Le Gaïac promised to be a real treat - proper French gourmet dining at the restaurant of the four-star Relais & Chateaux hotel, Le Toiny. Following an afternoon spent drooling over the menu listed in the pages of the Saint-Barth Tables, we jumped in the car and headed towards the east of the island. Expectations were high, palates tuned, and appetites at the ready. Without giving the game away from the start, we were not to be disappointed.
The restaurant made a great impression from the outset. The classic décor and concealed lighting were just right and the welcome was polite yet warm as we were guided to our table, which was bedecked with a crisply starched white linen tablecloth and napkins, always a good sign.
We were also facing the open window and had the full benefit of the cool sea breeze.
Prices at Le Gaïac are in keeping with the menu; so don’t leave home without your credit card. Even though there is a €75 set menu – forget that and go for the full à la carte blow out. It’s well worth treating yourself and if you follow the maitre d’hôte’s advice – as we did – you won’t regret it.
Here it’s worth mentioning a word or two on the level of the service before going into raptures over the quality of the food.
Quite simply it was, what the French would probably call “impeccable”. The restaurant was only one third full and it was very late in the season, but this had no impact whatsoever on the professionalism of the relatively young team on duty. There was certainly no evidence of end-of season “service fatigue” we had encountered elsewhere in St Barth.
They remained unobtrusively in the background, but were always attentive just at the right moment. When a diner returned at a neighbouring table after having presumably been to “powder her nose”, there was a waiter on hand to push her chair gently back into place.
At the beginning of every course there was a brief but complete explanation of what we had ordered and an enquiry afterwards as to whether the food had lived up to our expectations.
Most extraordinary and simultaneously refreshing perhaps, was the procedure involved in the ordering and especially the opening of the wine.
There was none of that frantic sloshing it into our glasses and grinning inanely while we were expected to nod with approval. Instead it was the waiter who made sure that our choice was served at the correct temperature and not corked - by sampling it himself before allowing us to taste it. A simple gesture, which makes complete sense really - especially when drinking a wine priced at more than €60.
All the time, the service was carried out under the reassuringly watchful eye of the maitre d – just to ensure everything went smoothly.
Now to the food – and here is where it really is hard to find fault.
Even before getting around to ordering our meal we were presented with some delightful, home made amuses gueules and shortly afterwards a mise en bouche of tuna tartar with pumpkin purée. Both bode well for what was to come, but while taking the edge off our appetites didn’t really make the choice any easier.
A quick glance at the menu – after an afternoon spent pouring over it - sent the taste buds tripping into their own little fantasy world once again with the names of the dishes rolling off the tongue and leaving us wanting to try just about everything.
There was aubergine mille-feuille with grilled and marinated vegetables, black truffles and a Parmesan wafer. Or perhaps a fillet of red mullet in a Provencale tomato sauce, steamed vegetables and pineapple pearls. Then there was the lobster bisque lightly flavoured with aniseed-aged rum or golden fried fillets of sole with a citrus sauce and green salad. And those were just the appetizers.
In the end we plumped for crayfish and foie gras ravioli served in a chicken consommé seasoned with truffle oil, and home made foie gras served with fig wine aspic and a citrus walnut vinaigrette.
Needless to say the foie gras – totally politically incorrect but joyously delicious – melted in the mouth, and there was an accompanying peppered wafer than allowed me to decide just how seasoned I wanted it to be.
Even thinking about the food now, it’s hard not to smack my lips once again in appreciation.
A pause followed in the proceedings, filled with an individually tailored sorbet to cleanse the palate – chosen for us to ease the transition from entrée to main course.
And what a powerhouse, humdinger of a main course. For a full listing of what’s on offer at La Gaïac grab yourself a copy of the 2008 edition of Sainth-Barth Tables and flip to pages 12 to let your eyes do the walking.
Just for the record, we plumped for a skilleted beef fillet (best quality US import) once again mouth meltingly prepared, glazed in tamarind sauce and served with a vegetable tempura and sautéed potatoes. And the most amazing lacquered lime fillet of grouper with bananas and served with ginger sautéed potatoes.
