Restaurant Lapérouse – History Four years before Captain James Cook bumped into the eastern coastline of terra australis in 1770, a bloke by the name of Lefévre, purveyor of alcoholic beverages to king Louis XIV of France, purchased a grand Parisian townhouse on the left bank of the river Seine and converted it into a bar, wineshop and eatery. The precise…
Category: France
Doing the Mâconnais
Four hundred km south of Paris and 75km north of Lyon, the small city of Mâcon on the west bank of the river Saóne is the southernmost outpost of the French region of Bourgogne (Burgundy) and the capital of the department Saóne-et-Loire. A population of 35,000 swelled by two recently when we sat in a cafe on Esplanade Lamartine to…
Pinot on the Peninsula with Giulietta and the missus
Last October I attended a burgundy masterclass at the inaugural Pinot Palooza in Melbourne’s Ormond Hall. The Palooza was a celebration of all things pinot noir, showcasing around 140 expressions of pinot from about 50 Aussie and kiwi wineries, and was the brainchild of Ben Edwards and Dan Sims of Wine Guide fame. It must have been a raging success…
Beaujolais Cru Wines
A few weeks ago I posted a Beaujolais day trip, exploring the 12 appellations (wine producing regions) making up the overall Beaujolais “brand”. Following is a brief summary and tasting notes, in alphabetical order, of the ten Beaujolais Cru (grand) appellations that I suggest that all lovers of wine should investigate. Despite their basis on the “humble” Gamay grape, these…
Oeufs en Meurette
Oeufs en Meurette (poached eggs in red wine sauce) Serves 4 A perfect brunch on a chilly Burgundian sunday. 8 x eggs 2 x shallots 100g bacon 450g fresh button mushrooms 750 ml very tannic red wine (Burgundy red or Barossa shiraz) 25o ml chicken stock 125g butter 8 slices of baguette (toasted whole or cut into croutons) 4 tablespoons…
Bouef Bourguignon
Bouef Bourguignon (Burgundy beef stew) Serves 4 – Commence preparation day before 800g beef cheeks or rump cut into 4cm cubes 120g bacon lardons 6 cloves garlic peeled and sliced 2 medium onions thinly sliced 5 carrots peeled and roughly chopped 20 baby (pickling) onions 20 button mushrooms – half whole and half sliced and stems removed 250ml beef stock…
Beaujolais & penne Alfredo
My experience of Beaujolais wine was, for a long time, restricted to the cheap, fruity low-alcohol plonk in the floral-labelled bottle marketed by Georges Dubœuf. The stuff we naïvely labelled “Beaujo” and would lug to barbies and student pissups as a ‘sophisticated’ alternative to a sixpack of stubbies. Geez, those were the days. Over the years I focused my attention on the…
Wahaca – Day of the Dead
Wahaca is a top spot to visit if you’re into Mexican market food – the latest food fad. Of course, you’ll need to be in London, and if it happens to be the 1st or 2nd of November you’ll have as much fun as you would in Mexico City. Wahaca is a phonetic interpretation of Oaxaca, the foodie capital of Mexico,…