Azabu , fine Japanese cuisine in Paris

Dear Art de vivre readers !

We only write here when we have something really worth sharing. Yesterday evening we were at AZABU restaurant, recommended to us lately by a Japanese tea and massage institute. 

Paris by night - November 4th 2010

What else ?

Azabu's speciality is Teppan Yaki. Thus my first recommendation : book a table at the bar and enjoy looking at the chef cooking ! This is extremely impressive and full of learnings for those of you passionate about technique.

The staff is absolutely wonderful, extremely patient to explain the menu, very delicate and humble. You feel that the client is king at Azabu. For those of you living in Paris, this might be something you've not felt for long ! ;-) 

The restaurant is located in the very heart of Saint Germain des près. Once passed the frontdoor, you feel well immediately. A minimalist but warm design. Quiet and peaceful place which extracts you from the everyday rush within seconds. 

We both opted for the 39€ menu which is composed of two "mises en bouche", one starter, one main dish and the dessert. Which is given the quality an excellent price/quality ratio in Paris for fine Japanese cuisine.

In disorder we've had Zensay Bento, salmon tartar, Saint-Jacques shells, Filet of turbot, green tea ice cream with red beans purée. An explosion of flavors served by the impeccable freshness of the products used there.

Salmon Tartar 

Gren Tea ice cream with red beans

All in all a wonderful moment we can only recommend. 

AZABU , 3 rue André-Mazet, 75006 Paris. Tel : 0146337205.

ENJOY !

A taste of Luberon at "Le Pavillon de Galon" B&B

We've been silent the past weeks as we are working hard on our next professional adventure. But do not panic ! ;-) We still do have time for long week-ends and will continue to post our "Art de vivre" findings on a regular basis.

Just back from a short stay in "Le Pavillon de Galon" B&B, i just could not resist sharing this experience with you. The "pavillon" is located in the little village of Cucuron, South Luberon, Provence. We decided to take the TGV train from Paris to Avignon (2h40mn). We then rented a car ( i do recommend Sixt which i booked through their iphone app ) and thanks to my great tomtom app we reached Cucuron after an hour of relaxed driving.

The 18th century mansion - Roman Pool

The little village of Cucuron is nice and is a central spot to discover Luberon. "Le pavillon de galon" is located at the exit of the village along a small road. A "remarkable" garden will welcome you entering this multi acres domain, bought 12 years ago by Bibi and Guy, a parisian couple. 

Apart from an amazing restoration of the 18th century main house, they planted more then 10.000 fruit trees along the years. They also have a decent number of olive and truffle trees, as well as a small kitchen garden. All they will serve you for breakfast is home made except the fresh goat cheese coming from a neighbor. Be ready to re-discover the forgotten and genuine taste of apricot and fig. They even produce their wine called "Hocus Pocus".

10.000 fruit trees we did say !

Fresh goat cheese from the neighbor at breakfast

You got the point ! This place is designed by and for "Epicureans". The owners even propose cooking and wine tasting classes mainly during the summer. In their own wonderful kitchen, the largest room of the house !

There is also a very nice minimalistic pool to refresh, as well as a couple of fountains and basins dating from the roman empire. So relax and feel the history, you're in good hands at Pavillon de Galon.

For eating, wether at lunch or dinner time, we do recommend "La Closerie" in the very charming village of Ansouis, ran by Delphine and Olivier Alemany. Book long in advance for dinner at +33(0)490099054. We went for lunch and opted for the 23€ menu which was simply exceptional. In particular the starter "Cauliflower soup with local black truffle". "Un sans faute" as we like to say in French. They also strongly recommend "La bartavelle" restaurant in Goult, 40 mn away from Cucuron. Should you try that one, let us have your feedback at bsimeray@gmail.com

La Closerie - Ansouis - Luberon

Cauliflower Cream - thin chips - black truffle

In Cucuron you will also find a one star michelin called "La petite maison", ran by chef Eric Sapet. We had diner there which i would qualify just average. Completely overrated and overpriced. Unless they had a bad day that night ! Which can always happen.