I thought I had been so clever in ordering fish for my main course with the intention of leaving some space for a dessert, but sadly – or perhaps happily – I was perfectly full and happily passed on the crèpe suzette for another time.
After all this was just the first visit to Le Gaïac, and without doubt will not be the last.
Ratings: Ambience – 15.5/20, Service – 15.5/20, Food -16.5/20
Showing posts with label St Barth foodie special. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St Barth foodie special. Show all posts
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
A Foodie in St Barth - Eden Rock
Eating almost back-to-back at gourmet restaurants was always going to be more than a little extravagant, but this is St Barth after all, renowned for its quality and breadth of its cuisine and a holiday is the best time for a self-indulgent blow out.
So following an evening tantalising our taste buds at Le Gaïac, we decided to bust the budget once again, this time at Eden Rock in St Jean.
This was a return engagement of sorts as we had eaten at the same restaurant the previous year, and quite enjoyed it. But at the back of my mind was the nagging memory that Eden Rock tried just a tad too hard to be trendy without necessarily having the real style to match.
The setting is breathtaking it has to be admitted - overlooking the bay at St Jean and offering a superbly illuminated view of the sea and the fish below. Without doubt it’s a magnet for honeymooning couples and there’s probably a certain romance to dining there. But even though it’s undeniably impressive, you know deep down it has something of Las Vegas about it.
It’s a little too easy to come away with the feeling that you haven’t really been offered the real thing – even though the remake is stunning.
Take the staff for example. Needless to say they all had winningly white smiles and wore the ever-trendy black you would (still) expect to find in a place that most obviously considers itself on the cutting edge of fashion.
But the waiters were in tee shirts one size too small to show off their pecs and the waitresses opted for the more classic look, the omnipresent little black number. They were efficient and polite but all the same seemed to be strutting and just a little too hip and sullenly distant to be waiting at tables.
And that was a feeling that sort of spilled over to the menu as well.
To begin with, what was on offer certainly wasn’t what I had been reading hungrily in my “bible” of the island’s restaurants Saint-Barth Tables. It was instead a shortened end-of-season version presented in a super (here’s that word again) trendy metal packaging. Why? Search me.
And here’s a reflection of the kind of place you’re dealing with. Eden Rock is not just a restaurant, a place to go to enjoy a meal. It’s also a hotel and runs a timeshare property business, as one whole page of the menu reminds you with listings that include the offer of a one-bedroomed apartment at a mere €400,000. A snip.
On the food front, which after all was the real reason we went, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It has gourmet-style pricing, that’s for sure, but the chef apparently cannot resist the temptation to mess around with classic dishes that simply don’t need any improvement, and even the abbreviated menu had been altered to fit the day.
The sashimi and maki starter for example included sashimi that had been totally over marinated and maki with a layer of cream cheese. Huh?
And a main course that promised sea bass in a spicy lemongrass sauce was scrapped in favour of monkfish. Last minute changes according to the availability (or not) of fish are not uncommon in any restaurant, but for the prices Eden Rock charges such information should be available to the diner as they are ordering and not five minutes later.
More fiddling around with the dessert left me feeling a little disoriented. It was an admittedly delicious Black Forest gateau, but presented in such a way that it no longer resembled the original in any way. Four corners to the plate with each corner playing host to a separate ingredient.
It struck me as being a little like offering a bowl of ice cream with ice on one side and cream on the other. Why bother – apart from showing that you can be different? Apparently because the chef can I suppose.
For all my criticisms, Eden Rock is probably still worth a visit – perhaps lunch would be a better prospect. This is not a gourmet restaurant in the same league as Le Gaïac. The prices and the setting may be, but the food is just a little too silly and the service is just too slick.
It’s a place to see and probably be seen, a smoothly run enterprise that will clearly attract clientele because of its unique location, but not necessarily those for whom food really matters.
In short, it’s TRENDINESS writ big with food writ small.
