Syb & I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary here in November. We had lunch in this petit resto before moving on to the aerodrome at Saumur, and a surprise flight in a light ‘plane over the Loire, the chateau and our home at Le Chant d’Oiseau!
We’d heard nothing but good reports about the place from guests here, and we’ve always said we’d give it a go ourselves one of these days. We’ve recommended it to others, purely on the strength of guest’s say-so too, without actually trying it for ourselves – naughty, I know! That’s the way it so often happens here though. We’re usually too busy to venture far in the season, and too tired out of season! For our 25th though, I thought that should change!
This restaurant is set back out of town a little way, on the route de Chinon. Just follow the southern bank of la Loire for a while, until you see signs to turn right for the chateau, and then take a left along a cute little ruelle. There it is, on the right. There’s quite a large car park a little further up, which serves the nearby lycée. Or, you can park on the street if it’s not too busy.
Approaching the restaurant, it’d be easy to miss. A very small terrace out front, with billboards either side of the door advertising the menus. We studied for a few moments, the smells of good home-cooking wafting beneath our noses! There was a gaggle of smokers huddled around the door, and they parted to allow us in.
The place is a gem. We instantly loved it – the feel of the place, and its ambiance. This was a lunchtime, so many places were taken by office workers, fonctionnaires and probably teachers from the lycée just a couple of hundred yards away. The décor inside is a mixture of tastes and styles. Everything’s a jumble, but for us it works really well. there are things to look at, to point to and to generally stimulate good conversation. Essentially, food & good conversation go together like…well, like ‘Food & Drink’! Old crates were stacked to one end of the room, above a gantry which, I surmised was above the kitchen. These crates had corks from untold numbers of wine bottles overflowing here and there. There were ironwork baskets hanging from the ceilings, again filled with corks! Pictures on the walls were of local scenes and the huge blackboard was advertising food in a jumble if hand-written styles, some crossed out (popular) and some added to (newer ingredients?). It all worked really, really well. We felt at home.
We chose our dishes, starters and mains, from the menu, and plumbed for two glasses of local champigny, rather than a bottle. I didn’t know how bumpy the flight was going to be, and the last thing I wanted was for Syb to be airsick! She still didn’t know what I had planned!
We both chose the same starter, simply because we love mushrooms, and this area is famous for them. We chose the ‘galipettes farcies’. Basically, two huge stuffed mushrooms, filled with what can only be described as the tastiest meat filling, but the gravy. Wow! It has to be the tastiest gravy (or sauce) that I’ve ever, ever had. It really was special. This alone was pretty filling, especially given the size of the funghi, and the amount of bread we used to mop up this wonderfully rich, and aromatic gravy.
Syb went for a fish dish, and I a meat one for main. Syb chose the sandre. Locally caught and cooked in a butter sauce. I went for chicken, pan fried in a white wine sauce. Pretty quickly though, the owner, Olivier was back at our table to explain that there was no more zander, and recommending instead another white fish, cooked in a garlic sauce.
No problem, and Syb was happy to go with Olivier’s recommendation. When the mains arrived, I realised that we’d not have long before we needed to make tracks for the aerodrome, and our date with the pilot! So unfortunately we didn’t manage dessert. We did see plenty of them brought out though, and they looked super. The chicken was well cooked, nicely garnished with fresh vegetables, namely haricot verts. There was also a side dish of frites to accompany this, and they were thick, juicy and beautifully done! Syb’s fish, the name of which was almost unpronouncable was served on a bed of couscous, with a garlic sauce ‘moat’. She enjoyed the fish, but the garlic was just a little too overpowering, and spoiled the dish a little.
But overall, we enjoyed our meal here. The service was good, and we took a little time to chat with Olivier at the end of the meal, before we had to dash off.
After finally visiting and sampling the Pot de Lapin, we’d happily recommend it to anyone who stays with us. The ambience, the smells from the kitchen, the setting – in an older part of town, close to the river, and nestled under the escarpment where the chateau sits above, is fantastic. It’s definitely on our list of places we’d like to return to. Unfortunately, there are no pics of the dishes this time, as I’d left the camera in the car. Next time though, I promise I won’t forget!
Until the next time, au revoir!
TBC
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You’ve got me drooling now you bugger!!
Glad you enjoyed that little taster Ally! I’ll do more as and when we visit places!