George Bernard Shaw once wrote "there is no love sincerer than the love of food", and that is what I hope to express; my absolute undying love for good eating.
So until next time,
Bon Apetit
Friday 21 February 2014
Back on the Green, Green Grass of Home
It's been a very long time since I wrote last (almost a year, embarrassingly) but I'm back now, and back for good! Sadly, my French culinary adventure has come to an end but I'm armed with a knife and fork and ready for new foody experiences at home and beyond! Over the course of the summer, lots of different culinary treats have come my way and I'm really excited to share them. So, be prepared for the exotic spices of Morocco, Odette's gastronomic delights and home comfort style food from Gannets Bistro, and then some.
George Bernard Shaw once wrote "there is no love sincerer than the love of food", and that is what I hope to express; my absolute undying love for good eating.
So until next time,
Bon Apetit
George Bernard Shaw once wrote "there is no love sincerer than the love of food", and that is what I hope to express; my absolute undying love for good eating.
So until next time,
Bon Apetit
Tuesday 9 April 2013
A Bad Egg
This is my first bad review. I never thought I'd be writing a bad review on a restaurant I'd been really looking forward to visiting. Whenever I pass Bistro de l'Absynthe, it's always packed and people always look like there having a good time and great food and this is what I expected. In actual fact, my experience of Bistro de l'Absynthe was the complete opposite. I was so cross after leaving that I'm never going back (despite it being a firm favourite with other friends). The service was shocking, the food was a complete disaster and the atmosphere was stressful. On the whole, a very unpleasant dining experience.
Our table was booked for 1:30pm, the end of the French lunch hour. Admittedly; it was packed, but I really wasn't expecting to choose my food before the door was closed behind me. I thought I'd have five minutes to choose what I wanted like in every other restaurant I've ever been to. Apparently, I thought wrong. I felt stressed and unprepared and rushed; not the ideal feeling to have before eating a two course meal. There was a set lunch menu: two courses for 9€50 which is a very good value, but the price really reflects the quality of the food: low.
There was a choice of steak and chips or a sort of Sheppard's pie followed by fresh pineapple or a coffee and chocolate dessert. I went for the steak and then the pineapple. The waitress was pushy and rushing us, which I really didn't appreciate. They asked every one of us how we wanted our stakes cooked and noted it down. We asked for a jug of water for everyone and three of us wanted to share a bottle of wine. She said she'd come back with a wine list.
We waited for about 20 minutes for our food to come (a long time for a couple of steaks to be cooking!) By the time our food arrived, it wasn't hot and they'd thrown the steaks out without asking who had what. I'd asked for a rare steak and got a well done one. And my friend Meg asked for well done and got a rare steak. I told the waitress that she'd given me the wrong steak and she just stared at me without a word of apology as if to say "what do you want me to do about it?" Paying attention to orders and bringing me what I asked for would be a good start. Still no sign of the wine...
We reluctantly swapped our lukewarm steaks and began eating (feeling quite parched as the waitress still hadn't come back with the wine list). I started tucking in (as I was starving by this point). The sauce wasn't bad, however the garlic overpowered the flavour of the meat. The chips were burnt and that flavour stayed in my mouth until I got a mouthful of gristle; really unpleasant. Still no sign of the wine.
As I was finishing my last mouthful of cold, gristly, burnt steak and chips the waitress whipped the plate from under my nose before I could put my knife and fork down and, worst of all, before everyone else had finished. Finally the snotty waitress brought a bottle of wine over. We'd asked for red but they didn't have any left so she brought the wine list back and we chose a rosé which they also didn't have so she brought a random bottle of plonk which wasn't great either (realistically, I would've probably drank paint stripper to take the edge off after th calamity they called 'lunch'). All this made one very unhappy Bethan.
Desert wasn't much better: a quarter of a pineapple trying to be a pudding by dumping icing sugar on it and spraying a blob of synthetic squirty cream on the plate. Not the bistro bliss I was expecting.
Aesop really sums up my feelings perfectly: "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." I arrived feeling content and left feeling anxious, bullied and angered by the whole experience. This is the worst dining experience I've had since I've lived in France. I would've been better off going to a drive through!
However, my friends, we must look onward and upward to the great pie in the sky. There are plenty more fish in the sea, and a few more restaurants in Poitiers.
Until next time,
Bon Appétit
Our table was booked for 1:30pm, the end of the French lunch hour. Admittedly; it was packed, but I really wasn't expecting to choose my food before the door was closed behind me. I thought I'd have five minutes to choose what I wanted like in every other restaurant I've ever been to. Apparently, I thought wrong. I felt stressed and unprepared and rushed; not the ideal feeling to have before eating a two course meal. There was a set lunch menu: two courses for 9€50 which is a very good value, but the price really reflects the quality of the food: low.
