6-10 July 2026
Still hot here in the 30’s.
Catching up on admin and reading. A little trip to the Carrefour store up the
road produced some shorts and polo shirts and the equivalent of a $2 shop got
us some fish sauce and sesame oil.
Many drivers are still driving
around in this heat with the windows down. No AC for them! My mate Charles the
ChatGPT bot says “There has long been a cultural tendency in France (and parts
of southern Europe) to avoid "cold air blowing directly on you." Some
people worry that air conditioning can cause sore throats, stiff necks, or
colds—even though air conditioning itself doesn't cause viral colds.” I’m sure
they think kissing frogs will give you warts too.
Monday 6 July 2026
We decided, that since all the restaurants in Barbizon had
some stinking reviews, indicating big swings in service and standards, we would
take a risk, based on The Australians Living in France reviews, on heading 20 mins down the road to Le Doyenne
Restaurant.
Le Doyenné is a restaurant, guesthouse and farm set within the historical grounds of the Château de Saint-Vrain, in the village of Saint-Vrain, 41 kilometres south of central Paris. The Château was once the country retreat of the Countess du Barry and Borghese family and has been the home of the Mortemart family for more than two centuries.
Australian chefs and owners, James Henry and Shaun Kelly,
along with the Mortemart family, have lovingly restored and converted Le
Doyenné – the Mortemart family’s name for the centuries’ old barn – into a
restaurant and guesthouse with 11 rooms.
All food is
sourced from their garden and it therefore it’s mostly vegetarian. They hand
make their butter and sourdough bread, too. The duck and turbot are sourced as
local as possible, as if Flashy cared.
The tasting
course was the only option and courses were matched with the sommelier’s choice
of wines, starting with two glasses of Champagne as a toast to Zena.
The starters were
stunning and tasty morsels from the kitchen garden. Summer Barbajuan (a fried
rectangular ravioli filled with chard, cheese and cooked rice). Surprise brioche – filled with something. Doyenne
charcuterie (jamon slices). Raw tuna tartlet with chives. Raw vegetables with pesto and emulsions from
the garden.
Wine was a Savoie Altesse, also known as Roussette, an
ancient white wine grape variety primarily grown in the Savoie region of
eastern France. Different.
So far, beautiful, fresh food and stunningly plated. And who
doesn’t like vegies?
Next was Ajo
Blanco cold almond soup with a summer vegetable salad. Amazing. Matched with Champagne
Vouette & Sorbee brut de brut also served with the fish.
Then the mains -grilled turbot with artichoke,
zucchini and stock foam. A most delicious combination.
A red Clos du Tue
Boeuf Cheverny Pinot Noir with the duck was a bit light, as they usually are. Grilled
Kriaxcra duck from the Basque country followed with a Camargue rice pilaf with
zucchini cooked over a wood fire.
Our somm’s choice
of a 'wine' based boutique Nondegu biere - what? with the stunning dessert was a
very poor choice. Too clever for her own good. But hey, the food was stunning. Fig
leaf ice cream and sorbet nectarine and a ganfrette (wafer tube) with thyme
cream and red fruit.
We couldn’t fit
in a cheese course, which in French style would have been served before
dessert, but a coffee and petit fours rounded off the evening.
In summary, it
was a delicious, well planned, beautifully executed and plated, degustation of
the freshest ingredients. An open kitchen of a dozen chefs, 17 different
languages and a quiet English sous chef in charge. A very modern, non-traditional
take on French cuisine, in a stunning and no doubt, expensive renovation. I’m
not sure why somms pick obscure, not always good wines. They were OK but not
great. Nine out of ten for us. Cost? 380€. Cheaper than some poncy Melbourne laneway diner.
And for those just begging for food photos-here they are.
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