Adventure #227: Creperie Ahna (Dinan)

As luck would have had it, the Fete Des Ramparts festival was on when we visited Dinan.  The festival is held only on one weekend in late July every even numbered year and the entire town dresses up in medieval garb and throw a huge party!

We wondered around town, enjoyed the many difference performances around town while G took tonnes of photos of people in various different medieval customs. We even managed some shopping - bought a couple of very unique leather belts, before arriving at our lunch destination for the day.

The town was so full of fun, we were reluctant to sit indoors so we waited more than 30 mins for a little table outside.

Steak to be cooked on heated stone with 3 sauces. Beside the novelty of cooking it yourself on the hot stone, the dish was genuinely delicious.

Galette with salmon and leak. 

The most popular galette - La Complete.

A wonderful relaxing lunch. Food was good and the festivities just made it such an unique experience.

Adventure #226: Le Surcouf (Cancale)

We actually came to Cancale to have dinner at Le Surcouf but got distracted by the fresh oysters.  After the 2 dozen oysters, I just couldn't face dinner so we went for a long walk along the shore.  It was low tide and there was really nothing to see except boats "stranded" on the beach at low tide ......

Finally, after an hour or so, we decided to have an early dinner as there was not that much to do.

Still full from the oysters, I only wanted very little to eat, so I ordered the another gem of the French gastronomy which is the original fish soup or soupe de poissons. This fine and tasty soup was accompanied with a little pot of the garlicky saffron sauce known as rouille ('rust"), a mound of grated cheese, and a bowl of croutons.  Quite enough for me.

G had this raw scallop dish for starter which he said was rather good. I will take his word for it as I am not a fan of raw scallop.

G actually ordered the sole for himself but something was lost in translation and the restaurant split the sole into 2 portions (this is one) for the kids.

The older one had moules and it didn't disappoint.

This salmon was for the little one but with the orders all messed, we all ended up having a little of everything!

A couple of light desserts to finish off the meal.

Nothing much in Cancale except for the oysters.  Food at Le Surcouf was good, would have been better if we didn't already pig out on the oysters.

Adventure #225: Fresh Oysters (Cancale)

After St. Malo, we drove to Cancale for dinner.  Cancale is a holiday town with a street by the sea with holiday shops and restaurants.  Right at the corner of that street, where the lighthouse and jetty are, is a small oyster market made up of a handful of stores selling fresh oysters to eat there or to take away.

The fresh oysters were of varying sizes and ranges from 4 Euro a piece to 4 Euro a dozen! If you decide to eat there, the store keeper will open the oysters for you, serve the oysters on a tray with a lemon and a plastic knife for an extra 1 Euro.

We bought a dozen from this lady.

And we just ate them on the steps next to the market overlooking the oyster farms.

After eating, just throw the shells on the beach which was already covered.

After the initial dozen, we went back for another dozen. This time we had bigger ones for an extra Euro a dozen.

Men working the oyster farms

I am not much of an oyster fan but to eat oysters so fresh and in such a casual environment was such an unique experience. Not to mention the costs! Very glad we came. Now.....what are we going to do about dinner??? I guess we have to feed the kids!

Adventure #224: Le Bistro de Jean (St. Malo)

Today we were in St. Malo, a quaint walled city a short drive away from Dinard. We were advised to take a ferry from Dinard because parking is difficult to find in St. Malo.  However, as we planned to also visit Cancale in the evening, we decided to chance it.  

We arrived in St. Malo around 11am. Whilst we were unable to find any parking inside the walled city, the parking spaces just outside the wall were plentiful. 

G shortlisted 2 restaurants in St. Malo, one of them a Michelin star restaurant.  As these restaurants were close to each other, we decided to physically check it out before making a decision.  We first went to Le Chalut, a 1 Michelin star seafood restaurant.  The restaurant is decorated in a baby blue nautical theme with all inside seating. It was a warm day and we did not fancy being couped up inside.

As a result, we walked next door to Le Bistro de Jean which was decorated in traditional French bistro style and had a table by the French window; so we took it.

Pork shank terrine. This was delicious, the tangy mayo sauce went really well with the saltiness of the terrine.  I enjoyed this.

Mackerel rillettes. Never had fish rillettes, usually we have goose rillettes which are a bit more meaty and flavourful.  This is more refined in texture and a little less salty. An interesting dish.

Scallop in creme sauce on a bed of seasonal vegetables. Delicious. Scallop cooked just right.