There was a choice of steak and chips or a sort of Sheppard's pie followed by fresh pineapple or a coffee and chocolate dessert. I went for the steak and then the pineapple. The waitress was pushy and rushing us, which I really didn't appreciate. They asked every one of us how we wanted our stakes cooked and noted it down. We asked for a jug of water for everyone and three of us wanted to share a bottle of wine. She said she'd come back with a wine list.
We waited for about 20 minutes for our food to come (a long time for a couple of steaks to be cooking!) By the time our food arrived, it wasn't hot and they'd thrown the steaks out without asking who had what. I'd asked for a rare steak and got a well done one. And my friend Meg asked for well done and got a rare steak. I told the waitress that she'd given me the wrong steak and she just stared at me without a word of apology as if to say "what do you want me to do about it?" Paying attention to orders and bringing me what I asked for would be a good start. Still no sign of the wine...
We reluctantly swapped our lukewarm steaks and began eating (feeling quite parched as the waitress still hadn't come back with the wine list). I started tucking in (as I was starving by this point). The sauce wasn't bad, however the garlic overpowered the flavour of the meat. The chips were burnt and that flavour stayed in my mouth until I got a mouthful of gristle; really unpleasant. Still no sign of the wine.
As I was finishing my last mouthful of cold, gristly, burnt steak and chips the waitress whipped the plate from under my nose before I could put my knife and fork down and, worst of all, before everyone else had finished. Finally the snotty waitress brought a bottle of wine over. We'd asked for red but they didn't have any left so she brought the wine list back and we chose a rosé which they also didn't have so she brought a random bottle of plonk which wasn't great either (realistically, I would've probably drank paint stripper to take the edge off after th calamity they called 'lunch'). All this made one very unhappy Bethan.
Desert wasn't much better: a quarter of a pineapple trying to be a pudding by dumping icing sugar on it and spraying a blob of synthetic squirty cream on the plate. Not the bistro bliss I was expecting.
Aesop really sums up my feelings perfectly: "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." I arrived feeling content and left feeling anxious, bullied and angered by the whole experience. This is the worst dining experience I've had since I've lived in France. I would've been better off going to a drive through!
However, my friends, we must look onward and upward to the great pie in the sky. There are plenty more fish in the sea, and a few more restaurants in Poitiers.
Until next time,
Bon Appétit
Tuesday 12 February 2013
Une Assiette de Bordeaux
A new week and a new blog. Over the weekend, I visited a very rainy city in the South famous for it's wines and ate the best brunch I've ever had at a place called Karl's in Bordeaux.
We arrived in the pouring rain and the place was packed. It was full of students and families having a lazy Sunday brunch. As we entered from the cold drizzle, the smell of warm bread hit us and we instantly new we were in a good place.
The first thing we saw was this:
An amazing arrangement of fresh viennoiseries (that's croissants and pain au chocolats for my English speaking friends), baguettes and little treats like donuts and tarts; ideal for a very wet Sunday in the South. The restaurant itself was light and airy with windows lining the walls, filling the room with a wonderful, warm light. There were plenty of friendly staff working like bees dancing around, gathering orders and setting places. Behind the counter there was a TV with the flames of a wood fire on the screen. Usually things like this make me hurl, as they're completely naff, but this somehow worked and added to the warm atmosphere.
Now for the important things: the food. Karl's' slogan is "all day eating" and you certainly can do this here: 'Le Matin' (The Morning), 'Le Midi' (Lunch) and 'L'après-Midi' (The Afternoon). We got there at 11ish so ate from the 'Le Matin' menu and were not disappointed by soggy toast and tinned tomatoes; this brunch was no dodgy fry-up. There weren't rubbery eggs or greasy sausage in sight, and for once I was glad (as I am one for a fry-up). A typically continental menu but with something for everyone; from muesli and fruit to the classic French combination of croissants and coffee- French breakfast at it's best. And then there was my option: 'assiette de Provence'. A delicious mix of cold meats, olive bread, goats cheese, sun dried tomatoes and marinated courgette, red pepper and aubergine. And to top it all off, two fresh baguettes with lots of creamy butter and about 6 different spreads. The only thing missing was Marmite, but seeing as I'm in France I'll let that one pass...
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Between us all, we had enough food to feed the Welsh rugby team (who won the day before, I'll proudly add!) My plate was definitely share-able between two but it was so good I ate (almost) all of it myself. The creamy goats cheese wrapped in a sharp and rich sun dried tomatoes on some of the warm olive bread tasted just like Summer and made me very happy on a gray day like Sunday. The orange juice was so fresh; I've never had anything like it. I'm sure they just smooshed an orange around a bit in my glass. A perfectly sharp accompaniment to cut through the rich meat and cheese. A delicious combination of Mediterranean flavours. I felt like I was on a warm beach somewhere on the Côte d'Azur, not in the rain in Bordeaux.There really is nothing better than fresh bread, good meat and strong cheese; flavours that are simple yet sublime. Just delicious.
