La France re[cuisinée]

Although I have eaten in Alain Ducasse restaurants, I always thought he was one of those pompous chefs who think they are the best there is and ever will be. However, Susan once told me of the tremendous effort he makes in giving young chefs a boost or a start and on his website, he makes a point of saying that his vision is "best expressed in his endless endeavours to make ‘Haute Cuisine’ simple, approachable and understood by everyone".

He makes good on his vision here with the (badly publicised) La France re[cuisine] which runs for 2 months from March 1st to April 30th in 100 or so restaurants offering a set lunch menu for 28euros. Now while this might not seem like the best bargain in town, they are mostly restaurants which can and usually charge more. Of the restaurants participating in Paris, all three are Alain Ducasse's associated restaurants.

The boy and I, along with Umami and her husband, decided to try out the Rech on a weekday (offer only available Mondays to Friday) and I duly made the reservation. I was a little surprised as the lady taking the booking had no idea of what I meant by La France re[cuisine] but kindly went to check with the management and confirmed my reservation.

The boys had the starter of Daurade crue on salade a l'huile d'olive vierge de Ligurie", which was really nice, fresh and delicate. The boy loved it.

Our main was salmon en aiguillettes, aux oeufs de truite et perles de hareng. There was a moment during our ordering process when we all wondered whether salmon had wings (aiguillettes de poulet refers to chicken wings) but of course it was simply thinly sliced salmon steaks. The salmon was very well cooked. I prefer my salmon raw or only partly cooked as I find cooked salmon very dry. This wasn't dry in the least and was very nice, especially accompanied by the light yet flavorful sauce. It was very nice.

Although it was slightly curious that the boys' dishes arrived accompanied by spinach while Umami and my dish came with thin haricots, tiny carrots, half dried tomato slivers and a tender radish like root vegetable. We're not sure if the kitchen ran out of sides to plate all four plates or this is done randomly or they felt that the boys weren't getting enough greens.

The dessert. What can I say except I loved it? It was named Mister Rech and described as a succes noisette glace, sauce au chocolat chaud. It arrived as an innocuous puck of ice cream dredged and crusted with finely crushed hazelnuts. The waitress then poured on a thick, thick, warm dark chocolate sauce on it. Then all hell broke loose. As in, it all went in my mouth. Every single mouthful. Umami was much more gracious and seeing how much her husband enjoyed it, pushed over the majority of it to him to finish. I was not so gracious.

It was lovely for us to come together for a dinner and a nice break for the boys in the middle of the day. As for the food, I think it was very decent value for the price, however, I fail to see how the menu itself lived up to the "symbolic" dishes of France, which La France re[cuisine] was supposed to promote.

I do highly suggest going to at least one of them during the promotion. Act quick, it ends at the end of the month! Also, this is not just limited to Paris, it is across France so check the website for a full list.

Aux Lyonnais

32, rue Saint-MarcParis (75002)
Réservation+33 (0) 1.42.96.65.04

Benoit

20, rue Saint MartinParis (75004)
Réservation+33 (0) 1.42.72.25.76

Rech

62 avenue des TernesParis (75017)
Réservation+33 (0) 1.45.72.29.47

Clos des Gourmets

As the boy and I begin to countdown our remaining weeks left in the city of light (four for those of you who are curious), we're also making a point to go to those restaurants we want to try.

One which I had previously heard raves about was Le Clos des Gourmets. So, in light of our German friends staying near the area, we decided to go for dinner on Good Friday.


I made the reservation on Tuesday. I point this out because on the phone, I emphasized that we would have a little 2yr old guest with us. However, when we got there, just a few minutes shy of our 8pm reservation, they seated us in a corner table, smack up against a hot radiator, having filled up the banquet seats earlier. This irritated me because I have worked in restaurants before (my Dad owned one.... yes, I am one of those people who grew up in a Chinese restaurant... how very cliche) and we always put children in banquet seats for convenience for the parents and the children. I would understand if we didn't reserve in advance or failed to mention it but there is a reason for reservations. It allows the staff to arrange optimal seating. Instead our friends were obliged to carry the little one on their laps the whole time. Don't get me wrong, they didn't complain about it at all, in fact they expected as much. I, on the other hand was annoyed that they gave us an inconvenient table when we had given them prior warning.