Fish pie with ham and salad. Another interesting dish. The saltiness of the ham added a little more flavour to the fish pie. Never had it this way.

Chicken with mushroom for the kids. They loved this.

Apple crumble with ice cream. I really enjoyed this lovely dessert.

An espresso in a very oversized cup!

This is no Michelin star meal. But food is adequately delicious and great bistro atmosphere. Had an enjoyable lunch!

Adventure #223: Le Balafon (Dinard)

It was a long day today. We moved out of our accommodation at Le Harve in the morning, stopped and spent a day visiting Mont St Michel before driving further west to arrive at our next base for this trip, Dinard. 

Dinard is a very small town. Not on the usual tourist route but we think it is a nice stopover. And surprisingly, small as it is, it has a recommended restaurant. So after checking in and freshening up, we walked the short distance from our hotel to Le Balafon.

Dinard's main beach. Apparently the house in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, The Bird is based on one of those Victorian houses in the background.

Amuse bouche - Tomato soup with smoked salmon and cream

After the very disappointing moules mariniere at Etretat, I decided to give this dish another try. This one was the way it is supposed to be! Simply delicious!

G was deliberating between the lamb dish and the fish dish and finally decided on this - Cod on a bed of veggie in an orange sauce. He wasn't sure about the orange sauce but it turned out to be a great dish.  The fish was crispy on the outside and still moist inside. 

A little out of character for the older one but she insisted upon having Risotto with prawns and chorizo. She loved this.

Salmon and fries for the little one.

My peach tart with strawberry ice cream.  Loved the tangy taste of the tart.

Mixed local dessert with coffee. This is apparently a well known dish for diners to sample the local desserts. But we didn't quite like this one.  The little desserts were a little too dry.

Had a wonderful meal at Le Balafon.  Other than the food which was very good, the small town atmosphere and the ability to walk to and from dinner in the nice warm summer evening just made this such a wonderful night out.

Adventure #222: Le Breard (Honfluer)

We spent the day before visiting many of the the world war II sites such as the D-day beaches, Pointe du Hoc and Longues-sur-mer (where the German guns still stand) and to save time we just had simple meals along the way. So when we got to Honfluer, G felt that a good meal is due.

There are a few recommended restaurants in Honfluer. After much deliberation, we chose Le Breard.

Amuse bouche clockwise from the top - watermelon and tomato gazpacho, goat cheese macaroon, cream puff with strawberry.  The gazpacho was refreshing not to mention very delicious. The macaroon were the best, the mix of sweet and savoury. Yum! Cream puff were so so but cannot complain.

Freshly baked bread. Although we know a lot of food is coming our way.....we just couldn't stop eating this.

Another amuse bouche. Mango with raw seabream with coconut mousse. 

Mackerel marinated in hazelnut oil, orange with chicory and hazelnut. This is a very interesting dish as we have not had raw mackerel before.  Very interesting combination. The nut puree was really delicious. Light and very good starter.

This is a fusion dish, Tuna served in 3 different styles (grilled, carpaccio and Japanese tempura style) with soy sauce and wasabi.  Amazing dish! Loved it!

Pollack fillet, fennel, Granny apple and dill. Never had pollack before. Combination is good. Delicious but lack a little something.

Sea bass, almond cream and lemon preserved. Sea bass was very good. The almond cream is absolutely delightful. Great dish.

Lamb, cabbages and oregano meat juice. Again the older one ordered this and loved every bite of it.

They didn't have a kid's menu but they made chicken and mashed potatoes for the little one.  According to the little one, the mashed potatoes were as good as the best one she had at the restaurant on top of Mirabel.

A selection of cheeses from the area.

Warm passion fruit souffle flavoured with"Passoa", coconut biscuit and fruit salad.  The souffle was very lite.

This was recommended by the waitress. A tart with Gariguettes, tomato and strawberry jelly, balsamic vinegar mousse and red pepper sorbet.  The dessert itself so delightful to look at.  Best of all was the red pepper sorbet (bottom left). So different and yet so delicious!

Espresso to end this wonderful meal.

Amuse bouche dessert? From the top - Pineapple, orange and lemon concoction, pistachio eclair and strawberry sorbet.  This came when we asked for the bill, i.e. after we have had our dessert and coffee. We were so full by now, hence the lighter ones such as the pineapple thing and the strawberry sorbet were more welcomed.

According to G, this is the best meal he had so far this trip.  All the dishes were unique and delicious. The amuse bouche were added delights. Very glad we chose Le Breard!