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Les Saveurs de Samarkand (Strasbourg, France)
by koshkha
~Food Glorious Food - or not~
The French are world famous for their fabulous food and rightly so. Unfortunately the focus on their own local and regional cuisine means that anything a bit 'exotic' - by which I mean not French - tends to be either hard to find or quite expensive and possibly both. Try getting a decent curry in ... France without spending a fortune and you'll know what I mean. When I went to visit some colleagues in our factory just north of Strasbourg last week they kindly invited me to go out for lunch because they'd not 'booked' food in the factory canteen. We set off to find what one colleague called an "Azyun" restaurant, a Chinesy-Thai place, but it was full and they couldn't let us have a table. Her reserve choice sounded fascinating and was to be my first experience of Uzbekistani food at Les Saveurs de Samarkand in Schiltigheim.
My husband and I had been dithering over booking a trip to Uzbekistan so I was intrigued to see what the food might be like. On the basis of my experience at Les Saveurs de Samarkand, I would say it's a country where I would need a suitcase full of cans of tuna in order to survive. I thought Iranian and Moroccan food was poor for those of us who choose not to eat meat, but the Uzbek food was enough to make me reconsider booking a holiday. We've cancelled our plans for this year - not because of the food but because we've run out of time for visas.
~Our Visit~
We parked up in the spaces next to a car dealership, clearly marked with signs saying 'Parking for Customers only'. Our driver let out one of those characteristically French "Pouffe" type noises, waved her hand dismissively and strode off down the road. If you want to go to this restaurant, it's worth being aware that parking can be tricky as it's on a busy road. The restaurant is one of the tiniest I've ever been in with no more than four tables. The setting looks more like a small shop than an eating place and the walls are decorated with photos and painting of the homeland and some rather garish embroideries. A group of men at another table had already eaten all of the day's 'special' so we were left to order off the standard menu. The restaurant has no website so I can't check the names of anything that was on offer, though several dishes sounded a lot like the noises made by birds in my garden.
It was quickly apparent that the vegetarian option was to have the meat eaters' food without the meat - there was nothing else except the side dishes that would otherwise accompany their dishes. The owner said that for me she would just do 'more salad'. I could see this was going to be a meal I might not want to repeat in a hurry.
The choices revolve around that great standard of the Middle East and the Silk Road, the kebab. One colleague went for minced meat patties and the other for a 'brochette' of chicken. I went for whatever the chef was willing to give me. We ordered three diet Cokes and a bottle of water. Food came quite quickly - probably just as long as it took to grill the meat - and was delivered without ceremony. The kebab eaters got a nicely balanced plate of meat, rice, salads and bread - I got a mountain of rice and some salad. I was disappointed to not even qualify for a slice of flat bread.
~Oh dear, this isn't my idea of heaven~
My food made me feel slightly queasy. The rice was sticky with bits of finely shredded carrot and a very strange taste. It could have been a little bit of saffron but my main instinct was that it tasted very strongly of lamb fat. I could be wrong - I've not eaten meat in 22 years but my primitive memory said 'Ick, not nice'. Catherine - the colleague who had chosen the place - said later that she thinks the food there is quite light and she likes that the rice tastes as if it has been cooked in a bouillon. Possibly that's the source of the unpleasantly meaty taste but I'm sticking to my fear that it was some kind of nasty animal fat. If I'd been in the UK and if I'd not been with colleagues who'd chosen the place, I would have kicked up a stink but instead I sat and picked at my rice and tried not to think too much about what had been done to it. Alongside the mountain of rice I had a sliced tomato salad which was very good and a mound of shredded carrot with a strange, citrus sauce.
