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An
oyster on my mind
It was all the oysters fault. There I was transformed
from a wet and cold Warsaw early spring day to a
small walled town were the dominate sound is the
screech of gulls and the crash as the big Atlantic
surf rolls onto the rocks. Suddenly I could taste
the salty crunchy feel of an oyster. That was when
my good intention was whisked away as comprehensively
as the gulls cry on the wind at Saint Malo. The
silly thing is that sanity returned quickly; but
the dastardly trick of the Frenchmen had worked. |
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I had gone to the Le
Balzac, the top restaurant of the Mercure Hotel (Al.
Jana Pawla II 23. Tel: 620.0201), to try the business
lunch. I had checked the menu before allowing myself
to be led to a table and I had resolved that what
I was going to have. But as I needed to study the
rest of the menu for the purpose of informing you,
my dear reader, I got to nos suggestions.
I could have of course blame the lardons. The business
menu that day, at a very reasonable Zl.40, was salad
with lardons, roast shoulder of deer and a selection
for the pastry trolley. Adequate and almost certainly
first class (I saw those of greater determination
devour this offering with great relish.) But somehow
I balked at the lardons. Hell if I had wanted bacon
I would have gone for breakfast. |
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The silly thing was
I resisted the temptation of the oysters and went
for asparagus soup. But just as important in the seduction
process, of that dastardly French chef, was the veal
kidney with mushrooms and small onions. I love veal
kidneys.
The Balzac restaurant oozes style. It is a smart room
with classical music flowing from the hidden speakers.
The walls are adorned with classic drawings, and splashes
of contemporary impressionist prints. The flowers
in the centre were expensive and beautifully arranged.
A vase on each table contained a single bloom.
I relaxed at my table as I studied the menu. The service
was instant and attentive and it took me a couple
of minutes to peruse and order from the hardly surprisingly
predominately French wine list. In fact I was surprised
that the normally chauvinistic French allowed three
little wines from Italy to creep onto their list.
However I settled for a bottle Cotes du Rhone, from
the bottom of the range, offered at Zl.55. The Muscadet
was Zl.50 and the 4eme Bordeaux came in at Zl.200.
There was a good range available at around Zl.70. |
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| A tit bit offering
of some delicious pastry sticks and little crunchy
pastry tarts was provided as I waited for my meal.
The main menu is comprehensive with most meats available,
however they are only offered in one cooking style.
There is a good fish selection and another real tempter
was the turbot (Zl.45). The starters included sweetbreads,
duck liver terrine and frogs legs. |
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There was one item about the
menu I failed to understand. Last week I was bitching
about a restaurant that excluded VAT. The French
excluded VAT on the food, but included it on the
booze. Maybe they were acknowledging my point
about 7% is not too much of a shock, 22% on a
Zl.200 bottle of wine could leave the unwary with
a problem. However I fail to see why VAT is not
included on both.
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The asparagus soup
contained a few spears but was, for me, a little bland.
I know that getting the full taste of asparagus into
a soup is not easy but here there is a top French
chef. The veal kidneys were also a disappointment
in that the sauce was un-thickened. The kidneys were
nicely cooked with a good hint of pink and I suppose
the light sauce was good. Once again I was dreaming,
this time of a grainy Dijon mustard sauce, but of
course that was not on the menu.
Then the inevitable happened. I was trying desperately
hard to resist another course. And succeeding until
the head waiter, drat him, sidled up and muttered
French cheese. I had not drunk all of my quite excellent
wine and there really was no other answer than 'silly
not to.' |
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The cheese selection
was good with chevre, camembert, Brie and Roquefort
all getting into the act. I have to whinge again because
the cheese had come straight out of a fridge. I know
how difficult cheese is to keep and if you do not
sell it there will be wastage. But surely this bastion
of French culinary excellence could produce cheese
at room temperature, preferably maturing all over
the cheese board. With the cheese came some quite
excellent brown bread cooked with walnuts in the crust.
The bill when it arrived was for Zl.150, including
my tip since the proffered account had a stamp explaining
that service is not included. If I had not been seduced
by the oysters it would have been for about Zl.100
I enjoyed my meal and probably I should have had the
oysters and the turbot and the terrine and the sweetbreads
and the je ne sais quois. If I had stuck to the business
lunch I would have had little to complain about.
Uncle please send more money! |
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| Fine Dining in:
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