Anyway, on Friday evening, JC, my friend Pauline’s husband had organized a great dinner for her. He had booked the Private Table at the Oak and had her best friends in France coming over for the week-end. She was very surprised and we were happy to be part of the fun!

The Oak is one of my favorite pub in Westbourne, I used to go there almost every week-end to order the Zucchini pizza. With kids, with friends, in the Winter or Summer…. all the occasions are worth going there. Even if you want to share a drink with friends, you can go upstairs at the bar they have at the 1st floor. They have nice boards of cheese, mezze and patés served with amazing bread. The cocktails as well as the wines are just what you are looking for when you come during the week for a casual drink. And the atmosphere is just slightly more sophisticated than downstairs.

It’s also a good alternative when the restaurant downstairs is full and the waiting list too long….!

The Bar at the 1st floor:

The Private Table:

The Private Table at the Oak is also upstairs and you have to walk through the bar to reach it.

You can have a drink at the bar while waiting for all the guests to arrive or seat around the large wooden table straight away to enjoy the privacy of the room.

You just need to close the white doors to get separated from the bar.

A tasty Italian wine: Valpolicella 2011 Allegrini Veneto

For the menu, the person organizing the party has to make a pre-selection of dishes in order to make it easier to deal with for the kitchen. Still, you have 3 choices of starters, mains and desserts!

We were pretty lucky as JC really made a great choice and we had a taste of the whole list…. Here is what we had:

Starters:

Burrata di Puglia, Prosciutto di San Daniele, Bruschetta

The Burrata was very creamy and fresh, the olive oil tasty and the prosciutto very thinly sliced. A perfect starter!

Dorset Crab Salad, Fennel, Black Olives, Dill, Radish, New Season Felsina Olive Oil

That was my starter as I love Dorset crab and Fennel! As you may guess, I loved it! Fresh and light, really what I expect for a starter.

Sautéed Scallops, Broad Bean Puree, Crisp Pancetta, Truffle Oil

A great starter that can also be a great dish served in a larger proportion. The scallop is sautéed in butter and almost caramelized. Soft as butter, it really gets well with the crispy Pancetta served with it. The broad bean puree and truffle oil bring some more complexity to the whole dish and brings it one step further in comparison with many other places serving the same dish.

Mains:

Fillet of Sea Bass, Globe Artichoke Puree, Lemon Oil, Parsley Salad

The fish was fresh and cooked to perfection, the Artichoke puree creamy and light and well enhanced by the lemon oil and fresh parsley salad.

Grilled Corn Fed Chicken Breast, Asparagus, Jersey Royals, White Wine & Tarragon Sauce

That one was a very earthy dish, served with tasty potatoes, soft asparagus and light but powerful tarragon sauce.

Seared Tuna, Insalata Primavera, Basil Mayonnaise

Not a huge fan of raw fish, this was not one of my choice obviously but the salad was fresh and crispy and the mayonnaise was very tasty too. And for those who like raw fish, it was cooked just the way they wanted it.

Desserts:

We were a bit disappointed indeed. By the presentation but also the taste….

Semifreddo Zabaglione, Confit Lemon, Baci Di Dama Biscuits

The Zabaglione was too sweet and not creamy enough, the confit lemon did not really sparkle and the biscuits were just adding some more sweetness to a dish that we expected to be more on the citrus feeling.

A Selection of Ice Cream & Sorbets

The ice cream was OK but nothing to crave for in the future.

Cheesecake, Hazelnut Base, Banana, Rum & Caramel Sauce

The cheesecake was actually the good surprise among the desserts. The hazelnut base brought some crispiness and flavor and the cream cheese batter was very airy and fresh. Not too sweet in order to enjoy the sweetness of the caramel sauce.

The portion was just the right size also…. Neither too big nor too small. A perfect ending!

Basically, we were just delighted to have a great room to chat and to enjoy a wonderful dinner that we did not have to prepare. The privacy of the room makes it even more special as you are not disturbed by the noise of the other tables or the constant flow of the waiters.

Just keep in mind that you have to be at least 10 to book it and also that the waiting list can be very long in the week-end and the months before Christmas!

Oak London

137 Westbourne Park Road

Westbourne Grove

London W2 5QL

tel. 020 7221 3355

e-mail.sean@theoaklondon.com

http://www.theoaklondon.com/

As it was freezing, we were not especially looking for a place on a terrace nor for fresh salad and cold drinks…. Jasmine Tea, rice and spices were just what we needed!

Seated at very simple square bistrot tables decorated with a tiny flower bouquet we ordered our “lunch menu formule”. For 15 euros, you have a broad choice of starters, main and sides as well as drinks. Unfortunately, we were not hungry anymore to try the deserts even if the Tiramisu looked really great when I saw them being served on a table close to ours! Next time maybe?

In the meantime, let me share with you our pick of the day….