There is much I would forgive for fabulous food. Sadly, nothing they made really perked me up.


I started with their entree of the day of chicken and escargot. This consisted of 5 nuggets of chicken with escargot, covered in a cream foam sauce dotted with pesto. I found the chicken nuggets a little heavy as an entree and the escargots horribly over salted. Surprisingly, the sauce was the star of the dish, tasting light and fresh for a cream sauce.




I continued on with chicken for my main. Again, it was the special of the day, a roasted Gers chicken with black truffles. It required a supplement of 7.5euros. When it arrived, it smelled wonderful. Rich, earthy and chicken-y. It came in little Staub pot with two pieces of chicken (dark meat, thigh and drumstick), a handful of potatoes and thin slices of truffle. Of course, I didn't expect for the price to have mounds of the fragrant fungi so it was fine. It was beautifully scented but the flavor didn't translate to the chicken. But the chicken itself was very nicely cooked. I was a little surprised to see no other vegetables served with it at all.



Here I go on another tiny rant so feel free to skip this paragraph. The waiter kindly asked if he should put together a plate of vegetables for our little guest and when we said yes, he announced that they don't do very many vegetables but that he would see what he could do. While we sat there a little puzzled since he suggested it, he walked off to the kitchen. He brought out a small plate for the toddler while we were having our entrees and it consisted of small pieces of boiled carrot and potato. It looked like barely half a potato and perhaps a third of a carrot. And for this luxury? We paid 8 euro. Yes, I am outraged. For that tiny amount, they really should have comped it or at least charged considerably less. Perhaps that is just me. Any thoughts?


I finished with the crystallized fennel with soft spices and lemon sorbet topped with fresh basil. Umami raved about this dish last time. Perhaps they have changed chefs or lost their touch as I felt that the fennel tasted of nothing but sugar although the lemon sorbet was nice. That may have been only me though as one of our guests said it was the best of all of his three dishes. Although that may speak more about the other dishes. Our other guest had a vegetable risotto, which, when it came, looked like fresh pea soup but accordingly to her, tasted very nice, although the portion was disappointingly small.

I'm not sure what has happened to this seemingly good restaurant. When we met up with Umami and her husband earlier this week, they both agreed that the standards had slipped and they have not returned to the restaurant in a while.

Menu of three courses ran at 35 euros.



Le Clos des Gourmets
16 avenue Rapp
75007 PARIS
Metro: Alma-Marceau or Ecole Militaire
tel : 01 45 51 75 61
fax :01 47 05 74 20
contact@closdesgourmets.com

F-odd: Huh?

I was at the market the other day when I came across these:

I thought they were pickling cukes,

or baby courgettes...

I finally asked the stall owner.

They turned out to be stoneless, baby cocktail avocados.

Who knew?

They were slightly sweeter yet more bitter than normal avocados. Meant to be peeled and sliced into coins to sprinkle over salads.

I love finding foods I've never seen before! One of the many joys of having time on your hands to explore.

One of my Favorites

Due to a last minute trip to the Northeast of England to scout for wedding venues, I had the chance to catch up with the boy's family. I went on my own. Very scary I must admit, to be going on my own to visit the boy's family. Luckily I was welcomed with open arms. Staying at the boy's aunt's charming Guesthouse, I had also timed my visit to coincide with the boy's parents and drag them along to view venues with me.

While the boy has featured on this blog, the boy's family, less so. Except for, of course, the devilishly wonderful grandmother whose protests about not being able to finish dessert often taking up to twice the time it takes for her to inhale the dessert, beating out all the others at the tables.