So, if you do ever go to Bordeaux and fancy a spot of lunch, do stop by at Karl's as you'll get great food at a reasonable price that will make you happy for the rest of the day, it certainly did it for me. As we left to be tourists for the day, we had to push through the crowd at the door to leave. If my words don't show how good the food was there, then that definitely does.
When I think of French breakfast, I now think of Karl's.
Burt Lancaster once said "I judge a restaurant by the bread and the coffee". If this is anything to go by, Karl's would get 10/10.
Until next time friends,
Bon Appétit
Karl's Website
We arrived in the pouring rain and the place was packed. It was full of students and families having a lazy Sunday brunch. As we entered from the cold drizzle, the smell of warm bread hit us and we instantly new we were in a good place.
The first thing we saw was this:
An amazing arrangement of fresh viennoiseries (that's croissants and pain au chocolats for my English speaking friends), baguettes and little treats like donuts and tarts; ideal for a very wet Sunday in the South. The restaurant itself was light and airy with windows lining the walls, filling the room with a wonderful, warm light. There were plenty of friendly staff working like bees dancing around, gathering orders and setting places. Behind the counter there was a TV with the flames of a wood fire on the screen. Usually things like this make me hurl, as they're completely naff, but this somehow worked and added to the warm atmosphere.Now for the important things: the food. Karl's' slogan is "all day eating" and you certainly can do this here: 'Le Matin' (The Morning), 'Le Midi' (Lunch) and 'L'après-Midi' (The Afternoon). We got there at 11ish so ate from the 'Le Matin' menu and were not disappointed by soggy toast and tinned tomatoes; this brunch was no dodgy fry-up. There weren't rubbery eggs or greasy sausage in sight, and for once I was glad (as I am one for a fry-up). A typically continental menu but with something for everyone; from muesli and fruit to the classic French combination of croissants and coffee- French breakfast at it's best. And then there was my option: 'assiette de Provence'. A delicious mix of cold meats, olive bread, goats cheese, sun dried tomatoes and marinated courgette, red pepper and aubergine. And to top it all off, two fresh baguettes with lots of creamy butter and about 6 different spreads. The only thing missing was Marmite, but seeing as I'm in France I'll let that one pass...
.JPG)
Between us all, we had enough food to feed the Welsh rugby team (who won the day before, I'll proudly add!) My plate was definitely share-able between two but it was so good I ate (almost) all of it myself. The creamy goats cheese wrapped in a sharp and rich sun dried tomatoes on some of the warm olive bread tasted just like Summer and made me very happy on a gray day like Sunday. The orange juice was so fresh; I've never had anything like it. I'm sure they just smooshed an orange around a bit in my glass. A perfectly sharp accompaniment to cut through the rich meat and cheese. A delicious combination of Mediterranean flavours. I felt like I was on a warm beach somewhere on the Côte d'Azur, not in the rain in Bordeaux.There really is nothing better than fresh bread, good meat and strong cheese; flavours that are simple yet sublime. Just delicious.
So, if you do ever go to Bordeaux and fancy a spot of lunch, do stop by at Karl's as you'll get great food at a reasonable price that will make you happy for the rest of the day, it certainly did it for me. As we left to be tourists for the day, we had to push through the crowd at the door to leave. If my words don't show how good the food was there, then that definitely does.
When I think of French breakfast, I now think of Karl's.
Burt Lancaster once said "I judge a restaurant by the bread and the coffee". If this is anything to go by, Karl's would get 10/10.
Until next time friends,
Bon Appétit
Karl's Website
Monday 4 February 2013
Le Plat Principal
So here we are, my first actual blog! I have been to many places in the last couple of weeks (all of which have been regular favourites) and I was keen to write about them. But last Sunday, after a wild party the night before, I discovered What's Up Coffee. The perfect place for a lazy Sunday and Poitiers' perfect hangover cure provider. It doesn't look like anything special from the outside (and I'd never considered it until nowhere else was open for lunch) but now it's definitely a firm favourite.
This quirky, 1950s American-style diner really hits the spot on a drizzly Sunday afternoon. It's pin-up poster wall paper and the soulful, bluesy playlist invites you in to enjoy a bagel, cookie, milkshake or just a coffee. I wanted food that was simple, warm and comforting; and that's what I got. Although lacking in choice, the food does not lack in taste; it will cuddle your taste buds.