Ratings: Ambience – 13/20, Service – 13/20, Food -13/20
So following an evening tantalising our taste buds at Le Gaïac, we decided to bust the budget once again, this time at Eden Rock in St Jean.
This was a return engagement of sorts as we had eaten at the same restaurant the previous year, and quite enjoyed it. But at the back of my mind was the nagging memory that Eden Rock tried just a tad too hard to be trendy without necessarily having the real style to match.
The setting is breathtaking it has to be admitted - overlooking the bay at St Jean and offering a superbly illuminated view of the sea and the fish below. Without doubt it’s a magnet for honeymooning couples and there’s probably a certain romance to dining there. But even though it’s undeniably impressive, you know deep down it has something of Las Vegas about it.
It’s a little too easy to come away with the feeling that you haven’t really been offered the real thing – even though the remake is stunning.
Take the staff for example. Needless to say they all had winningly white smiles and wore the ever-trendy black you would (still) expect to find in a place that most obviously considers itself on the cutting edge of fashion.
But the waiters were in tee shirts one size too small to show off their pecs and the waitresses opted for the more classic look, the omnipresent little black number. They were efficient and polite but all the same seemed to be strutting and just a little too hip and sullenly distant to be waiting at tables.
And that was a feeling that sort of spilled over to the menu as well.
To begin with, what was on offer certainly wasn’t what I had been reading hungrily in my “bible” of the island’s restaurants Saint-Barth Tables. It was instead a shortened end-of-season version presented in a super (here’s that word again) trendy metal packaging. Why? Search me.
And here’s a reflection of the kind of place you’re dealing with. Eden Rock is not just a restaurant, a place to go to enjoy a meal. It’s also a hotel and runs a timeshare property business, as one whole page of the menu reminds you with listings that include the offer of a one-bedroomed apartment at a mere €400,000. A snip.
On the food front, which after all was the real reason we went, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It has gourmet-style pricing, that’s for sure, but the chef apparently cannot resist the temptation to mess around with classic dishes that simply don’t need any improvement, and even the abbreviated menu had been altered to fit the day.
The sashimi and maki starter for example included sashimi that had been totally over marinated and maki with a layer of cream cheese. Huh?
And a main course that promised sea bass in a spicy lemongrass sauce was scrapped in favour of monkfish. Last minute changes according to the availability (or not) of fish are not uncommon in any restaurant, but for the prices Eden Rock charges such information should be available to the diner as they are ordering and not five minutes later.
More fiddling around with the dessert left me feeling a little disoriented. It was an admittedly delicious Black Forest gateau, but presented in such a way that it no longer resembled the original in any way. Four corners to the plate with each corner playing host to a separate ingredient.
It struck me as being a little like offering a bowl of ice cream with ice on one side and cream on the other. Why bother – apart from showing that you can be different? Apparently because the chef can I suppose.
For all my criticisms, Eden Rock is probably still worth a visit – perhaps lunch would be a better prospect. This is not a gourmet restaurant in the same league as Le Gaïac. The prices and the setting may be, but the food is just a little too silly and the service is just too slick.
It’s a place to see and probably be seen, a smoothly run enterprise that will clearly attract clientele because of its unique location, but not necessarily those for whom food really matters.
In short, it’s TRENDINESS writ big with food writ small.
Ratings: Ambience – 13/20, Service – 13/20, Food -13/20
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
A Foodie in St Barth - K’Fé Massaï
The K’Fé Massaï in Lorient is a restaurant-lounge bar decorated with an African theme offering three set menus ranging from €29 to €52 with of course an à la carte alternative.
As it’s the only restaurant we’ve eaten at every year, there’s a certain familiarity about it albeit on an annual basis and we went there with definite expectations.
Perhaps though we should have known from the moment we entered that we were going to be disappointed. The music had been turned up just a tad too loud to make conversation at a normal level possible.
A member a staff hurriedly seated us at our table and asked us whether we would prefer still or sparkling water, returning five minutes later to quench our thirst while one of her colleagues brought the blackboard with the day’s recommendations…..to another table of diners who had sat down shortly after us.