The boy's family, in simple terms, are wonderful. Warm and funny and a bit nutty, just like one of my favorites from the market in Aix, a concoction called "Noix et Champignons". Noix et Champignon is like a pesto made of walnuts, mushrooms, olive oil, dried tomats and pine nuts. A jar of which the boy's thoughtful mother never fails to bring me.

It has been a lifesaver many a time, pulled out for guests to spread on crackers, mixed in with pasta and served either hot or cold, a spoonful mixed into a weak sauce to give it body and even served as a bruschetta for a first course.

Coming home to an empty fridge, the boy's mother saved me once again and I dug out the jar from my suitcase and dinner was on the table within minutes. As we sat eating our meal, I recounted to the boy how I was making fun of a hall named "Shafto" when his entire family (mom, dad, aunt, grandparents included) broke into song! Singing something about Bobby Shafto and buckles on his knee, the whole family joined in, finishing the song before resuming the conversation. Although a bit surprised, I found myself happy to be joining a family in which breaking into song, like the musicals I grew up with, was nothing unusual at all.

Vive la French Directness

Many have looked at me with envy, jealous of all the fabulous French food I have been consuming by the bucketload. All the French cheeses, the brains of baby cows, the coq au vin, and other glorious foodstuffs that the most romantic and food obsessed place in the world has to offer.

However, it comes with a heavy price.

And when I say heavy, I mean literally.

Consider the following scenario....

Last week I was at the local H&M, looking for some nice summery things to wear and once I have selected some bits and pieces, headed for the dressing room queue to try them on.

While I was daydreaming (probably about food), one of the girls working the dressing room passed me by with armloads of clothes to return to the racks. Upon seeing me, she stopped in her tracks and says "Vous avez priorite" (you have priority).

I was surprised to hear that, seeing as there were two ladies ahead of me in the queue. Sensing my confusion, she decides to clear things up.

"Parce que vous etes enceinte"

In horror, I said, "No, I am NOT pregnant".

Now stop for a second and consider this scenario. If you were the (wretched) girl, what would you do?

You would think you would apologize and backtrack, wouldn't you?

Nope. This being France, land of stubborn people refusing to believe that they are ever in the wrong, she decides instead to say, nodding at the general direction of my belly,

"On dirais qu'il y a un bebe la dedans"

Not enough with insulting me with the pregnancy comment, she digs in more by saying that you'd think I had a baby in there before sauntering off with her arm full of clothes.

As I turned beet red, I couldn't help but instinctively look down at my belly. Upon looking up, I noticed that the two ladies behind and two ladies in front were also checking out my belly.

Yep, humiliation at the hands of the H&M dressing room girl is a hard, hard pill to swallow. And even more painful to digest.

Loire Valley Round up

I blame the lack of food posts entirely on my friend, with whom I have been having entirely too much fun, raiding castles and pillaging wine. Ok, so not quite but close enough.

The Loire valley was glorious! Blue skies, and an average of two castles a day, punctuated by visits to local food producers (tapped pears anyone?), degustations in vineyards, ending in wonderful restaurants (except for one evening where the meal was so depressing, we ended up eating cookies in bed in a fit of discontent). A perfect mix of my favorite hobbies ... travel, photography, castle-ing (yes, I count it as a hobby) and of course, wining and dining. Throw in shopping in there and I'd be in heaven. As things go, it was pretty much a perfect holiday.


But you're here for the food. Ok, ok, got it.



First night we had a fabulous dinner in Blois, at a great little restaurant called Le Bistrot du Cuisinier, where you were allowed a choice of 2 courses for approximately 23 euros (I forget exactly, I blame the wine). I started with an absolutely delicious "Terrine de canard et pistaches, oeuf de caille poche sur un moelleux de beaufort, sauce moutardee a l'ancienne". It was fabulous. Other interesting starters included and iced cream of coco beans, smoked duck breast and crushed coconut. As you can see, the chef is not afraid of being adventurous.