Starters:

Kai Ping: Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce, the chicken was moist inside and crispy outside, the sauce had a real flavor of peanut and was slightly spicy.

Pho Pia: Fried Chicken Rolls with a Sweet and Sour Sauce, smaller than the rolls you buy in any Asian take-away or cheap restaurant, those rolls are very fresh and release a lot of flavor. They are not too greasy but just crispy enough. Really great to share as a starter!

Som Tam: Spicy Green Papaya Salad, yummy and fresh…. Just the way I like it. The dressing is not too spicy and there is just enough peanuts crumbs on top. The carrots and green papaya are still crunchy and the portion is just what’s needed for a starter.

Mains:

Madame Shawn Bobun…. one of the restaurant specialties: usually, a Bo Bun is a whole meal in itself…. you don’t need anything else to go with it. You have thinly sliced beef, fresh crispy vegetables and rice noodles covered with crunchy peanuts, fresh herbs and sliced spring rolls. Usually it comes with a tasty nuoc-man sauce to bring all the flavor together. At Madame Shawn, the Bo-Bun is almost served as a soup but still verty tasty. Not my favorite though.

For the best Bo Bun in Paris, here is a review: Best Bo Bun in Paris.

Among them is the restaurant Le Cambodge, 10 avenue Richerand in the 10th, by the Canal St Martin. I used to go there a lot and I promise you will love it for its freshness and great taste.

Pla Pad Prik Keng: Wok Fish Filet with a Red Chili Sauce and Vegetables. The fish was tender, the sauce well balanced, neither too thick, nor too heavy. Just the right amount of red chilli paste. The vegetables were crispy enough and the fresh herbs brought a lot of flavor in addition to the sauce.

As a side, my Dad had Pad Mi (Rice Noodles fried with vegetables) but he ended-up picking in my rice to finish the sauce of his fish…. Anyway, the rice noodles were really tasty too. Nicely sauteed with soy sauce and fresh vegetables and covered with finely chopped spring onions and herbs. Fresh and fulfilling at the same time.

Kai Pad Mamuang Himmapan: Chicken Filets with Cashew Nuts When I am craving for Asian food, that’s one of my favorite dish…. with the Green Curry! The problem is that in many places, the chicken is often dry or not well prepared and has lots of nerves that are not a good surprise when you take a bite. As you may guess, I was pleased this time…. first there was lots of cashew nuts maybe even too much but not for me! The sauce was light and tasty and really kept the chicken moist and tender. It was not loaded with onions either.

I had my chicken with Khao Hom Mali (Perfumed Rice), which is the perfect side to keep on enjoying the nice flavor of the sauce when you have finished the chicken!

Now you may understand why we were not anymore hungry for dessert….

I have to say that Madame Shawn offers a really good bargain for lunch. I know it is more expensive at night but still worth it as the atmosphere is all different. And you can also go in the other locations they have in Paris were the atmosphere is not “Bistrot like” but more refined and sophisticated.

Madame Shawn – Bistrot Thai

Dragoncello is a small but stylish restaurant. You immediately feel comfortable when you push the front door for lunch or dinner.
Most of the time, the owner is here to welcome you in person and drive you through the menu, wine list, specials and if needed, the chef will just pay a look over the window of his kitchen and add a comment!
As you have guessed already, the 2 of them are really good friends and that’s what makes that place so special. You just feel like invited at some friends place for a delicious Italian experience.
When it comes to food and wine, you won’t be disappointed. Just slow down with the chef’s Foccacia, that one is a real killer and once you start dipping it in the tasty olive oil, you just can’t stop….

When asking to the chef how he gets it so moist and airy, the answer seems so obvious….. he lets it rise slowly in the oven at low temperature for a few hours to make it grow and start cooking at the same time. The result is simply terrific!
I will not comment the wine list as I -for the first time- let the owner choose for us. It was such a perfect match that we even had slightly too much!
And last but not least, food-wise, you just want to order the whole menu. I tried the Chef’s specialties: Linguine with Lobster. Only because Linguine is my favorite pasta! The sauce was delicate and brought together perfectly the Lobster with the linguine.
The salads are well balanced, fish and shellfish always fresh, cheese and ham well selected. I did not try the Burrata from Andria yet but I am sure you will and let me know that it was worth it!

Indeed, Dragoncello is one of those restaurants that knows how to create the perfect alchemy that will get you to come back on a regular basis. You are not only coming for the food but for the whole atmosphere, the chat with the owner by the till at the end of the service, the tips of the chef for the tomato sauce, the feeling that whatever happened earlier today or later tomorrow, right now, you simply feel good!

