Another awesome dining experience

Sunday was a sleep in day, after all, midnight is a late night for a couple of retirees. People watching out our front window was an awesome pastime and even just listening to the french conversations, provided a very relaxing environment , punctuated only by the need for ice cream latter in the day. The cobbled street is lined with galleries, often with artists in residence and it was much busier on the weekend, as the petite bourgeoisie from Paris arrived and paraded in their very chic attire, teetering on the edge of an accident in their fashion statement wedges.

By Monday we were ready for some retail therapy at the nearby Kiabi to buy Roger a second pair of shorts an a couple of cheap polo shirts. Stopped in at the Carefour cafeteria for a coffee, only to discover they served kir royale, ready mixed in champagne flute to go with your plat de jour, for a mere €1.50! It was tempting, but there was much better to come.

Two years ago via the 'Australians Living in France' FB page, there was a glowing account of La Doyenne Restaurant, in the little village of Petit Saint-Vrain, about 25 mins from Barbizon.
Reviews had come and gone since then, but since we had struggled to find an even half decent review for our local restaurants, we decided one good foodie experience beats six average local meals, so we took a chance and booked.

Le Doyenné is a restaurant, guesthouse and farm set within the historical grounds of the Château de Saint-Vrain. The Château was once the country retreat of the Countess du Barry and Borghese family and has been the home of the Mortemart family for more than two centuries. In 2017, Australian chefs and owners, James Henry and Shaun Kelly, along with the Mortemart family, commenced the restoration and conversion of Le Doyenné – the Mortemart family’s name for the centuries’ old barn – into a restaurant and guesthouse.

The talented and highly experienced chefs, developed the foragers garden and orchard based on regenerative agricultural practices and it is this garden that is the source for their menu. There is definitely a vegetarian focus but they hand make their butter and sourdough bread, too. Protein such as duck and turbot, which were on our menu is sourced locally.

There was a set menu, seven courses plus an amuse and petit fours. Roger followed the sommelier’s choice of wines, but first a special champagne toast to Zena, whose love of food and cooking no doubt influenced Rogers passion.

The hors d'oeuvres focused on the garden and included a platter of petit vegetables with pesto and emulsions from the garden. It was spectacular, as was the raw tuna tartlet with finely diced chives. The photos tell the story.

Our first entree was Ajo Blanco, a cold almond soup with a summer vegetable salad - it was amazing and the plating just perfection.
This was followed by grilled turbot with artichoke, zucchini and stock foam. A most delicious combination.

Le Plat, or main course was a grilled Kriaxcra duck breast from the Basque country, accompanied by a Camargue rice pilaf with zucchini, both cooked over the kitchen's wood fire.

We skipped the cheese, in anticipation of the two deserts. Firstly a refreshing nectarine sorbet enclosed in a figleaf icecream and then, equally delicious, a gaufrette (wafer tube) with thyme cream and red fruit.

Overall Roger enjoyed the variety of different wines presented but when the sommelier presented a 'wine based' boutique Nondegu biere - what? with the stunning desserts he was somewhat perplexed. I had to agree.

In summary, it was a delicious, well planned, beautifully executed and plated, degustation of the freshest ingredients. As we departed we chatted to the maitre de, an Adelaide girl who had worked in Port Douglas for several years. She had been with the chefs for the past three years and spoke of a very special kitchen brigade, representing seventeen different cultures. A very modern, non-traditional take on French cuisine, in a stunning and no doubt, expensive renovation.
Another 2024 'star' ticked of the bucket list.Read more