My main, I regretted the second I saw my neighbors' huge piece of foie gras with chicken breast. I had ordered the tete de veau en sauce ravigote, seeing as it was the specialty of the house. I really shouldn't have as I think the best was probably the one at the Grand Venise. However, this restaurant is highly recommended if you're doing the Loire Valley this summer. Lovely staff, great salmon rillettes to spread on the bread and a great view of the castle.

The second night was in the village of Chenonceau. Surprisingly lacking in charm, the village is very close to the rail tracks, which can be heard rumbling from time to time. Go to the castle then get the hell out of there. We shall never mention our horrific dinner nor the scathing comments cards we left at the horrific Hotel de Roy restaurant ever again. Simply avoid the restaurant, hotel and all.

After picking up the boy, we had dinner in Tours, the biggest city we visited on the journey. We had to go in order to pick up the boy, who was joining us for the second half of the trip. We chose to eat at the Bistrot de la Tranchee, where I had a fabulous meal for the shockingly low sum of 17 euros for 3 courses. The boy and my friend went for the higher priced market meal at 23 euros, which was still a bargain when we saw the carefully prepared and beautifully plated meal. Our amuse gueule was the most visually pleasing, with its white and black "boudin" or blood sausages, on a vibrant beet sauce which was neither cloying nor soapy.




The next day, we were spending the night in "une des plus beaux village de France", in Candes St. Martin. One of the definite favorites of the villages, the restaurant, Auberge de la Route D'Or was fabulous. In the little square in front of the village church, St. Pierre, the food and service was friendly and absolutely delicious throughout. I had the local specialty of eel, which while not beautiful to look at was thoroughly yummy, without the rubberiness that eel sometimes has, but the subtle delicate flavor of a soft fleshed fish. You will understand how much we enjoyed the food when I tell you that over the next two days, we chased down the "Affineur" for more of the cheese in the cheese plate and visited the vineyard to purchase over 30 bottles of the wine which we enjoyed that evening.



The last restaurant of the trip was a bit of a tourist trap. I knew it going in but wanted to taste "foues", hot little breads which were a specialty of the region, and this restaurant apparently had one of the best. Located in Montreuil Bellay (My absolute favorite village of the trip), La Grange a Dime had costumed gentlemen, a set menu of 23 euros including (a standard swill) wine, rillettes, a cassoulet type dish, salad, goat's cheese, strawberries and a chanting of dirty poems. Ok, not quite dirty poems but very suggestive ones using French play on words.

The foues were.... delicious! Prompting the boy to uncharacteristically say "Keep the little breads coming, French dude!". Exhorted to stuff the hot little pockets with "plein de buerre au fleur de sel", we did just that, burning fingers to shove huge slabs of butter in between, to melt into the hot bread. Arguments over whether it was more like pita or naan raged on over the course of the dinner, which was forgettable besides the bread.



While you might all think it was fun and games, let's not forget that I was made to pay for my greediness by lugging a 63 bottles of wine back to our fourth floor walk up. That's not including the other goodies I collected along the way.

Now go eat and be merry.



Le Bistrot du Cuisinier


20 quai Villebois-Mareuil

Blois

Tel: 02 54 78 06 70



Bistrot de la Tranchee

103 avenue de la Tranchee

37100 Tours

Tel: 02 47 41 09 08

Auberge de la Route D'Or

Place de L'Eglise

37500 Candes St Martin

Tel: 02 47 95 81 10

La Grange A Dime

Rue du Chateau

49260 Montreuil-Bellay

Tel: 02 41 50 97 24

Speeederman

Although I am in marketing, I am an absolute SUCKER for marketing ploys. Actually, I think that's why I got into marketing. I love the silly "NEW AND IMPROVED box" type packaging, the many exclamation marks and what gets people to actually buy the goods.

One of the recent ones in Paris is the Spiderman burger from Quick. Besides having a penchant for comic books, it also showed the Spidey burger as having nice stringy cheese. You know, the Asterix and Obelix kind I like. It showed oozey gooey cheese along with a bun imprinted with a web.

"How cool!", thought I, "A web on a bun, imagine that!"