Dragoncello

104A Chepstow Rd London W2 5QS, UK
Email: info@dragoncello.co.uk
Phone: 0207 221 1821
Phone: 079 30 46 93 55

Indeed, you can create your own guacamole recipe and get the texture you want by adding chopped tomatoes, onions and herbs…. be careful with the chili proportion, depending on where you buy them, they can be mild or extremely hot. Start with a little amount and adjust when you have reached the right consistency…

Last but not least… the avocados have to be ripe otherwise it’s not worth the experience. You’ll never get a nice creamy consistency, the avocado will be too hard to mash with a fork and instead of a melting feeling, you will obtain a grainy consistency and also struggle with the making of it!

Add the chopped onion, coriander, salt and pepper and mash some more.

Add part or all of the chili peppers to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness.
Chop the tomato, add to the guacamole and mix.
Adjust the seasoning and serve it straight away or keep it covered with cling film in your refrigerator to prevent oxidation.

Guacamole is often served with Tortilla Chips but it is also very good as a side for fajitas, tacos or spread in wraps.

*If you wish to use a food processor, depending on how powerful it is, keep one of the avocado on the side and roughly cut or chop the other ingredients. Process all of them except the avocado until you obtain a finely chopped mix. Add the avocado and lime juice and process again until you obtain a smooth mix. With a fork, roughly mash the other avocado and incorporate the smooth mix into it. Adjust the seasoning and serve it straight away or keep it covered with cling film in your refrigerator to prevent oxidation.

Ingrédients:

• 2-3 avocats bien mûrs
• 1⁄2 oignon rouge finement émincé
• 1⁄2 piment rouge, finement émincé, sans les graines
• 1⁄2 piment vert, finement émincé, sans les graines
• 1 petite poignee de coriandre émincée
• 1 jus de citron vert
• 1 jus de citron jaune
• 1⁄2 cac de sel et du poivre
• 1 petite tomate bien mûre, emondée et taillée en petits cubes
• 1/2 cac de cumin en poudre (optionnel)

Méthode:

Coupez les avocats en 2 dans le sens de la longueur et avec une cuillère à soupe, séparez la chaire de l’avocat de son enveloppe.

Placez-les dans un bol et arrosez-les de jus de citron pour éviter qu’ils ne s’oxydent et noircissent.

A l’aide d’une fourchette, écrasez-les grossièrement afin de garder un peu de texture.*

Incorporez ensuite l’oignon émincé, la coriandre, le sel et le poivre et la moitié des piments afin de contrôler la puissance de votre guacamole.

Goûtez votre guacamole, ajoutez le reste des piments, du jus de citron, du cumin si nécessaire puis ajoutez les dés de tomates et mixez une dernière fois.

Versez le guacamole dans un bol de service et servez-le immédiatement avec des chips mexicaines ou en accompagnement de fajitas, tacos, garniture de wraps….

Si vous souhaitez le garder pour plus tard, couvrez-le avec du film alimentaire a contact et gardez-le au réfrigérateur pour éviter qu’il ne s’oxyde avec la lumière et l’air.

*Si vous voulez vous simplifier la vie en utilisant votre robot, dans un premier temps, placez l’oignon et les piments dans le bol pour obtenir un mix finement émincé. Incorporez ensuite la coriandre, la moitié des avocats et les jus de citron et passez-les au mixer jusqu’à obtention d’un mix qui garde encore un peu de texture.

Ecrasez grossièrement les avocats restants et incorporez le mix aux avocats.

Goûtez et ajustez l’assaisonement. Finissez en incorporant les dés de tomates.

It’s also time to think about great salads and dishes for BBQ parties… Here is a Middle-Eastern inspiration salad. Usually I grill the beetroots but for some reasons, it is easier to find cooked beetroot in France rather than raw ones! Sometimes, dealing with what you can get makes your life easier…. No red hands, no peeling, no waste of time with the cooking of the beetroots… This salad can easily be prepared within a few minutes if you have all the ingredients! 

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cooked beetroots
• 1/2 log of goat’s cheese (about 100g)
• 2 handful of lamb’s lettuce
• whole or slivered almonds
• 1tsp of butter
• 1/2 tsp of cumin in powder

Ingredients for the dressing:

• 1 tsp oh French mustard
• 1 tsp of honey
• 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• salt & pepper

Method:

In a frying pan, melt the butter and add the almonds and cumin. Cook them until they are coated with cumin and get a slightly brown color. They will also release a nice nutty smell. Let them cool down on the side.

Cut the goat’s cheese log into 1 cm slices then cut the slices into quarters.

Repeat the same process with the beetroot and cut it into cubes about the same size as the goat’s cheese.

Prepare the dressing: simply whisk the mustard with the honey, add the vinegar then the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning.

Assemble the salad just before serving because the lamb’s lettuce is very sensitive to the acidity of the dressing and gets all dark and flat after a few minutes…

In a large serving plate, layer half of the lamb’s lettuce, add 1/2 of the beetroots, goat’s cheese, almonds and finish with 1/2 of the dressing then repeat the same process with the remaining ingredients.

