The bistro: Le Bistroquet

As mentioned in my Crêpes in Troyes post, we had come to Troyes to same the andouillette. Le Bistroquet was the restaurant where we came to sample the andouillette here in Troyes. It was a gorgeous, classic-looking French bistro with warm beige tones, rich brown wooden panelling, soft muted lighting and touches of art deco throughout. Was I ever excited! Such surroundings to me always promise more to come – and come they did. Our waitress was a petite little thing; full of feistiness but with a charming, mischievous grin. She took our order, and on quiet reflection, she hesitated ever so slightly when we came to order the andouilette, but such is the beauty of hindsight.

A starter of scallops grilled in butter proved to be lovely; plump and meaty, it was served with a light and crisp side salad dressed wonderfully in extra virgin olive oil. The froid (cold) foie gras had a lovely creamy, rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture, but unfortunately was a little too salty. Despite this, I was pleased with what had been presented so far. With no reason to suspect any surprises, my expectations remained high.

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Dear fair reader, are you the type of person, who like me, feels duty bound to try regional specialities and local delicacies on your travels? Would you otherwise feel like you might miss out on some important culinary discovery if you did not? When in Rome I always say.

So it was with great fanfare and aplomb that we arrive in Troyes three days into our driving trip of the Champagne region. As you already know, we’d done some research prior and located a restaurant where it was possible to try the regional speciality, andouilette. A French tourism website had described it as meatballs… little did we know, but more on that later.

Medieval Troyes

Troyes, first a Roman city, is now a quaint but slightly jaded medieval town. It retains a certain sense of charm and whilst dressed slightly rough around the edges, it hasn’t been dolled up just for the tourists, allowing it to hold onto that sense of a lived-in town. We meandered leisurely through the streets, and with all the little curiosities that its architecture had to offer, snapped happily away for it was a place worthy of a spot in the photo album. Unexpectedly, we walked past a little crêperie and I was duly summoned. Unable to resist because some things you know are just going to be damn good, we ordered the specialty of the house with ham, bacon, cheese, tomato, pan-fried potato and crème fraiche. Hot, wholesome and hearty, the melted cheese meshed with the meatiness of the ham and bacon and the soft juiciness of the warm tomato. Damn good indeed.

Crêpe with ham, cheese, tomato and lots of other goodies

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Champagne, a beverage that conjures up images of all things grand, of monumental occasions and causes for celebration. Perhaps fitting then that Reims, our destination that evening and the capital of the Champagne region, was for centuries the coronation ground for many French monarchs. It was here in the cathedral, the Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Reims that some thirty odd French kings were crowned, including Charles VII as Joan of Arc watched on. Also here in Reims is a little French chateau called Les Crayères, home to the talents of Chef Didier Elena. As explained to me by the locals, crayères in French translates as chalk.

Champagne House Mercier

Chalk, you say? Well, it’s the chalk in the earth that the grapes are grown in that helps give Champagne its flavour for it helps to provide good humidity and drainage. It would be easy to assume that Les Crayères is so named for this chalk in the earth and is perhaps meant to embody all that which gives the Champagne region its flavours. If so then, how could one resist sampling the offerings of this restaurant, a two-star-Michelin restaurant, symbolically situated in the land of Champagne and the birthplace of French kings?

On entering the majesty of the gorgeous restaurant that lies behind the gates, I couldn’t help but wonder what was in store. A stroll around the palatial gardens conjured up images of the grandeur of French court life. We were seated by immaculately tailored wait staff in a rectangular dining room that from all angles looked out through French doors dressed with lush curtains onto this aforementioned garden. The style of the restaurant dining room was period, the décor lush but unpretentious.

Delectable amuse-bouche to tempt the palate

In these sumptuous surroundings we sipped champagne (starting from €25) in the sitting room and then elected to feast on a seven-course traditional dégustation menu (€185). There was also à la carte and an alternative tasting menu (€225) with the option of accompanying champagnes (€305). After ordering we were immediately presented with a trio of amuse bouche and breads, five varieties, so hardly lacking for choice. Freshly baked, the cheese and the sausage options were the winning flavours; the crusts were just right and the dough so tasty it almost seemed an injustice to eat with butter.

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Instead of eating petit déjeuner (breakfast) at the restaurant hotel we chose to buy croissants from the patisserie for breakfast. It was France after all, and at €1 a pop, cheaper than the €8 for breakfast charged by the restaurant at the hotel. The croissants were good as you would expect, flaky and buttery, but I’d now left crumbs in the car to add to the odd crisp and brazil nut from yesterday.

Chateau de Pierrefonds

Our first stop of the day was Chateau de Pierrefonds. Considered a national monument and one of the most beautiful castles in France, it is perched high up on the hill.

Originally built for military defense purposes, it found new life through restoration efforts in the 19 Century and was used as the backdrop for a number of films. It overlooks the little village of (surprise, surprise) Pierrefonds. Delightfully, this cozy little village has a tiny high street of about six shops or so, most of which related to food, including a restaurant brasserie. Clearly the French know what is important in life.

The aromas from the rotisserie were overwhelmingly seductive, and the spit roasted chickens on display looked irresistible, so of course we had to lunch from the rotisserie, settling on ham, roast pork, fried mash potatoes and fries, all washed down with beer from the restaurant. Last up were the chocolate eclairs from the patisserie; with airy light pastry and a soft gooey chocolatey centre they were utterly divine. This was truly what life was all about.