All in all another long week end we will keep for long in our memories. We wish you to discover this wonderful region and experience the flavours of Luberon.

Hasta pronto !
Benoît

"Bedandbruges" lovely B&B in the charming Bruges

We're just back from a long weekend in Bruges, Belgium. The best way to reach this UNESCO protected town is with no doubt by train. From Paris it took us around 2H30 mn and you can easily book your tickets on SNCB network. I will not here detail how beautiful and charming bruges is. You will find that on so many other blogs or websites. But it is indeed very true and a stop there when visiting Europe is a must.

You will find dozens of boutique hotels, luxury ones or bead & breakfast. We did stay at Bedandbruges , a lovely B&B ran by Louise and Francis Hardy. Should you go there, stay in "La tour" which is a medieval tower completely restored in 2009. You will enjoy the entire place for you ( 2 people ) at a bargain of 95 € per night breakfast included. The owners do also offer to swap their personal home and that could be an option for large families and a week stay.

"La tour" at Bedandbruges

Peaceful Bruges

This B&B is situated slightly off the touristic heart of the city and you will need a 10mn walk to join the most visited monuments. Which for us was a plus as we could stay out of the crowd. Another possibility is to rent a bike at around 10€/day as this is the perfect way to discover the city and its surroundings. We would even suggest you to bike along the canal from Bruges to Damme ( 7km away, a lovely medieval village ) and then to Sluis ( Holland, 18km from bruges ). You will need around 3H back and forth. We'd suggest to stop for lunch at Damme which offer various excellent options. We personally ate at "Restaurant ZuidKant" whom the chef has been working quite some time with the famous Thierry Marx chef in Cordeillan-bages.

"ZuidKant" restaurant terrace

Langoustines marinées, crème d'avocat et fines herbes

Cappuccino et ravioli de Homard, parmesan et huile de basilic

One of the best and most creative cuisine we've experienced lately. By far above most of the 1 or 2 star michelin restaurants we were lucky to taste in France those past years. Count on 50€/person with 1 glass of wine. Another option when in Damme is to eat at "De Bonheur" which has been indicated to us by several locals. The next day we went to have lunch at the Refter which is ran by the son of the nextdoor 3 star michelin "De Karmeliet". Should you have the choice, eat in the patio. We ate twice there for around 40€/person. Excellent products in general, succulent fish. I personally recommend the fish soup which beats easily many of the ones i could taste in sunny southern France.

La carte, Refter Bistro

Soupe de poisson et sa rouille

Velouté d'asperges, crème de brocolis

The kitchen , Refter Bistro

We also had excellent dinner at Rock Fort ( likely to be rated soon 1 star michelin ). Really amazing quality and very good and affordable wine list. But quite disappointed by the atmosphere ( we were at the bar, not in the main dining area ) and more problematic by the time we had to wait between each plate ( around 30mn ).

All in all we spent a wonderful time and discovered new flavors and tastes, met passionate and friendly people. Without a doubt, the belgian gastronomy is about to play a major role and taking over its French neighbour ( if not already the case ).

Some other places where to SLEEP : B&B Côté canal and B&B number 11

Enjoy bruges !

Kitchen Galerie Bis - Haute cuisine in Saint Germain des près

On the contrary to what still many French people tend or like to believe, our "cuisine" does not lead the way anymore. Worse, it became quite complex to eat well, especially in Paris and Côte d'azur ( aka "French Riviera"). That becomes even more true when you're lucky enough to travel and experience other tastes, culinary and service oriented cultures. 

Italy is my number ONE. Still. You will eat well in 90% of the restaurants there. And quite cheap still. Spain has been catching up the past 10 years, mainly driven by Ferran adria and a young talented chef's generation. But they still have to improve the average quality and diversity of the offer.

