syrup with a mint granita and then it was time for dessert...Tarte feuilletée aux fraises, creme vanille gingembre, pulpe de rhubarbe, creme glacee amande (puff pastry with strawberries, cream vanilla ginger, rhubarb pulp, almond ice cream) - and mine came with some extra special fairy floss and a little birthday candle for me to blow out! The contrast between the strawberries and the rhubarb was a perfect compliment and the almond ice cream was out of this world. Finishing off with some café and petit fours of macarons and nut caramels and I couldn't believe I still had a degustation dinner to go to tonight!!
The occasional dog bark was a little off putting in such a restaurant, but in saying that, that is just the way things are done in France - I'm not sure the kids would have been looked upon favourably if they had made the noise but...c'est la vie!
We were actually complimented by several of the other patrons on the behaviour of the kids and the fact that they had eaten the food that we had - their menu was exactly the same as ours, just sightly smaller portions - and theirs was only 16 euros!! Obviously the money in this restaurant is not made from these lunch time menus, but rather the a-la-carte menu and the wine menu!!
After lunch, a little walk along the river before jumping back into the car and heading north east for our chambre d'hôte for the evening where we were meeting up with our friends Pascale and Didier, whom you've met at a couple of earlier blog posts.
Our chambre d'hôte - Le Mas de Rigoulac - was beautiful. It was about 10kms from Laguiole where we had our dinner reservation at Bras - a three Michelin star restaurant and rated number 69 in the world!
Upon arriving at Rigoulac, we were greeted by our hosts Gille and Domonique and their beautiful Australian sheep dog. Pascale and Didier had arrived about half an hour earlier and they were already talking like old friends! The chambre d'hôte was also set up as a day spa as Gille was an osteopath and he ran his business from his home.
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| Le Mas de Rigoulac |
It was soon time to get ready for dinner. The children were a little nervous about staying at the house with their French baby sitter, Bridgette, and Gille and Dominique, but their anxiety was soon abated when Dominique said she had some fraise (strawberries) and chocolate mousse for dessert! Upon getting home, Kayla and Kian were only too excited to tell me about their "awesome" night - they got to take the dog for a walk and feed the donkeys on the farm!
As for us, our dinner experience was spectacular! I'm not even sure where to start...
Bras is an absolutely majestic looking building with the back drop of the Averyon, its valley's and its spectacular landscape brought into the restaurant with its walls of windows that highlight the beauty of the area.
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| Pascale and I at the beginning of the evening - restaurant a little empty now, we were the first there and surprise, surprise; the last to leave! |
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| Didier and I watching the sun setting |
Didier explained to our waiter that his friends (that was us!) had come all the way from Australia and would just love to meet Sèbastien Bras, the man in charge! Interrupting his dinner was not something I had in mind, but he graciously came out and met with us. Explaining his brigade of chefs and bringing over one of his other chefs, Anna, from New Zealand, as she had worked in Quay in Sydney (one of Australia's top restaurants) for 4 years before coming here. She explained that this had been a dream of hers for many years and the few months she had been here so far had met every expectation she ever had.
So after a couple of piccies, we left the kitchen to the busy task of getting ready for a full restaurant of about 80 guests. We were taken to our seats - window seats, as the majority of the restaurant is and were presented with the menus and the bible that was the wine menu!
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| The plate ware was an unusual design, but when seen together with all of the courses, it made up a flower with all of the layers of petals |
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| Coque Mouillettes - the simple pleasures of life - otherwise known as eggs with soldiers, but Oh so different... |
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| Beef consommé with olive oil foam, with pickled mackerel and fresh herbs |
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| aujourd'hui "classique" - le gargouillou de jeunes légumes; graines et herbes, lait de poule aux graines Young vegetables with grains, herbs and eggnogg |
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| Le saumon sauvage juste étuvé, tendre; jeune fenouil de notre jardin, pâte de capucine et les basilics parfumés Wild salmon, baked till tender, young fennel from our garden, baby chanterelles and basil |
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| Le foie gras de canard grillé, rafraîchi de radis; ciboule saint jacques & orange; chou-moutarde & gomasio/noisettes Fois gras with fresh radish, onion and hazelnuts |
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| Le chou farci grillé/gratiné aux truffes de Compregnac; parfum d'olive et pimprenelle sanguisorba minor Stuffed cabbage with truffles |
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| Le carré d'agneau Allaiton rôti sur os & des carottes confites en croûte de sel; cerfeuil musqué & sucrosité de badiane Roasted lamb rib with carrots and musk chervil and sweet star anise |
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| Aligot - served by our waiter - pureed potato with melted cheese |
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| The fromage trolley |
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| Roquefort, St. Nectaire and Fourme D'Ambert |
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| My birthday cake of spun sugar with rose petals |
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| Le biscuit tiède à la pulpe d'abricot; miel/citron & crème glacée à la reine-des-près Biscuit shell with warm apricot pulp, honey and lemon ice cream |
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| Les cerises burlat & une crème à l'olive noire; crème glacée à l'huile d'olive & parfum d'orange Cherries stuffed with black olive mousse, served with olive oil and orange ice cream |
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| Scented teas with mint seeds |
By the end of the evening several things were achieved:
- we had made a date for our friends to come and visit us in Belvès;
- we had a spot to stop for lunch on our drive from Barcelona to Cannes in about a month that had very strong memories for Didier as it was near a village that his mother and grandmother were born and he had been to this "fish market come restaurant" many times and explained that the atmosphere was something that could not be missed;
- we had a final dinner planned for October for just before we leave France and for Pascale's birthday in Paris; and
- we had enjoyed the most amazing meal ever with some beautiful people that had travelled over four hours in the car to spend this very special night with us. (Oh, and we were very, very full!!)
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Bisous,
Kim
xoxo
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