We were left for another five minutes before a similar board was brought and the waitress rushed through the “specials” at breakneck-speed French. Not a problem for me, but there had apparently been no recognition that at least one of the people at our table was a non native-speaker and would have appreciated a more pedestrian pace.
Be that as it may, no sooner had she finished her 60-second patter, than another black-clad member of staff hopped to attention to take our orders. And we had hardly had time to read, by the restaurant’s dim light, what was written on the blackboard.
We asked for, and were granted, five minutes more grace after which time back he popped
Now this is the mouth-watering part, even as I write what we ordered. It sounds delicious and it should have been. But to put it succinctly, it wasn’t.
For starters;
Lobster ravioli with champagne cream sauce – too sweet and not hot enough.
Three styles of tuna – Tahitian, sashimi and tartar rechristened by me rubber, gristle and boring in that order. The Tahitian tuna was simply inedible, the sashimi required a jolly good chew and the tartar was just tasteless.
Our main courses followed a similar pattern. Monkfish with chorizo, risotto and broccoli and
Seared tuna with soy sauce and wasabi – served with a side dish of rice, aubergines and broccoli
This was not so much fusion food so beloved apparently of many a restaurant owner (but perhaps not by many foodies) as it was mushy, overcooked, bland and oddly combined dishes often only lukewarm and served at such a speed that it was obvious they had not been prepared to order but probably lined and plated up in advance, blasted quickly (when necessary) in the microwave and hauled out in front of the diner.
So when I left at least a third of my (tuna) starter uneaten, and then most of my (monkfish) main course, it was obvious I hadn’t really enjoyed the food and the waitress bravely asked why.
“How was the monk fish?” she asked
“Lukewarm and tasteless,” I replied. “The hottest thing about the dish was the plate”.
“The risotto?” she persisted.
“Far too mushy, more like rice pudding and also barely warm,” I responded.
“What about the broccoli?” was obviously her last attempt to salvage some praise from me for the meal.
“I love broccoli,” I replied. “It’s one of my favourite vegetables – normally. Unfortunately this was almost puréed. So no it wasn’t very nice either.
“But apart from that the meal was perfect,” I added kindly
I politely declined her offer to bring me a new portion.
Dessert and coffee followed – profiteroles and pistachio ice cream – relatively safe territory although if I were being exceptionally critical I could say a few words on the choux pastry. But I’m feeling generous.
Maybe we just made bad choices, although I don’t think that would have improved the welcome we were afforded – very end of season, “let’s get the guests fed, watered and out of here as soon as possible so we can all go home,” was the feeling I was left with.
A group of Americans at a neighbouring table seem to be relishing the burgers and steaks they had ordered. Maybe that’s a safer bet at the Massaï, although it’s not really what I had come to expect from the kitchen.
Overall impressions then were disappointing – staff and especially the food, even if we didn’t end up paying for my main course. We shan’t be returning, which is a shame as obviously this meal has overshadowed memories of all those we’ve eaten there in previous years.
Ratings: Ambience – 5/20, Service – 5/20, Food -5/20
As it’s the only restaurant we’ve eaten at every year, there’s a certain familiarity about it albeit on an annual basis and we went there with definite expectations.
Perhaps though we should have known from the moment we entered that we were going to be disappointed. The music had been turned up just a tad too loud to make conversation at a normal level possible.
A member a staff hurriedly seated us at our table and asked us whether we would prefer still or sparkling water, returning five minutes later to quench our thirst while one of her colleagues brought the blackboard with the day’s recommendations…..to another table of diners who had sat down shortly after us.
We were left for another five minutes before a similar board was brought and the waitress rushed through the “specials” at breakneck-speed French. Not a problem for me, but there had apparently been no recognition that at least one of the people at our table was a non native-speaker and would have appreciated a more pedestrian pace.
Be that as it may, no sooner had she finished her 60-second patter, than another black-clad member of staff hopped to attention to take our orders. And we had hardly had time to read, by the restaurant’s dim light, what was written on the blackboard.