"How lame!", thought the boy, "I better humour her, though, she's scary when denied her vittles"

I was obsessed with trying it but it never seemed like the right time. Either it was right after I had eaten or right before going to a big dinner. Finally the time was right and we went for it.

This was what my Speederman burrrrger (how the French pronounce it) like... a soft, yellowish, briochey bun, which was really light, airy and plain awful, but true to the advert, imprinted with a spider's web.

Then I looked inside ....

...

...

it was awful. It besides looking completely off, it was the kind of semi coagulated liquidy-but-not type of cheese with a sad looking patty. It was "stringy" in the sense that it stuck to the bread and pulled away but it was terrible.

The worse part was it TASTED dreadful. The bread was so soft and horrid it fell away when you picked it up and the cheese tasted just as described, melted then coagulated with an oily taste. One bite was about all I could manage.

The boy described Quick to my father and brother as the McDonald's of France, thus igniting a curiosity to do a taste comparison. Listen, you heard it here. It is not worth it. Even McDonald's seems gourmet compared to this.

Now to go onto bigger and better things..... like Flunch!! I know, I know, another cheap crappy restaurant. But the name! Flunch! You can just hear the cogs of the marketing whizzes at work....

"I want a name that represents our 'unique selling proposition' for a lunch for busy executives, something exotic sounding..."

"Hmmm, a fast lunch, you say...."

...

Till the week after.... I'll be whiling away the days in the Loire Valley this week on a much anticipated roadtrip with a girlfriend... que la vie est dure....

A cold way to shop

There are so many different things I have had to get used to, moving to Paris.


For one is the customer service, or lack thereof. After going every week to the bank to beg for the PIN code for my bank card, I still have yet to receive it. For another is the way the French shop.


Mondays are awful for shopping, which I learnt to my detriment early on when, after the weekend, I left to replenish my cupboards, went to visit three supermarkets within walking distance, to find them resolutely closed.


The French also, despite the bountiful resource of beautiful fresh foods, have succumbed to the lure of frozen foods, for reasons of convenience and short prep time.


One chain which I have been seeing around the city is Picard. A store selling nothing but frozen foods! Which to me is quite unusual. It is odd to see people in Picard, heads down as if in thought but in reality looking into the depths of each of the freezers, trying to think of dishes for the week. The decor is sparse and white to mimic, I imagine, the insides of a freezer.


Sad to say, despite my luxury of time, I too have ventured into the depths of the frozen world, plucked out frozen gaspacho (which the boy adored), little frozen sticks of vegetables, ice creams and of course, one of my all time favorites, frozen raspberries to be eaten straight from the freezer on hot, hot days.

What's white, green and wild?

Asparagus!

Going to the market today, I found something quite unusual (for me). Wild asparagus. They sat there, in precious little bundles, looking for someone to love (eat) them. That someone was me.

It is the season, or so the market would have me believe, for asparagus and there are asparagus aplenty. Big, thick as a thumb white ones with very closed tips, tinged with purple and violet, thinner, longer green ones that look bright and snappy and these delicate, thin, weedy looking ones at the one stall in the market that was selling them.

They were priced at an outrageous 5.95 euros but I couldn't resist. For all I know, I may never see them again! So I had to do it. For all your sakes, I mean.

And since I bought them, it made no sense to have them all by their lonesome, now did it? So I bought its sisters and brothers and did a little taste test.

Snapped off the ends of the green ones, trimmed and lightly peeled the white ones and trimmed the bottom 5mm of the wild ones, I quickly blanched them in quick succession. Dressed simply with a red wine, Dijon, olive oil vinaigrette using a light hand, I started "tasting".

The white ones were by far the juiciest, reminding me of fresh bamboo shoots, of which I am very fond, while the green ones were sweet and lovely tasting. The wild asparagus were delicate and green tasting, with a subtle flavor of asparagus but only slightly. They were a delight to eat, both tender and yet slightly crispy. I don't know that they are worth the almost 6 euros I paid for them, especially as the more substantial ones are on special at the moment, but worth having, at least once.

