Brittany

So, (I hope) some of you were wondering where I have been as all has been quiet on the blogging front.  The answer, attending weddings.  Many weddings.  In 1 I was the best man.  In 1 I was the photographer.  In 1 I was trying not to throw up (boats and I don’t agree with each other).  I think I need a bit of a break from weddings, so why not a trip to Brittany?

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In Brittany, I got to try some authentic French food instead of the quasi-French stuff I have here.  To paraphrase something I see repeatedly on an ad in the tube, say what you want about the French but they can cook!  Whilst on this holiday, I had to attend to that overriding imperative.  Food.  Ok, actually it is an always overriding prime directive for me, not isolated to just holidays.  When searching frantically for a place to eat, my friend and I decided to consult the oracle.  Professor google.  He pointed us to Restaurant Hotel de la Marne.  Just entering in and sitting down, I already had a good feeling.  The atmosphere was inviting and the place setting very comforting.  I do love nice place settings.

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Brill carpaccio with tarragon and oyster ball to start.  Yes, you heard that right.  Oyster ball.  The dish certainly looked very pretty.  Although I must say that it seemed a bit too salty for me.  Nicely presented though.

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Complemented by FFB.  Fantastic French Bread.  Mhmmmm.

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Veal tenderloin with sweetbread.  I found the artichoke to be the stand out element.  Unfortunately, the veal was disappointingly rather bland which contrasted interestingly with the rather oversalted sweetbread.  Maybe the chef got the meats mixed up?  Or maybe I just am not used to real French food.  At this stage, I began to worry that I just wasn’t used to French rural cuisine.  Maybe I was a Visigoth and not used to culture.

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Turbot fillet and scampi.  I really did enjoy this  course as it appealed to my gluttonous self (in search of fried food).  The turbot flesh was lightly cooked and strangely a little bland.  The fried turbot skin on the other hand was like heaven to me.  A taste explosion with a crunchy texture.  The little scampi in the middle was also rather well done.  The way it was presented with its tail up in the air, I could imagine that just a minute ago it was swimming happily in its tank.  It certainly tasted that way.

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Cheese.  Words fail me here.  They really do.  Because I just didn’t like the cheese that much.  It was just a bit too salty for me.  I sensed a bit of a theme emerging here.

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Avocado cheese cake with salted caramel ice cream.  Bracing myself for a “surprise” with the word “salted” in the menu, the strawberry with avocado cheesecake, avocado cream and ice cream was a very “interesting” combination of sweet and savoury.  I couldn’t really figure out if I liked this dish or thought it was something to skim over.  I think I shall go with the safe route here and say it was too salty.

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Truffle, nougat, jelly, chocolate ball and berries.  A nice little end to the evening.

A pleasant little meal in the countryside.  Some interesting combinations with some hits and misses.  In a quiet little dining room, the atmosphere was very pleasant, probably also because I couldn’t understand anything anyone was saying.  It was also very reasonably priced for what it was, so if I was living around the area I wouldn’t mind popping by to try.  Even if I run the risk that it might be too salty.

 

A quiet eating 6/10.

Dinner was EUR39 without drinks or service.

 

Restaurant Hotel de la Marne

30 rue de la Marne
22500 Paimpol, FRANCE

02 96 16 33 41
Du mardi au dimanche



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