By combining creativity and simplicity, remarkable sea food products, and a great respect of the customers, the North of Europe has been shaking us up the past few years. You can now eat extremely well and for a very reasonable price in Belgium, Holland, Denmark and sweden. To a lesser extent in Norway and Finland.

Rascasse grillée, Vinaigrette Sésame - Balsamique Blanc

Hopefully a couple of people or restaurants in France did understand the need to react. And decided to put back the product and the client at the center of their approach. While avoiding astronomical prices.

Sister restaurant of the 2 michelin stars "Ze Kitchen Galerie", Kitchen Galerie Bis does offer a "bistro" approach of haute cuisine. And a flavour of what is being served at the michelinized restaurant next door. As a starter i would recommend you to share the 6 tapas plate they offer. Then opt for fish for the main course as this is really their speciality and trademark.

Grilled John Dory, "Sauce Vierge" & Orange

You will notice a lot of flavours from Asia as the chef is passionate about it. Count on a budget of 60€ per head with the wine. Which is quite affordable for a taste of haute cuisine.

Enjoy the trip !

Restaurant "La Cambusa del Capitano", Aci Castello - Sicily

We flew from Paris to Catania with Easyjet ( east of Sicily ) which took us 2h30. We arrived late morning and the temperature was already around 22°C. Approximately 10 more then in Paris. So the trip was already worth it ! 

We had our hotel booked in the famous "Taormina" which is around an hour drive from Catania Airport. As we were quite hungry we decided to have our lunch on the seaside and picked a restaurant recommended by the Michelin guide ( a modest one not awarded anything special ) in the little harbor town of Aci castello. The place is called La cambusa del Capitano and is ran by Chef Alfio. 

As very often in Italy, the owner and the staff came to our table quite quickly to get to know eachother, talk about their beloved island and more importantly present us the fresh fish and sea food they had that day.

Seduced by the freshness of the Calamaretti we've ordered a plate to share. They came fried and were absolutely succulent. "Ottimo" as you would say in italian. We were promised to a great time.

Calamaretti fritti

We then headed for the serious staff and the "primi piatti". And naturally chose pasta. My wife had spaghetti alle vongole ( sea food ).  I had the "Gamberi e cozze" ones. Those were simply the best cooked pasta we had during our sicilian stay.

Spaghetti Gamberi e Cozze

Spaghetti alle Vongole

We finished the lunch with the classic Tiramisu. It was so good that it directly went into our stomach. So no picture to illustrate what we here pretend. 

All in all an excellent first food experience in Sicily. All ingredients very fresh. Simply but perfectly cooked. Friendly chef. And quite cheap as we've spent all in all 25€/person with wine and coffee.

I and Alfio !

La cambusal del capitano : Via marina 65 , Aci castello, Sicily. Closed on wednesday. 

Week end in San Antonio de Areco, Provincia de Buenos Aires

Before to grab our flight friday the 23rd of April to Paris, we spent 2 days in and around San Antonio de Areco, a small colonial town 130 Kms away from Buenos Aires. The old historical part is extremely nice. Try to visit all the "Platerias" where you will be able to buy handmade silver knives, plates....Silver IS the local speciality ! You will also find multiple options to eat well but modestly. We personally tested "El almacen de Ramos" . Excellent meat and fresh pasta. Nice Atmosphere and very friendly. Around 80 ARS ( 20 USD ) per person. We have also been recommended another restaurtant by several locals we had no time to experience. So we'll leave that one up to you : La pulperia de Areco. Feel free to drop us your feedback.

We did spend the night at a very charming posada called "Posada de la plaza" which again several locals pointed out as the best local option. This is a family run business and you will immediately feel at home there. The rooms are spacious, rustic but well decorated. We had an excellent breakfast in the vast garden. Again an excellent service which has proven to be part of the argentinian DNA ! Go there you will have a good rest for 300 ARS ( 75 USD ) breakfast included.