And the winner is.....

..........SWEET GRANADILLA!

I am so relieved that someone had the answer, albeit slightly ashamed that I couldn't find it online.

As for where I got the answers, my favorite veg-head Astronomer, who earned his stripes eating Durian and all sorts of what must be weird food on his trip to HK, was the first one to guess. And I really should have thought to call Umami, who is a virtual treasure trove of answers regarding food. I have yet to name something she has not tried.

So, how did it taste? Well... I opened one of the passion fruits to do a true comparison. It is definitely sweeter and much more mild with a subtler taste than the passion fruit. The seeds were much softer and tasted vaguely of sunflower seeds, which makes the overall taste a little more bland. The passion fruit on the other hand was tart with hard little seeds and a more beautiful fragrance.

I'm very grateful to receive this p'tit cadeau and to the friends who helped me identify it.

Help!

What's orange and red, is very light, weighs almost nothing and is a fruit?

Give up?

Well don't ask me because I don't know either.

Last Sunday while strolling around Bastille Market, I spied some passion fruits selling for 3 euros a basket of 5. I bought a basket while the boy's mother picked up some of those tiny, ultra sweet, thin skinned bananas. While at the stand, I picked up one of these fruits and examined it curiously. The gentleman serving us, put one in our bag as a p'tit cadeau as it was a "jour de fete". In fact it was not any kind of holiday as such but election day so the mood was very jolly.

Quickly swept away after having paid, I was horrified to discover I had not asked him what this fruit was! So, I returned today to the Bastille market but to my dismay, the exotic fruit seller was not there today.

So I turn to the Internet where I still cannot seem to find it. Anyone who knows what it is, please please tell me.

All I know is that it is very light, has no fragrance to speak of and has turned slightly hollow and red over the course of the last few days. I'll be cutting into it tomorrow but will keep searching for the mysterious fruit tonight...

A Whirlwind Tour

I know I promised last time that the next post would be about the traditional cuisine we had at the Diamond Anniversary dinner but I'm going to have to delay that for a bit. But for a very good reason! I will soon have a recipe given to me to post by the boy's mother! So stay tuned...

For the last week and a half, my parents from Hong Kong and my brother and his girlfriend from Montreal descended like a plague of locusts upon our tiny flat, eating most anything in sight! It's been a big, greedy binge of French food and I was determined to have them try everything. As the boy explained to my Mom, "It's not a successful holiday unless you leave just a little bit fatter." My Mom took this bit of "advice" to heart and proceeded to demolish the breadbasket each and every time.

My parents arrived earlier than my brother so the boy and I decided to take them down to visit the boy's parents in the South of France, booking them into a bed and breakfast in Puyloubier (which became "Polar Bear" under my parent's pronunciation). You might be dreading to think what two big city mice would fare in the tiny village but they loved it. Including the "main street" comprised with all of 1 shop, 1 restaurant, and a square.

But back to the food. We went to Relais Sainte Victoire, who infamously had a tiff with the Michelin people, with the chef saying that he requested his star to be removed while the Michelin guide insisting that the star was removed in 1995 due to the lowering standards of the food. Oddly, the front glass panel of the entrance displayed the Michelin Guide sticker for 2007, while the inside were framed articles, proudly announcing their rejection of the Michelin star so as not to compromise their cooking. Let me just start the review by saying that we were all in agreement that the reason for rejecting the star may have been more a pre-emptive move as it certainly did not deserve a star, neither for service nor the food.


I started with a mixed platter which comprised of a jellied terrine (bottom right), which was much, much too tart and mushy, a forgettable dish of gratin mussel and scallop (bottom left), a nice block of quince foie gras covered in breadcrumbs (upper left), and an odd, incredibly dense, pate/meatball type spread that was like rillettes with no fat and without the creamy texture (upper right).