We asked for, and were granted, five minutes more grace after which time back he popped
Now this is the mouth-watering part, even as I write what we ordered. It sounds delicious and it should have been. But to put it succinctly, it wasn’t.
For starters;
Lobster ravioli with champagne cream sauce – too sweet and not hot enough.
Three styles of tuna – Tahitian, sashimi and tartar rechristened by me rubber, gristle and boring in that order. The Tahitian tuna was simply inedible, the sashimi required a jolly good chew and the tartar was just tasteless.
Our main courses followed a similar pattern. Monkfish with chorizo, risotto and broccoli and
Seared tuna with soy sauce and wasabi – served with a side dish of rice, aubergines and broccoli
This was not so much fusion food so beloved apparently of many a restaurant owner (but perhaps not by many foodies) as it was mushy, overcooked, bland and oddly combined dishes often only lukewarm and served at such a speed that it was obvious they had not been prepared to order but probably lined and plated up in advance, blasted quickly (when necessary) in the microwave and hauled out in front of the diner.
So when I left at least a third of my (tuna) starter uneaten, and then most of my (monkfish) main course, it was obvious I hadn’t really enjoyed the food and the waitress bravely asked why.
“How was the monk fish?” she asked
“Lukewarm and tasteless,” I replied. “The hottest thing about the dish was the plate”.
“The risotto?” she persisted.
“Far too mushy, more like rice pudding and also barely warm,” I responded.
“What about the broccoli?” was obviously her last attempt to salvage some praise from me for the meal.
“I love broccoli,” I replied. “It’s one of my favourite vegetables – normally. Unfortunately this was almost puréed. So no it wasn’t very nice either.
“But apart from that the meal was perfect,” I added kindly
I politely declined her offer to bring me a new portion.
Dessert and coffee followed – profiteroles and pistachio ice cream – relatively safe territory although if I were being exceptionally critical I could say a few words on the choux pastry. But I’m feeling generous.
Maybe we just made bad choices, although I don’t think that would have improved the welcome we were afforded – very end of season, “let’s get the guests fed, watered and out of here as soon as possible so we can all go home,” was the feeling I was left with.
A group of Americans at a neighbouring table seem to be relishing the burgers and steaks they had ordered. Maybe that’s a safer bet at the Massaï, although it’s not really what I had come to expect from the kitchen.
Overall impressions then were disappointing – staff and especially the food, even if we didn’t end up paying for my main course. We shan’t be returning, which is a shame as obviously this meal has overshadowed memories of all those we’ve eaten there in previous years.
Ratings: Ambience – 5/20, Service – 5/20, Food -5/20
Monday, 19 May 2008
St Barth foodie special - La Mandala
La Mandala, Gustavia
Being told that the restaurant was under new ownership sent alarm bells ringing as I took the plunge and made a reservation.
But my fears proved to be ungrounded as both the food and the service lived up to expectations. The place might have change hands, but the food is still good and the location of course well worth the effort.
La Mandala is in the island’s capital, Gustavia, perched above the harbour, so parking will be a bit of a hassle, especially in high season. And be prepared for a steep last 50metre legs akimbo climb, which at least will help you work up an appetite.
It’s also probably a good idea to leave any fancy shoes behind unless someone’s prepared to drop you off right outside the door.
The new owners haven’t really done anything to spruce up the interior – they didn’t really need to as it’s pretty much modern and classic for its setting. The roof is a sort of stretched beige canvas over an exposed wooden frame. There’s decked flooring with the occasional water feature – so mind you step.
There’s a light and airy feeling to the whole restaurant even in the evenings as it’s open on two sides. And be sure to try to book a table overlooking the town as you’ll benefit from any sea breeze, which can be something of a relief especially when the humidity rises.
Background music is kept low, so conversation at a normal volume is possible although it’s more than likely that once the place gets really busy, and you’re sitting right in the middle, it might get a little difficult to make yourself heard.
So the location and the decor haven’t changed and neither has the food – it’s still good quality and there were no unpleasant surprises awaiting us. La Mandala is yet again one of those places describing its dishes as “fusion food” – clearly THE culinary buzzword of the moment.