Serve it straight away.

As usual,you can have fun with that salad and replace goat’s cheese with feta, grilled halloumi, mozzarella di Buffala or use pecans, pinenuts or pumpkin seeds instead of almonds. It’s up to you and to the content of your fridge and cupboard!

Salade de Betterave, Mâche, Fromage de Chèvre et Amandes Grillées

Ingrédients:

• 2-3 petites betteraves cuites
• 1/2 bûche de chèvre (environ 100g)
• 2 belles poignées de mâche
• des amandes entières ou effilées
• 1 noisette de beurre
• 1/2cc de cumin en poudre

Ingrédients pour l’assaisonnement:

• 1 cc de moutarde de Dijon
• 1 cc de miel
• 2 cc de vinaigre balsamique
• 1 cs d’huile d’olive
• sel & poivre

Méthode:

Faites fondre le beurre dans une petite poêle et torréfiez les amandes en les assaisonnant avec le cumin. Dès qu’elles prennent une jolie couleur dorée et produisent une agréable odeur noisette, coupez le feu et réservez.

Coupez la bûche de chèvre en tranche d’1cm d’épaisseur puis en quartiers. Faites de même avec la betterave pour obtenir des cubes de même taille.

Préparez l’assaisonnement: émulsifiez la moutarde, le miel, le vinaigre et l’huile d’olive jusqu’à obtention d’une préparation homogène. Assaisonnez de sel et de poivre et rectifiez selon votre goût.

Pour l’assemblage, attendez la dernière minute afin d’éviter que la mâche ne soit “cuite” par l’assaisonnement. L’acidité abîme les salades et casse leur volume, elle les oxyde, ce qui leur fait prendre une couleur brune peu appétissante.

Donc juste avant de servir la salade, dans une large assiette de service, étalez la moitié de la mâche en une couche uniforme. Ajoutez la 1/2 des betteraves et du chèvre et parsemez d’amandes. Assaisonnez uniformément et préparez une nouvelle couche avec le reste des ingrédients.

Servez immédiatement.

Comme toujours, les variations sont nombreuses et vous pouvez adapter selon le contenu de vos réfrigérateurs et placards. Substituer les noix de pécan ou pignons de pin aux amandes, la feta, l’halloumi grillé au chèvre ou ajouter d’autres ingrédients tels que de la Pancetta grillée ou de fines tranches de poulet grillé.

Ingredients

• a bunch of green Asparagus
• Spanish cured ham, thinly sliced
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• Parmesan shavings
• balsamic glaze (optional)

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 °C.
Rinse the asparagus under cold running water. If they are fresh from the market, they should not be stringy but after one day or two they might need to be peeled.
In that case, peel at least 2/3 of their lenghth starting from the bottom. The heads are very fragile and not stringy.
If they are very thin you may find it hard to peel them by holding them in your fingers. In that case, turn a bowl with a flat bottom upside down and place the asparagus one by one on the surface to peel them.
Cut the base of the asparagus until you do not feel any resistance in the middle. If you feel resistance, this means they will be stringy once cooked.

If the asparagus are very thick and your oven very strong, you may need to cook the asparagus before roasting them in ham.
In that case, bring to a boil a large pan of salted water and cook them for 6-7 minutes until they start to soften but still offer resistance as you try to pierce them with a sharp knife. They have to stay undercook as they will keep on cooking in the oven.
Rinse them under cold water until they are at room temperature and dry them with a kitchen cloth.

When they are ready and dry, get your ham slices at hand and roll each aparagus in a slice until it is covered to the 2/3 at least. Try to make it look like a uniform layer so that it gets a nice crispy feeling all along the asparagus. The ham should not form multiple layers.

Place the asparagus in a roasting dish or on a tray covered with parchment paper.
They have to be on a single layer to get crispy.
Cook them for about 10-15 min taking care to slightly rotate them after 7-8 minutes in order to get the other side crispy as well.

While the asparagus are getting cooked, using a peeler, start to make nice Parmesan shavings and reserve them for later.

Just before serving the asparagus, you can drizzle Balsamic glaze on top and spread some Parmesan shavings.

Serve it straight away with a nice mixed leaves salad or as a side.

Asperges Vertes en Croûte de Serrano

Ingrédients

• 1 botte d’asperges vertes
• Du Serrano finement tranché
• Huile d’olive
• Sel & Poivre du Moulin
• Copeaux de Parmesan
• Réduction de balsamique (optionnel)

Méthode

Préchauffez votre four à 200°.

Rincez les asperges sous l’eau froide. Si elles sont bien fraîches, elles ne doivent pas être filandreuses. Après 1 ou 2 jours, elles peuvent le devenir. Pour prévenir cet effet, évitez de les conserver dans un sachet plastique et enveloppez-les dans un linge humide et à l’abri de la lumière.

