Sometimes a meal in a fine dining restaurant feels a bit like a marathon; you are not sure you are…read moreenjoying yourself at the time but you look back on it fondly, perhaps through a rose tinted lens or two. I find myself convincing myself that it is not the restaurant's fault - "I ordered poorly" or, more commonly, "I gorged myself on bread". However, often the food just is not *that* good.
There was a point mid way through our 5 hour meal here that it looked like it could be one of those nights. We had chosen the chef's menu which featured those dishes from the a la carte that he fancied serving to his guest's that day, and, apparently, chef was feeling generous. By the time we reached the principal main course of beautifully cooked bull (apparently recently slain by a matador) we were uncertain whether we would reach the end of the feast.
However, persevere we did and while the meal as a whole did stray into marathon territory at times, the food we ate (and largely enjoyed) was beautifully (and often theatrically) presented and cooked. Stand out dishes included succulent prawns served on finely diced ceps inside an arc of potato, and red snapper served with the most intense sauce of fish stock and saffron I have ever experienced. However, for us there was just too much richness in all of the food to make the meal as a whole truly memorable. Apparently it is possible to have too much of a good thing. When we return, I think that we will just order off the a la carte to avoid M. Goujon's generosity overwhelming us again!
For those interested, the wine list is comprehensive featuring many of our favourite vignerons from the surrounding countryside and from the rest of France. Wines are grouped by AOC and then Vin de Table which made the selection process harder than it needed to be. Still, we were more than satisfied by an unusual Roussillon red our sommelier guided us to.
Interestingly, unlike other 3 star restaurants I have visited, the atmosphere was never formal which we enjoyed. Perhaps this is caused by the slightly rustic dining area which appears to be a series of farm buildings knocked together. However, I think that this also stems from the staff who, while attentive, were also friendly and engaging.