We spent the second day around San Antonio, in the Estancia's ( en el campo ). You will find many different options to experience the famous Gaucho lifestyle which is still very well preserved. We personally did visit  Estancia la bamba which has been recently entirely restored after it has been acquired by a rich French business man. Without a doubt, La bamba is the local luxury and ultimate retreat. Absolutely an amazing place but at 450 USD/night we decided to opt for a more modest and authentic one ! And we ended up by chance at Estancia El Ombù, another family run farm. The owner and the entire staff are very friendly and professional. We spent most of the day there enjoying an "asado", meeting with some gaucho's and passing by. 

So Enjoy San Antonio and say Hello on our behalf to all those places should you ever visit them !

A special wednesday evenning in Palermo Holywood, Buenos Aires

We yesterday went out with my wife to celebrate our 5 years of knowing each other. It was early April 2005 in Barcelona. We are not really sure about which day. Indeed we are pretty sure we just can't remember the exact day. Anyway, we decided to celebrate those very good memories and experience a couple of good places in the Palermo Holywood district of Buenos Aires. 

We started at Olsen, located in calle Gorriti 5870. As summer is still around here in BA, we decided to have a drink on the terrace. They have an extensive Vodka list. Indeed from all over the world. And very naturally we've ordered 2 vodka based cocktails ( 8 to 10 USD each ). And a little picada ( equivalent of tapas ) ! Just to warm up our senses....

Then my wife had reserved a table close by at Tô restaurant. Tô was opened 11 months ago by a French young guy we've met yesterday, full of energy and passion. The atmosphere is very friendly. The staff impecable. The design modern while convivial. And more importantly the food is succulent. The owner calls his cuisine FRAPANESE. A well distillated mix of French and Japanese. As I normally do not pay too much attention to those marketing words, i would use the following adjectives to describe what we had : extremely fresh, very well cooked, tasty, suprising, generous, inventive, audacious.

So all in all, a very good moment. Another one i should say. Thanks to my wife. Thanks to the incredible friendliness of the Argentinian people. This is a value they have not lost so far : the art of welcoming you and making all they can so that you can only enjoy. 

Budget per head at Tô : 35USD with drinks.

Entonces, gracias a la gente de Argentina ! Que siguen asi !

Astrid y Gaston - A taste of Peru in Buenos Aires

Today we had our second time at the peruvian "Astrid y Gaston" restaurant. The first time was very good. That one was just "Ottimo" ! As "pisco" is the national peruvian alcohol, you need to taste one of the 30 or 40 pisco based cocktails. This will likely pave the way for a great moment. At "art de vivre" we are used to talk about what we know and what we experience. To start with we would recommend you one of the many ceviche ( marinated fresh frish ). The pink salmon is especially incredibly fresh and very tasty. This is what i personally had and ate ! All the other fishes are of prime quality as well. Then without a doubt i'd orient you to carry on with "Arroz de mariscos".

The rice came cooked as a risotto melt with pieces of shrimps, calamari and scallops. With no exageration, the sea food was simply the best i've ever had. My wife had the white salmon. Perfectly cooked. Also proposed with a pea risotto. Picture below. 

The wine list is exhaustive. We had some per the glass at around 20 ARS or 5 USD. Please NOTE that currently the restaurant is offering a 3 courses lunch menu for around 90 ARS ( 20 USD ). Which in my opinion is an excellent quality/price ratio for BA. On average count on 150 ARS ( 35 USD ) per head with wine, water and coffee.

Astrid y Gaston : Lafinur 3222, Capital Federal. Buenos Aires.

El Pobre Luis - Belgrano - Buenos Aires

2 days ago we wanted to have a real "Parilla" close to where we live, in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires. And we've had it !  "Parilla" means BBQ. In Argentina or Uruguay, this is how they usually cook the meat, fish, cheese ( provoleta ) or even the vegetables.