Si vous devez les peler, faites attention de ne pas les rompre car elles sont souvent fragiles. Si elles sont très minces, il sera peut-être plus facile de prendre appui sur un petit seau retourné. Epluchez de la base vers le sommet jusqu’au 2/3 pour éviter de casser les têtes qui sont les parties les plus fragiles et les plus savoureuses.

Prenez aussi soin de couper les bases pour obtenir des asperges d’une longueur identique et réduire la partie filandreuse qui est sans réel intérêt au goût.

Si vos asperges sont assez épaisses, il vous faudra peut-être les pré-cuire pour être sûr qu’elles soient cuites sans devoir brûler le Serrano au moment de les rôtir.

Pour les pré-cuire, portez à ébullition une grande casserole d’eau salée et faites cuire les asperges de légèrement croquantes à al dente. Passez-les sous l’eau froide pour arrêter la cuisson et séchez-les bien.

Une fois prêtes, enroulez les asperges dans une fine tranche de Serrano en évitant les chevauchements et en gardant la pointe apparente. Vous obtiendrez ainsi une couche de Serrano uniformément croustillante.

Placez les asperges côte à côte et sans chevauchements dans un plat à rôtir ou sur une plaque couverte de papier sulfurisé. Faites-les rôtir 10 à 15 minutes en prenant soin de les retourner à mi-cuisson pour qu’elles soient uniformément croustillantes.

Pendant que les asperges rôtissent au four, à l’aide d’un économe, faites des copeaux de Parmesan et gardez-les de côté.

Lorsque les asperges sont bien croustillantes et cuites à coeur, vous pouvez verser un trait de réduction de balsamique en surface et parsemer des copeaux de Parmesan.

Servez-les telles quel ou accompagnées d’un généreux mesclun. Ces asperges sont aussi un accompagnement très agréables pour des poissons ou viandes blanches, des plats de pâtes.

For Easter, the menu is almost always the same….. Hard-boiled eggs with shells decorated by the kids generation of the moment….

They are served with a tasty home-made mayonnaise divided into 3 to propose different flavors such as chives, ketchup, curry or simply plain mayo….
As a main we traditionnaly share 2-3 legs of lamb depending on our number…. And the sides are potatoes, butter beans and greens sometimes!
For dessert, as the kids are chocolate hunting after lunch and the table decorated with lots of rabbits and eggs in chocolate, we do not really have any specials. Fruits sometimes or ice cream and biscuits….!

As you have understood, the highlight of the lunch is the leg of lamb especially when my mother cooks it. She wakes-up way too early in the morning to make sure that it will cook as many hours as possible.
No need to do that…. You can also serve that dish for dinner if you want to.
Just make sure that you can have wide open windows for a while as this is a very smelly dish that will infuse your whole house however big it is….

Ingredients

• 3-4 kilos of large potatoes for gratin
• 1-2 legs of lamb
• 2-3 garlic cloves per leg
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh aromatic herbs

Method

First of all, have your meat out of the fridge 1-2 hours before so that it gets at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 150-160°.

Start with the preparation of the potatoes.
Peel all the potatoes and using a mandoline or the slicer of your food processor get them all sliced. Remove the excess of troubled water (due to the starch) they are rendering and place them at the bottom of a large and deep gratin dish that can contain the leg of lamb as well.
As you layer the potatoes, season with salt and pepper from time to time and fill the gratin dish halfway through or even 2/3.

Using a sharp knife, make a few incision in different parts of the lamb leg and insert in each one 1/2 a garlic clove. It will infuse the meat while cooking.
Season with salt and freshly crushed pepper. Rub with oil and spread chopped aromatic herbs on top such as thyme, rosemary….
Place the leg of lamb on top of the potatoes, the bone can slightly get out of the dish as long as it is not covered with meat.

Place it in the oven and cook it for a few hours.

If you have home-made vegetable stock use it otherwise, bring water to a boil in your kettle and dissolve 1-2 cubes of vegetable stock and keep the liquid at hand.

After one hour of cooking, pour a laddle of stock on top of the lamb so that it does not get dry. Keep on repeating that process all along the cooking of the meat. Simply think about flipping upside down the lamb to get the other side roasted as well.

The stock will rinse the meat and the juice will get coat the potatoes. That will make them very soft and tasty.

If the meat gets a little dry after 3-4 hours, you can cover it with foil.

After the 5-7 hours of cooking, the meat is ready to be cut. It should be very soft and tear appart by itself.

You may still need a knife to get through the whole piece of lamb.

Place them on top of the potatoes or in a serving dish next to the potatoes.

If you have an excess of juice, place it in a small jug and serve it on the side, along with the potatoes amd lamb.

The Map of the Garden for Eggs Hunting

As I did not intend to go out that evening and as it was also raining, I did not even think about looking at the ratings on the internet or quickly glance at the other Crêperies of the street. For once I fully trusted my best friend Pierre-Henry…. If the place is neither trendy nor central…. it has to be good at least otherwise he would never go that far, especially when it’s raining and his scooter is out of order...