Bur fear not, you won’t find anything too “off-the-wall” on the menu as its real specialities remain sushi, sashimi and Thai cuisine, and that’s really what it excels at.
We shared two starters one from the chef-recommended €39 set menu, offering freshly made crab and shrimp spring rolls, with noodle rice,Thai sauce and seaweed. And the other à la carte selection of sushi, sashimi and maki – all good quality.
The main course was fish curry, grilled fish and chicken – all part of the set menu and much tastier and belying its simple description. A la carte was chicken served in a coconut, mango and lemongrass sauce and Thai rice – a tasty and harmonious combination and definitely a generous sized portion. So often in these sorts of dishes you have poke around a while to find any hint of meat on the plate. This was certainly not the case – a scrumptious choice with no place left for dessert.
The set menu though included the wickedly delicious moelleux au chocolat and somehow I managed to sneak a spoonful - and that hit just the right spot.
The restaurant was not exactly heaving the night we were there. That’s perhaps not surprising really as the season is definitely drawing to a close. Nonetheless we were still given a warm welcome and the service was friendly, smiley and efficient. A definite thumbs up.
One thing worth mentioning perhaps is that La Mandala also does sushi, sashimi and maki to go – yum yum.
Ratings: Ambience – 11/20, Service – 13/20, Food -12/20
Being told that the restaurant was under new ownership sent alarm bells ringing as I took the plunge and made a reservation.
But my fears proved to be ungrounded as both the food and the service lived up to expectations. The place might have change hands, but the food is still good and the location of course well worth the effort.
La Mandala is in the island’s capital, Gustavia, perched above the harbour, so parking will be a bit of a hassle, especially in high season. And be prepared for a steep last 50metre legs akimbo climb, which at least will help you work up an appetite.
It’s also probably a good idea to leave any fancy shoes behind unless someone’s prepared to drop you off right outside the door.
The new owners haven’t really done anything to spruce up the interior – they didn’t really need to as it’s pretty much modern and classic for its setting. The roof is a sort of stretched beige canvas over an exposed wooden frame. There’s decked flooring with the occasional water feature – so mind you step.
There’s a light and airy feeling to the whole restaurant even in the evenings as it’s open on two sides. And be sure to try to book a table overlooking the town as you’ll benefit from any sea breeze, which can be something of a relief especially when the humidity rises.
Background music is kept low, so conversation at a normal volume is possible although it’s more than likely that once the place gets really busy, and you’re sitting right in the middle, it might get a little difficult to make yourself heard.
So the location and the decor haven’t changed and neither has the food – it’s still good quality and there were no unpleasant surprises awaiting us. La Mandala is yet again one of those places describing its dishes as “fusion food” – clearly THE culinary buzzword of the moment.
Bur fear not, you won’t find anything too “off-the-wall” on the menu as its real specialities remain sushi, sashimi and Thai cuisine, and that’s really what it excels at.
We shared two starters one from the chef-recommended €39 set menu, offering freshly made crab and shrimp spring rolls, with noodle rice,Thai sauce and seaweed. And the other à la carte selection of sushi, sashimi and maki – all good quality.
The main course was fish curry, grilled fish and chicken – all part of the set menu and much tastier and belying its simple description. A la carte was chicken served in a coconut, mango and lemongrass sauce and Thai rice – a tasty and harmonious combination and definitely a generous sized portion. So often in these sorts of dishes you have poke around a while to find any hint of meat on the plate. This was certainly not the case – a scrumptious choice with no place left for dessert.
The set menu though included the wickedly delicious moelleux au chocolat and somehow I managed to sneak a spoonful - and that hit just the right spot.
The restaurant was not exactly heaving the night we were there. That’s perhaps not surprising really as the season is definitely drawing to a close. Nonetheless we were still given a warm welcome and the service was friendly, smiley and efficient. A definite thumbs up.
One thing worth mentioning perhaps is that La Mandala also does sushi, sashimi and maki to go – yum yum.
Ratings: Ambience – 11/20, Service – 13/20, Food -12/20
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