Tag Archives: french

Andouillette or… The Dish Of Death

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Andouillette
I love a good sausage, whether it’s wurst, chorizo, or a good ol’ British banger (stop that tittering at the back). I love ‘em all. So, when I came face to face with a cabinet of sausagey curiosities during a recent trip to Lille, I couldn’t resist.

I walked out of the impressive Wazemmes market with a big bagged stuffed with all manner of meaty goodies, chief among them boudin blanc, a mighty Lyonnaise sausage and two andouillette. They may have smelt a little funny, but boy they looked good. Continue reading →

Boudin blanc with carrot, apple and potato

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Boudin blanc with carrot, potato and apple mess

Boudin blanc are strange wobbly looking things, like great white worms, all smooth and soft. And just a wee bit alien and creepy. There is no sign of the rough fat laced meat bursting through the skin that you get with a banger.

I spotted them in the wonderful Wazemme food market in Lille, nestled among all manner of strange and wonderful sausagy concoctions. And having eaten in a restaurant named for them, I couldn’t resist buying a couple, despite having no idea what they were or how they are cooked. Continue reading →

Cellar Gascon

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Squid

This wine bar attached to the feted Club Gascon of foie gras fame is a bit like a virgin visit to France after seeing loads of nouvelle vague films. It’s as smart, swish and chic as you expect, with the odd seemingly familiar thing that turns out to be not quite what you think.

So there we were, the estimable Meemalee, Chris and myself, perched at a high table in an almost empty bar eyeing the specials speculatively. I, for one, was feeling terribly decadent. This is not the sort of place I usually head for a Friday lunch. And it all seemed rather good, in a cool Alain Delon kind of way. Continue reading →

Bistro Bruno Loubet

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Potted shrimp and smoked mackerel
86-88 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RJ, 020 7324 4455, www.thezetter.com/en/Restaurant

Here is somewhere that’s made the critical cup overfloweth with stars and top ratings, ten-out-of-tens and complements aplenty. This, it seems, is the return of the prodigal son.

Whatever. He’s back, Bruno Loubet has returned from Oz. And boy – judging by the reviews – are the critics glad to see him. All of which, you’d think, would lead to a mighty anti climax when you actually ate there. Right? Well… not really. Continue reading →

A Boudin Blanc lunch

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Dandelion & braised leek salad

Boudin Blanc is a shrine to the French bistro as the English imagine it to be – all dark wood, big plates and hearty cooking. There’s no fancy fusion or haut cuisine. From poached fish in butter and cream sauce to snails by the dozen, it’s bistro classics all the way.

But just because it’s not full of surprises, that doesn’t meant it’s not good. The food here is classic, sure, but it’s classically good…well, classically great actually. Continue reading →