About the queue outside…. Don’t be too scared, it goes really fast but you just have to choose friends that can be on time. As long as the whole group is not here, you will not get a table. That place might be old fashion but they learnt from some of the big ones…. You get in, you order, you eat and you leave…. It’s simply efficient! I started to be concerned about that as I like to have my own tempo and get frustrated if I feel pressure when I am looking for comfort.

Indeed, it was not that way. Once you are seated, you just have to relax. Yes, the place is busy and crowdy but you don’t have any loud music or pushy waiter to make you feel like you just want to grab something to eat and disappear.

The place is divided into dark wood boxes, you are seated on rustic benches at a cosy table. No candles but lamp covered with lampshades made of laces…. and suddenly it feels like holidays in Brittany, one of those rainy evening when you end-up in a traditional Crêperie to forget about the rain and look for comforting food.

That’s exactly what you get at La Crêperie de Josselin…. The menu is simple and stick to the traditions…. Buckwheat “Galettes” filled with ham, cheese, eggs, onions…… you can ask for a green salad on the side if you want to. No rocket, mixed leaves or other fancy mix, just lettuce with French Dressing. And for dessert, just traditional pancakes called “Crêpe de Froment” with sugar, lemon, “caramel beurre sale”, Nutella, banana…. and a very simple selection of tasty ice-creams if you look for something lighter.

Last but not least, you also have the traditional cider served in “bolées“, the traditional stoneware cups that replace glasses in Brittany. Sweet or “Brut”, it is lighter than the one you get in British pubs and is part of a traditional pancake evening.

Once you have finished your pancakes and cider, whatever happened during the day, you just feel happy and nothing really matters anymore. You just enjoy being with good friends, catching-up in a warm cosy place while it’s raining outside.

La Crêperie de Josselin

67 Rue du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris

+33 1 43 20 93 50

Closed on Monday

La Crêperie de Josselin… C’est BON tout simplement!

Non, La Crêperie de Josselin n’est pas THE place to be, non La Crêperie de Josselin n’est pas non plus l’avant-garde du moment côté culinaire, déco, emplacement ou service mais oui, La Crêperie de Josselin est un endroit où il fait bon se retrouver pour partager de bonnes crêpes savoureuses entre amis.

La Crêperie de Josselin est nichée au 67 rue du Montparnasse, au beau milieu d’une horde d’autres crêperies, quelque part entre les stations Edgar Quinet et Montparnasse. Sa devanture somme toute banale ne dénote en rien de ses consœurs et le seul indice qui peut vous amener à vous y arrêter est la queue qui se forme invariablement devant ses portes chaque soir.

Quant à moi, ce soir là, je n’avais pas du tout prévu de sortir, c’est après avoir enchainé R.V. sur R.V., marché sous la pluie et éprouvé les premiers signes avant coureur de la fatigue que j’ai appelé mon meilleur ami Pierre-Henry pour être sure de passer une soirée paisible et reposante. C’était sans compter sur les plans de ce dernier….

Moi qui pensait reposer mes gambettes devant un bon film ou dans un petit resto trendy du Centre de Paris…. me voici sous la pluie, au fin fond du 14ème en train de faire la queue avec une horde de touristes et d’habitués tous logés à la même enseigne…. pas de table tant que le groupe n’est pas au complet. C’est là que je vous lance mon premier avertissement: la tenancière des lieux est intraitable sur cette règle d’or. A croire qu’elle a été élevée dans le respect des sacro saintes règles de rentabilité des grosses chaînes de fast-food américaines:

Entrer/Commander/Manger/Evacuer

Je commence à angoisser un peu, je n’ai aucune envie de me faire imposer mon rythme ni de passer un mauvais moment à cause de serveurs me poussant trop vite vers la sortie.

Pourtant je fais confiance à Pierre-Henry… C’est vrai, pour qu’il se déplace sous la pluie, dans le 14ème et sans scooter parce que celui-ci est en panne, ce n’est pas juste pour faire plaisir à son amie Neary tout juste rentrée de voyage au Cambodge…. c’est aussi parce qu’il sait que l’endroit est convivial et qu’on y mange bien!

Et il a raison…. une fois installés dans notre boxe en bois sombre autour d’une table rustique avec nos menus en mains, on se détend, on oublie la pluie, les pressions et l’on passe en mode papote! Cela ne nous empêche pas de rire un peu de l’abat-jour en dentelle grossière qui surmonte notre lampe de table… on se demande si après la mode du tricot et du crochet, celle de la dentelle allait prendre le relais. De même, la charmante bretonne du Menu se voit relooker aussi bien côté capillaire que vestimentaire. On ne peut pas nous changer, chassez le naturel, il revient au galop! Et puis, cela prouve bien que nous passons un bon moment. Pas de musique oppressante ni de serveurs empressés…. Juste un resto de quartier sympathique et convivial en somme!