Our mains came and I had ordered the lamb "de lait", after the wonderful experience with my cochon de lait. When it came, it was a lovely piece of lamb with a rosemary mash but nothing close to spectacular. As nice as my lamb was, the one the boy's mother received was horrendous. Full of fat, gristle and uncooked parts, it was virtually inedible. When the waiter came over to enquire regarding the food, we pointed it out to him, whereupon, he shrugged and did absolutely NOTHING about it.


Which shows the quality of restaurant where the guests' pleasure means absolutely nothing.


The desserts were obviously their forte, with the presentation finally showing some care. My platter of chocolate desserts looked nice but was not spectacular. The cone of dark chocolate filled with a aniseed-y foam was average. It may be dampened by the fact that I can no longer eat any more foam as I do enjoy dark chocolate and aniseed. The mousse was rich and light and was not so sweet as to make my teeth hurt. The chocolate mille-feuille was a little too hard for my taste and the contrast of tastes with the ice cream did not work as well as hoped.


To be absolutely fair, the food was decent but for the reputation, the dispute regarding the star, it was very sub-par. On top of which the disinterested service, the lack of presentation and the setting of the restaurant make me wonder about the truth of chef René Bergès actually refusing the star.



Relais Sainte Victoire
53, avenue Sylvain Gautier
13100 Beaurecueil
Tel : 33 (0)4 42 66 94 98

From Oursins to Oursons

For weeks, nay months, I have boasted boastfully about my upcoming trip to the Sea Urchin Festival. Becoming much the envy of my food-loving friends and thinking that this would be a trip of a lifetime.

I had puffed out my chest and smiled pridefully. Emailing to share my excitement with those who share my waist expanding hobby of eating.

The boy, indulgent enough, had planned a trip down to see his wonderfully patient parents near Aix en Provence. They had been kind enough to not only take us to the market in Aix on Saturday, endure our wonderment and excitement for the HUGE Carrefour, eat the Chinese food we prepared for them on Lunar New Year's Eve but also drive us 40 minutes to Carry Le Rouet for the Oursinade.

Upon arrival, we immediately stumbled upon a stall selling plenty of the spiny needled creatures with their gold, creamy insides for the price of 9 euros a dozen! When I became overly excited, the boy's parents tried to calm me down and get me to move on by telling me of the dozens and dozens of stalls there would be by the waterfront, promising to buy me a huge platter, a couple of bottles of wine and hunker down to sea creature filled meal.

Upon hearing this, I hurriedly rushed to walk over to the seafront pausing only to check out the restaurants and admire the seafood platters they had on display.

When I got to the seafront I encountered only this. Beautiful to be sure, rolling clouds, crashing waves and behind me was a row of seaside restaurants. I turned around to face the boy's parents, to see them looking around them with a state of bewilderment. Onto the tourism office we marched, demanding to know where our expected stalls of sea food delights were. Meanwhile bus loads of tourists kept driving into the tiny village.

As it turns out, we had become victims of what is a very French turn of events. At 10am that very morning (we had arrived at 11am), the organizers had decided to cancel the Oursinade and perhaps, only perhaps, we were to note, that it *might* be on the following weekend but that it would not be decided until Thursday at the earliest. The reason given was bad weather. It was cold I grant you, with strong winds and intermittent rain but we were talking about sea urchins here! Surely people would be willing to put on another jacket or two?

Much dejected, we walked around to find one or two enterprising fellows with their buckets of sea urchins for sale before heading back to the original shop where I ordered a dozen of everything and a bottle of wine (I only ordered a dozen as the boy's parents did wish to partake in cold sea food that morning) before driving back another 40 minutes home where we had a huge feast o' seafood including these muddy shell like escargot creatures, fresh sweet mussels, tasty clams, briny oysters, sea urchin which were creamy with a shockingly sweet aftertaste, all washed down with a surprisingly good Oursinade wine.

So, as disappointed as I was, when we got home, with the fire roaring, platters of fresh, sweet seafood including the much beloved sea urchin, I felt not so much the absence of the L'Oursinade as I did like an ourson, all fuzzy and warm inside.

Of course this was much helped by the roasting of marshmallows we ate following our feast of the sea...