Monday, December 21, 2009

La Reserve Rimbaud (Montpellier, France)

This happens to be one of my favourite restaurant in Montpellier just for the atmosphere. First of all it is situated in a quiet neighborhood not situated in the middle of the city so that parking is easy enough.


The restaurant hits high above a calm flowing and jade green coloured river. The river has enormous fish that the waiters advise to throw in some bread so we can see the swarm of fish better.


When the weather was as beautiful as we had it. The restaurant gets packed right away and you better reserve a table if you want to sit outside on the terrace. The atmosphere is calm and soothing with huge old trees shading you from the sun. The decor is simple elegance. The service is fantastic and friendly.


We first got an amuse bouche of cold cauliflower soup and a brioche. A nice and refreshing start. Creamy and tasty.


The first starter was tuna tartare topped with avocado. A very pretty presentation and it tasted as good as it looked. The tuna was very fresh and had a nice taste and texture. The avocado added a creamy texture and the combination of tuna and avocado were paired well.


The second starter was seasonal vegetable soup. An amazing mix of seasonal vegetables slowly cooked in a lovely vegetable broth. For added taste and saltiness; a few slices of parmessan cheese were floating on top.


The first main course was fish accompanied with an asian inspired sauce for the radish & cucumber salad. The fish was pan fried perfectly. The fish was solid but flaky at the touch, it had a good texture and the skin was sligtly crispy. The asian inspried sauce for the radish & cucumber salad was a mix of sesame oil, soy, rice vinegar and roasted sesame seeds. A simple but very good dish.


The second main course was roasted local beef accompanied with roasted seasonal vegetables. The meat was cooked as asked; medium rare. The meat was tender and had a good taste. The vegetables tasted so good (we always forget what vegetables tastes like until we return back to France).


The first dessert was a cheese plate. Two different local cheeses; one hard and one soft. Ripe and ready to eat. Both cheeses were full of flavour.


The second dessert was pineapple carpaccio toppwed with vanilla ice-cream. Archie the lab is not interested in the dessert but was more interested with the fish in the river. A simple & refreshing dessert of fresh pineapple sitting in its own sweet juice.


The third dessert was a chocolate tarte topped with chocolate crumbble and vanilla ice cream. A complex dessert. The chocolate tarte was soft and creamy while the chocolate crumbble added rich texture. The combination was a chocoholics dream come true.

Overall; a lovely restaurant to spend the day because the atmosphere is beautiful, the service is good and the food fantastic. Using local and seasoal products adds to the charm of the restaurant. You know what season you are in when by sitting there and eating there. The chef really knows what he is doing and I cannot wait for next summer to see what the chef is up to.

www.reserve-rimbaud.com

820 Avenue St Maur, 34000 Montpellier, France
0467725253

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