Côté carte, pas de fioritures…. les grands basiques de la gastronomie bretonne. Galettes de Sarrazin pour le salé avec la variation jambon, fromage, œuf, oignons, tomates….. et une option salade verte pour la légèreté! Mais là aussi, simplicité oblige, ni roquette ni mesclun, juste une généreuse laitue agrémentée d’une bonne vinaigrette bien moutardée!

Et côté sucré, les Crêpes de Froment restent elles aussi classiques: sucre, citron, banane, caramel beurre sale, Nutella ou flambée et quelques options crèmes glacées pour plus de légèreté dans un registre vous l’aurez compris une fois de plus classique…. vanille, chocolat, caramel beurre salé.

Bref, on ne se perd pas en conjectures, on choisit rapidement et l’on ne se torture pas de longues minutes en se demandant si la dénomination plus accrocheuse de l’autre crêpe n’était pas plus prometteuse à la dégustation!

Enfin, pour que l’ambiance soit vraiment bretonne, nous arrosons ce repas festif de Cidre Brut servi dans les traditionnelles bolées de grès.

Nos sourires se dessinent, le temps d’un diner nous nous sommes échappés en Côtes d’Armor par une soirée pluvieuse d’avril au coin des crêpières d’une vieille ferme bretonne.

Invitation au Voyage, retrouvailles amicales, suspension du temps. Tous les ingrédients étaient réunis pour faire de cette soirée un moment rare et inoubliable !

La Crêperie de Josselin

67 Rue du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris

+33 1 43 20 93 50

Fermée le lundi

Time goes by, I left for Miami, came back and as I was visiting a friend of mine living close to the Avenue Trudaine, I saw the shop and immediatly loved it. I entered the shop and talked with Cyril, one of the co-owner of the shop. He told me about the concept, the shop and even gave me a tour of the whole space. It is really great. Modern and clean, lots of space and a nice selection of wines to match the menu of the day as well as lots of utensils and ingredients to offer to food lovers.

Food lovers gift ideas and utensils

Menu & Office

A glance at the kitchen

Preparation area and Delivery Counter

I promised I’ll come back to give it a try…. it took me another few weeks but eventually I came back. We discussed it with my friend Pierre-Henry and decided to share the experience with open-minded friends as well as indulgent in case we fail!

We decided to meet at Georges and Cecile’s place as they have a great kitchen that would allow us to enjoy a drink with everyone while we are cooking….

Here it is….. Order for 7 of us!

Back to the kitchen…. let’s cook now!

We even have Mini Commis!

As we are 2 chefs cooking…. we decided to go for 2 different menus and that might have been a mistake….

We ended-up with the following order:

Starter

• 2 Salmon Gravlax with Wasabi Whipped Cream and Daikon
• 5 Scallops Carpaccio, Granny Smith Salad and Black Truffles

Main

• 4 Herbs and Nuts Marinated Sea-Bream with a Lemon Risotto
• 3 Iberico Ham with Thyme and Honey Carrots cooked in Carrot and Lemon Juice

When we went to the shop to pick-up the order, Cyril told me that usually, you go for only one choice but as usual, I wanted to push further and make it almost restaurant like… We got a bit lost in ingredients and organisation especially with a glass of champagne in one hand and people to talk to as other friends joined us for a quick drink before dinner…..

Also, my Mini-Commis thought it was really funny to play with my ingredients and they tried to create odd mix…. I started to wonder weither we will get through that dinner even before opening the ingredients!

My first glass of Champagne is already empty, I fill another one and try to focus on the recipe. Suddenly, I realize that I have never been able to respect a recipe from A to Z….. I need to do it my way, I just cannot empeach it…. The problem is that I have no choice but follow the recipe as all my ingredients have been weighed, prepared, cleaned for me. Even salt and pepper, olive oil, stock…. I start to panick!

Another round of Champagne, I take a deep breath and read the recipe. It is clear and easy indeed…. there is just a few things to do such as slicing the scallops or cooking the risotto but in the end, it is really about assembling all the ingredients in a nice way!

Scallops Carpaccio, Granny Smith Salad and Black Truffles

Salmon Gravlax with Wasabi Whipped Cream and Daikon

Ok…. we’ve had some fun with the presentation but also a lot of champagne before! We also forgot to have a look at the picture on the recipe…. and realized it looked much nicer the way they present it!

Anyway…. let’s have a look at the main now… We only had to pour the marinade on top of the Sea-Bream and Cook it a few minutes. Same for the ham, just pan-fry it and cook it for another 10 minutes.

Risotto was easy as well as Carrot, there was just 2-3 steps and we finished both dishes on time and did not even have to adjsut the seasoning as the great chefs creating the recipes did it for us before…. Thank you Les Commis!