El Pobre luis is an Uruguyan restaurant, managed by Luis Acuna for many many years. Most of the staff is from Uruguay. The service is "impeccable" which will instantly make you happy. The place is pittoresque and full of football shirts as Luis is a soccer fanatic. The atmosphere is very friendly and family oriented. All generations are represented.

We've ordered an excellent provoleta to start with. And obviously meat to follow : one "bife de chorizo" for my wife, "costilla de lomo" for me. Both very tasteful and tender. Count approximately 50 to 60 AR$ ( or 12 to 15 USD ) for any piece of meat you'd like to order. Wine was a bit expensive so we've decided to order a 10 USD bottle of Familia Gascon from Bodega Escorihuela Gascon. Rather sweet, round and well on the fruit.

All in all we've eaten for 100 AR$ or 25 USD each. This is not cheap for Buenos Aires. But we've had a great moment and food. So worth once in a while. In the next couple of weeks, one of our missions will be to find unkown and kept secret "Parillas" where to eat excellent meat for half that price. So stay tuned !

El pobre Luis : Arribeños 2393 esq. Blanco Encalada - Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Tel: 4780-5847 / 4782-4488

El Franchute - Punta del Este , Uruguay

"El Franchute" means "Le Français" and is a restaurant 10KM away from both José Ignacio and Punta del Este. The chef Laurent Lainé is French and has been working in Argentina and uruguay since 1983. He had his own restaurant "Bleu, Blanc, Rouge " for years in Buenos Aires and also worked in the very best ones bringing him a solid reputation in the area. He recently decided to leave Argentina and start El Franchute, what he calls a "table d'hôtes". Actually the very first one in Uruguay. 

A day we were driving through the area, we've decided to step by his place. It was around 7pm. As we were entering the restaurant, we were immediately welcomed by Laurent lainé in person. He was actually busy preparing the 7 courses fixed daily menu ( 45 USD ) together with his reduced staff, but took some time to have a good chat with us. He appeared to be very friendly and passionate person. Unfortunately that evening we had another commitment.

Soon we'll go back and let you have a detailed dining experience. But the good vibes we've felt visiting the place were already enough to drop you a note and encourage the experience.

EL FRANCHUTE, Ruta 10, Km 168.5

Balneario Buenos Aires. Punta del Este, uruguay

email : chef@elfranchute.com 

Isla de flores - Ragu de cordero

That was the main dish i had. Slices of delicious lamb served with a mix of chorizo and calamari and their sauce. Audacious but very sucessfull mix ! That's another good lesson. Never be afraid of mixing flavours, ingredients that might appear not to be really compatible on the paper. Think wild !

http://www.isladeflores1900.com.uy/
Click here for Reservation 
Adress : Plaza Faro José ignacio, Uruguay

"Isla de flores" - Faro José Ignacio

"Isla de flores" is a summer restaurant managed by the same team and chef then "Isla de flores 1900" in Montevideo which is their main adress during the rest of the year. Within a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere you will enjoy raffinated and fresh cuisine. Both meat and sea food lovers will find their way to a great moment. The staff is on top of everything. Excellent dessert with a cooked and caramelized pear served with Mascarpone ice cream. Very good and affordable wine list as well. Budget around 50 USD / person.

Contact : Isle de flores, Plaza Faro José ignacio, Uruguay

Lucia Soria at "LUCIFER" , pueblo Garzòn, Uruguay

No later then the 2nd day after we've arrived at "La posada del Faro" in José Ignacio, we've decided to drive around 45mn inlands towards the old village of "Garzòn". We've discovered there 1 very nice and simple restaurant called "Lucifer". The chef, Lucía Soria, has been cooking for and with the famous Francis Mallmann the past 9 years. Until September 2009 when she decided to open her own little place. 1 unique daily menu for 700 pesos ( around 35 USD ). Fresh, simple, authentic ! Like the owner...

Contact : Pueblo Garzón, Maldonado, Uruguay / TEL : (00598) 099 255 249. Cash only. email : restaurantelucifer@gmail.com