My Dream Team

We all have our favourite restaurants that we remember fondly over the years for a multitude of reasons:  a special occasion, the friends we were with, great food or the décor.  I have several special ones, all of which are still  going strong, and  I would like to share them with you in this  summer edition of Plates and Plonk.

My all-time favourite restaurant anywhere in the world is  RESTAURANT MICHEL BRAS in Laguiole in the Aubrac region of France.  This hotel-restaurant is set in the midst of beautiful countryside, surrounded by fields of wild flowers and built in local grey slate and stone, with each of the fourteen or so rooms having an unrestricted view.  The 3 Michelin star dining room also has panoramic views,  but the best is yet to come with the incredible cuisine offered by Michel Bras,  who is in the kitchen for the preparation of every meal,  and specialises in serving variations of local dishes made from local ingredients. (Not like some top chefs who are so busy rushing around the world visiting their various outposts and have very little hands-on input as far as the food is concerned.)  The enormous kitchens have glass walls and can be visited during meal preparation times – Michel Bras’ mother still makes the aligot herself ( a cheese and mashed potato dish) every day – it figures on all the menus –  and it is a delight to talk to her and share her recollections of the local dishes she used to cook for her family.  Each meal offers six or seven courses – but not in such quantities that it is too much to eat – and each one is better than the last. There is a heavy accent on vegetables and my favourite  is the Gargouillou which is a casserole of young vegetables – 40 of them in all, including herbs- and it is better every time!  Another signature dish is a boiled egg, but served with the yolk taken out of the shell and homemade bread soldiers –  simple but brilliant.

Obviously this is an expensive restaurant, but it is worth every penny and I treasure the memories of my visits there.

Restaurant Michel Bras , route de l’Aubrac, 12210 Laguoile. Tel : 33 5 65 51 18 20

Next on my list of favourites is L’AMBROISIE in the  Place des Vosges in  Paris.  This is another three star restaurant – but completely different in every way.  The dining room is hung with Aubusson tapestries and the chairs are upholstered in purple velvet – so the scene is set!  The chef, Bernard Pacaud, has held on to his stars for many years, and they are well deserved.  Very sophisticated classic French cooking and an incredible wine list.  One of my best memories of this restaurant is my husband not going with the wine recommendation made by the Sommelier to accompany our lamb dish,  but preferring to stick with his own choice  : a 1975 Margaux from Chateau Lascombes.   However at the end of the meal the Sommelier returned to congratulate him on the wine he had chosen,  saying that he had been right!!  Not something that happens often with French  sommeliers. …  And to complete our day Catherine Deneuve and Robert de Niro  were sitting at the next table and we had a great chat with them!

L’Ambroisie, 9 Place des Vosges, 75004 Paris.

Telephone 33 1 42 78 51 45

From Paris, to the Western Isles in Scotland.  THE SUMMER ISLES HOTEL in Achilitibuie at the mouth of Loch Broom doesn’t look like anything special from the outside, though in fact the rooms and lodges are delightful, particularly the Boathouse Suite.  But what food!  The restaurant specialises in local seafood and Scottish beef – with a extensive wine list alongside- and every night the menu changes according to availability.   The restaurant looks out over the Loch and the sunsets are unforgettable.  I have a beautiful painting of this view done by a local artist,  which takes me straight back there whenever I look at it.

Summer Isles Hotel, Achilitibuie, Ullapool, Scotland

Telephone: 44 1854 622282

Next on to Washington D.C. and the OLD EBBIT GRILL near the White House.  The longest bar I have ever seen,  knowledgeable bartenders and great cocktails – and then the famous hamburgers and steaks which keep you going back time and time again.

Old Ebbit Grill, 675 15^th Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20005

Telephone: 1 202 347 4800

Another renowned three star restaurant in Paris, LASSERRE, which has been a culinary mecca for over 50 years.  Apart from the food,  another star attraction is the  glass roof  which slides back,  and also the huge bouquets of beautiful flowers everywhere.  Not a restaurant to turn up at without a reservation, but we for some reason did…   However we were  told by the Maitre D. that we were very lucky as there was a lady waiting at a table upstairs, but in fact her lunch partner was  expecting her at his apartment round the corner and he was sure she would be leaving to join him shortly!!  The wine list at Lasserre is pages and pages long and is written in spidery copperplate, but if you can’t manage the Sommelier lends you his glasses!  Superb,  very discreet service, and of course world-class cuisine.

Lasserre, 17 Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, Paris 75008

Telephone:  33 1 43 59 02 13

On to Bologna,  Italy and the OSTERIA BOTTEGA – offering the essence of Italian cooking in a  lively, fun atmosphere.  The tortellini al brodo, which is pork and chicken pasta in a chicken broth and the pasta and ragu are their signature dishes and are famous all over Italy and beyond.

Osteria Bottega, Sta. Caterina, Bologna

Telephone 39 05 15 85 111

Bray on the river Thames in England is the home of the WATERSIDE INN, run by Alan Roux of the famous Roux Pere and Fils team.  They have several restaurants in London but this one outshines them all, probably because of its beautiful setting on the water, and the  private garden  which La Rivière suite overlooks.  The atmosphere is typically French three star- serious and concentrated on the cuisine – but the country setting lightens things up, and the mostly all- French staff are most attentive and efficient.

The Waterside Inn, Bray , Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire

Telephone 44 1628 620691

Next comes  BIBENDUM  on the Fulham Road in London – where I head  without fail whenever I’m over there. The restaurant has been going for 20 years, with Simon Hopkinson as its first chef, but the high standards he set have been maintained and it is always a delightful place to eat.  There is also an Oyster Bar on the ground floor,  surrounded by flowers from the flower stall which is alongside, and the building is guarded by the Michelin man, Bibendum  who is poised on the roof.  Elegant cuisine, a sophisticated wine list and a very friendly atmosphere.

Bibendum, Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London SW3 6RD

Telephone 44 207 581 5817

And last, and in complete contrast, RESTAURANT 44 in the Swissotel in Berlin.  An ultra-modern dining room, with views over the Kudamm, a young adventurous chef, Danyel Kresovic, and concept-breaking cuisine,  with a slight nod to Ferran Adria of El Bulli,  but without the molecular effects!

Restaurant 44, Swissotel, Augsburgerstrasse 44, 10789 Berlin.

Telephone 49 30220100