I went for a tex-mex chicken bagel washed down with a banana milkshake. It wasn't your usual slab of dry chicken smothered in sickly BBQ sauce topped with a slice of greasy cheese; no, it was a fluffy fresh bagel (and I wouldn't expect anything less than fresh bread when it comes to France) with vibrant flavours. The chicken was mixed with tomato salsa on a layer of guacamole with sharp red onions which woke me from my sleepy stupor. And to finish it off, a piece of creamy cheddar all toasted in a warm bagel. Cosy food fit for a crappy day.
The banana milkshake was cold and creamy but still sweet and really hit the spot. Up until this point, I hadn't had a milkshake whilst in France and will definitely be returning for another. The taste filled me with nostalgia and reminiscence of flavours of home; sitting in a café on the Gower with the warm sun on my face and the cool breeze behind me; bliss.
I went back over the weekend with a friend visiting from afar. We both had a muffin and a drink. I had a caramel apple and she had the classic choc-chip, both of which were fantastic. It's sweet and moist sponge was cooked to perfection and once you bit into the middle, you were greeted by oozing caramel sauce; just delightful!
After writing this, I've decided I must stop off there on the way home from work to grab a doughnut; it's just so good!
So, if you're ever feeling a bit groggy and under the weather or just want somewhere cosy to chill with your friends, What's Up Coffee is the place to be.
As a great princess once said, "Let them eat cake" and what better place to do it than at What's Up Coffee.
Until next time friends,
Bon appétit
What's Up Coffee Website
What's Up Coffee Facebook Page
This quirky, 1950s American-style diner really hits the spot on a drizzly Sunday afternoon. It's pin-up poster wall paper and the soulful, bluesy playlist invites you in to enjoy a bagel, cookie, milkshake or just a coffee. I wanted food that was simple, warm and comforting; and that's what I got. Although lacking in choice, the food does not lack in taste; it will cuddle your taste buds.
I went for a tex-mex chicken bagel washed down with a banana milkshake. It wasn't your usual slab of dry chicken smothered in sickly BBQ sauce topped with a slice of greasy cheese; no, it was a fluffy fresh bagel (and I wouldn't expect anything less than fresh bread when it comes to France) with vibrant flavours. The chicken was mixed with tomato salsa on a layer of guacamole with sharp red onions which woke me from my sleepy stupor. And to finish it off, a piece of creamy cheddar all toasted in a warm bagel. Cosy food fit for a crappy day.
The banana milkshake was cold and creamy but still sweet and really hit the spot. Up until this point, I hadn't had a milkshake whilst in France and will definitely be returning for another. The taste filled me with nostalgia and reminiscence of flavours of home; sitting in a café on the Gower with the warm sun on my face and the cool breeze behind me; bliss.
I went back over the weekend with a friend visiting from afar. We both had a muffin and a drink. I had a caramel apple and she had the classic choc-chip, both of which were fantastic. It's sweet and moist sponge was cooked to perfection and once you bit into the middle, you were greeted by oozing caramel sauce; just delightful!
After writing this, I've decided I must stop off there on the way home from work to grab a doughnut; it's just so good!
So, if you're ever feeling a bit groggy and under the weather or just want somewhere cosy to chill with your friends, What's Up Coffee is the place to be.
As a great princess once said, "Let them eat cake" and what better place to do it than at What's Up Coffee.
Until next time friends,
Bon appétit
What's Up Coffee Website
What's Up Coffee Facebook Page
Tuesday 15 January 2013
L'entrée...
My three passions in life are taking photographs, Wales and above all else food. I come from a foodie family where cooking great grub and eating well have always featured heavily. Basically, if I could eat as a job; I would.
My other love is travelling and I'm currently on my year abroad in La Belle France. Seeing as I'm in the land of Cordon Bleu cuisine and Raymond Blanc, how could I resist the chance to eat great food and drink great wine? Well, I couldn't. So follow me on my culinary journey through the restaurants, cafés and tea rooms of Poitiers (and beyond) and perhaps enjoy my attempt at a few recipes along the way.
This is a Welsh girl's take on French food.
Until next time (as a wise person once said) "Eat, drink and be merry".
Bon Appétit.
My other love is travelling and I'm currently on my year abroad in La Belle France. Seeing as I'm in the land of Cordon Bleu cuisine and Raymond Blanc, how could I resist the chance to eat great food and drink great wine? Well, I couldn't. So follow me on my culinary journey through the restaurants, cafés and tea rooms of Poitiers (and beyond) and perhaps enjoy my attempt at a few recipes along the way.
This is a Welsh girl's take on French food.
Until next time (as a wise person once said) "Eat, drink and be merry".
Bon Appétit.
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