Sea-Bream Marinade

Risotto in Progress

Herbs and Nuts Marinated Sea-Bream with a Lemon Risotto

Thyme and Honey Carrots cooked in Carrot Juice and Lemon

Iberico Ham…. slowly cooked at low temperature

Iberico Ham with Thyme and Honey Carrots cooked in Carrot and Lemon Juice

We did not try the whole menu as we are cheese lovers and thought that it might be too much but the dessert menu is really great.

For example, you can go for Jasmine Poached Apple with Mascarpone Vanilla Cream and Raspberry Coulis or the Ginger and Cocoa Crumble with Cider Jelly and Carambar Cream.

The menu offers a wide choice of dishes. You can go for anything you want among 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 desserts that change on a regular basis.

Yann Tanneau is in charge of the Starters and Mains

Johannes Bonin is in charge of the Desserts

Prices are 12.5 euros for a main / 16 euros starter + main or main + dessert / 20 euros for starter + main + dessert

To me, Les Commis is really a great way to have a restaurant quality dish on your table with the intimacy of a private home. It’s also a great way to experiment new techniques and ingredients that you might be afraid of when you do not know where to source them or how to handle them….

As they say… “You cook, we take care of the rest” 

Let’s save some time for once and enjoy the pleasure of pure cooking!

Les Commis
51, avenue Trudaine – 75009 Paris
Ouvert du mardi au samedi de 11h à 20h45
01 48 74 83 14

I cannot really pretend that I have been doing any specific efforts during the Holy Week but we do respect the “fish only” rule that my Mum is used to apply since forever when it comes to Holy Friday… Anyway, she’s the one going to the supermarket. We do not really have any choice I guess!

Still, Holy Friday does not mean that we have to be starving or looking at our plate with disgust. Fish is good and tasty if you cook it properly and the Cod Brandade tradition just came to my mind as we were trying to think about a dish easy to share and to reheat for the late arrivals due to the traffic jam.

Cod Brandade can be cooked many ways, it can be a dip as well as a plain meal, it can be very fishy or full of flavor if you want to push the garlic presence for example. It’s up to what you want and what you like.

Here is my version… 

Ingredients

• 1 small head garlic
• Olive oil
• Fresh cod filet about 800g
• 1 l of milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 8-10 medium potatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

First of all, you have to place your salted cod in a large bowl of fresh water to get rid of the salt. Usually, you have to do that at least 24 to 36 hours before and change the water 2 to 3 times.*

The other thing you can prepare ahead is the garlic. Place a whole head of garlic in a small pan of olive oil and slowly bring it to a soft boil for a few minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the garlic to rest in the oilve oil so that it gets “confit”. That process will help to get rid of the raw taste of the garlic and transform it into a nice nutty flavour. The garlic cloves will get slightly brown and very soft, almost a spreadable consistency.

Keep it in a well sealed jar with the olive oil and store it in a dry place.

Once the cod is ready to be cooked, place it in a pan and pour at least 1l of milk on top of it, add a bay leaf and thyme and bring it to a soft boil for 3-4 minutes. Once the cod has been poached, let it cool down in the milk.

Prepare the mash potatoes. Peel and wash the potatoes, if they are large potatoes, cut them into even pieces and place them in a large pan filled with water. Bring them to a boil and cook them until a knife can be inserted without resistance.

Drain them in a large colander and put them back in the pan or in a large bowl. Using a potato masher, start to work the potato and add some of the poaching milk on top if it is too dry.

You can also add olive oil or butter -depending on which one you prefer- to give it a smoother and richer texture. You are looking for a very soft almost spreadable mash potato as you will add the cod to it. Season with salt and pepper and reserve. If you prepare it a day ahead, cover it with cling film to prevent from crusting.

When you are ready to assemble the brandade, preheat your oven to 180°.

Once the cod is cool, start to flake it in a bowl and get rid of any remaining bones. Keep the milk at hand as you may need it to adjust the consistency of your brandade. Crush 3-4 “confit” garlic cloves and incorporate them to the cod, add the roughly chopped parsley.

Incorporate the cod mix to the mash potatoes and if needed, add some milk to get it soft. As you will cook it in the oven for a while, do not hesitate to make it moister than you want it as it will dry while cooking but not too much!

Taste and adjust the seasoning up to your taste.

In a gratin dish, pour the brandade mix and get the surface a nice uniform look, slightly higher in the center, like a dome.

Cook it in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until it gets hot enough, slightly dark brown and crusty on top.

Serve it straight away with a fresh green salad tossed in French Dressing.

*We had bought the cod the same morning but I have changed the water almost every single hour and I did not add any salt to the mash potatoes. The result was slightly salty for me but the rest of the family did not seem to be bothered at all as there was no leftovers!