La Terrasse du Mimosa (Christmas Eve Dinner)

Christmas Eve and we decided to have dinner at La Terrasse du Mimosa. They were having a special Christmas Eve menu. Christmas Eve is normally when families spend the evening at home instead of going out. So, it was no surprise that the wine bar was a bit quiet. Non-the-less, we enjoyed ourselves very much.


The wine bar was dimly light and sparkling with candles lit on each table. The Christmas decorations added a festive mood. A lovely, cosy and relaxing atmosphere.






We started the evening by opening a bottle of champagne. The champagne was Pierre Peters and this has got to be one of the finest quality and price ratio champagnes around (Pierre Peters champagne website)


The amuse bouche was a fois gras creme brulee. A rich and tasty amuse bouche. It went very well with the champagne.


The first dish was home-made fois gras accompanied with home-made fig chutney and gravalax accompanied with fresh beets. The fois gras was splendid; rich, creamy and intense goose liver taste. The fig chutney added sweetness to the fois gras. The gravalax had a good texture and the beets added freshness and sweetness to the gravalax.


The next dish was gratin de queues de langoustine et de gambas. A very nice hot and cosy dish for a cold winter evening. The langoustine and gambas added a very nice seafood flavour to the creamy and soft gratin. Another nice aspect of this gratin was that it was also light in texture, not so heavy on the cheese and cream.


Since it was a special occasion, we opened a Beringer 1989 Private Reserve. We decided to get away from French wines this evening and try different wines. I have had the Berringer Privae Reserve several times and I have never been disappointed. I have to agree with the Wine Spectator who gave this vintate 91 points because the wine was indeed, complex, and at an ideal drinking stage, with pretty plum, black cherry, currant, anise and spicy notes, finishing with firm, softening tannins and a nice dose of creamy oak. We totally enjoyed it.


The next dish was pave de biche aux airelles. The biche was a stunning piece of meat. So tender that it sliced liked butter. The taste is unique and very good.


The next dish was a plateau de fromages au lait cru affines. You can never get enough of the cheeses from around this region. All fine yet intense with its own unique taste. And, wow the roquefort was strong. It had a big kick and long after taste.


For dessert; the dish was a buche de Noel aux fruit exotiques. A very light dessert after a filling dinner. The exotique fruits added the sweetness and acidity to a lovely dessert. The cake was light and practically melted in the mouth.


The last wine was the famous Dominus 1988. The Dominus is a blend of 88% cabernet sauvignon, 11% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. Parker gave this wine 91 points. Parker review: "The dense, opaque ruby/ purple colour exhibits great saturation and intinsity and the nose is beginning to offer up smoked herb and ripe cassis aromas. In the mouth, the wine is deep, medium to full-bodied, with excellent concentration, and one of the longest, richest finishes I have found in a Cabernet Sauvignon from 1988." I could have not said it any better.


All the wines displayed to be bought and consumed.


Click here for directions to La Terrasse du Mimosa: