table tops are made from a parquetry floor bought on eBay and imported from Argentina
and cooking is art rather than industry. After a couple of bite size amuse bouche, a snail, escargot on a little garlic butter with a crust of parsley and a steak tartar topped with a lightly fried quail egg which were both delicious, I could happily have had a lot more of both of them, served with a NV Moet et Chandon Imperial Brut Champagne.
A lovely entree came next, Tasmanian trout, with toasted brioche which was first cured with sugar and salt for a couple of days before being smoked for seven minutes over hickory. It would have been excellent even by itself but was even better with a few added extras such as a light salmon mousse, thin sliced pickled onion and some greens and lemon. All the wines were presented masked. We had this with a 2008 Andre Kientzler Reisling Giesberg from Alsace and a contrasting 2010 Pierre Yves Colin Morcy St.Aubin "Les Champlots" Premier Burgundy. Both wonderful and complex wines, I preferred the Burgundy.
This was followed by an 'Assiettte de porc' with a calvados sauce and which had pork belly, tenderloin, a little poached apple and black pudding on a bed of Puy lentils and came with a green salad. If you have no objection to pork this is a fantastic dish. We were served two reds with this, a 2009 Caronne St.Gemme Haute Medoc - Bordeaux and a 2010 Yanne Chave Crozes "Le Rouvre" from the Northern Rhone. South of Burgundy this is just across the river from France but you can purchase all these wines, without an I from Prince Wine store if you are lucky enough to live in Melbourne. We could not favour one above the other of these two wines.
The meal was completed with a Gateau Basque an absolutely superb frangipany tart topped with a poached pear.
This was accompanied by a 2007 Chateau Coutet Sauterne from Bordeaux which was rich and sweet with very little of the bitterness associated with botrytis. Coffee and perfect Canales was served with Logis de la Mothe Cognac Vielle Reserve. A Cognac that could convert anyone to spirits.
Chef answered a some queries about the meal.
On the way home a breathalyzer test was, apparently, very close to the .05 mark and I was advised that it might still be rising! An exceptionally fine meal.
Score 17/20.
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