I probably shouldn't have bothered with a pudding but I was hoping that something might lift the dreary sense that a meal in such a great culinary country had been wasted on something pretty yukky. We ordered an Uzbek pastry called something like tchak tchak (see what I mean about the bird calls) which seemed to be the standard. I've since discovered from a bit of googling that this is a popular dessert throughout the 'Stans' although it's interpreted differently in each place. Our tchak tchak was a strange concoction of little bits of pastry - possibly fried, possibly baked -along with some bits of nut and glued together with what tasted like honey. It was a bit like an exploded baklava crossed with a cornflake cake and was tooth-achingly sweet. It was served with a ball of saffron ice-cream and a drizzle of fruit sauce. I was glad I tried it but I wouldn't rush to repeat the experience.
~Cost and Recommendation~
The bill for three of us came to just over 50 euros which I thought was a little expensive for the quality of what we'd had. Admittedly if I'd had a juicy kebab with my rice and salad, I might have felt differently as my two colleagues thought their lunches were lovely.
I feel no urge whatsoever to try Uzbekistani food again.
~Details~
Les Saveurs de Samarkand
37 Route du General de Gaulle,
Schiltigheim,
Strasbourg
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Brasserie Bofinger (Paris, France)
by nilo0901
Bofinger is a Parisian institution and draws crowds for its opulent and authentic art nouveau setting. It typifies your expectation of Parisian brasserie dining through its immaculate, professional and polite, if not friendly, waiting staff.
It is situated on a side street on the edge of the Marais district near the Bastille. ... The restaurant's exterior is simple but very smartly fronted by a large red awning carrying the Bowfinger logo. The restaurant inside is large with 2 tiers of seating and more often than not it is very crowded. The clientele range from smart local businessmen through to tourists seeking the authentic experience.
The ground floor is the choice location to dine as it is the more picturesque and like us, getting a seat underneath the colourful dome is a must. These tables are usually given to locals rather than tourists so be sure to request this when you book. They may be a bit difficult with you but it's worth insisting upon.
The menu seldom puts a foot wrong and specialises in quality and not over-elaborating. They know what they do well and they don't stray from it. For a starter I had snails, which were plump, succulent and pleasantly garlicky but not overpoweringly so. Sometimes snails can be chewy but these were done to perfection. For a main I went for their famed sauerkraut which consisted of back pudding, white pudding, sausage and pork knuckle. The portion was exceptionally big and if perhaps unremarkable was excellent for what it was, particularly the knuckle, which was tender and moist, not too fatty or dry. My wife opted for the steak and asked for it to be cooked medium. A rarity in Paris, it was cooked as an English medium rather than a French medium and melted like butter without a hint of fat or toughness. The accompanying potato dauphinoise were rich and creamy but not heavy and stodgy.
This was all accompanied by a fine demi bottle of Fleurie that did its job admirably.
If you order a la carte like we did, Bofinger can be expensive. Mains range from EU25 upwards and for a two course meal with a small bottle of wine we didn't leave for under EU130. That aside, it is an experience and somewhere worth the visit if looking for that authentic experience.
The staff were pleasant enough and you could really get the sense that being a waiter was a true profession here rather than a stop-gap job. They could perhaps have gone a little further in the friendly stakes, especially given we were there for our anniversary and they were aware of this. That said, they were efficient, professional and polite. My only grumble would be that we found out upon leaving that they served a fixed menu but were never offered this.
In all, I would highly recommend a visit here for it's Parisian charm and quality food.
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The View Pavillion Restaurant (Luang Prabang, Laos)
by catsholiday
The View Pavilion Restaurant and hotel
We only had lunch in this restaurant so I cannot comment on what this is like as a hotel. The hotel is right in the city and just one street away from the Nam Khan River. The dining terrace upstairs gives you a perfect view of the street below and all the temples nearby. In the distance ... from this terrace you can also just about see the mountains but as Luang Prabang is in an area where slash and burn agriculture still takes place most of the time the city is shrouded in a smoky haze a bit like Beijing's smog.
The day we went for lunch we had been up quite early and had walked around the city for at least four hours already so we were quite tired. What we wanted more than food was to sit and take the weight off our legs. Our little lady guide, Wong came with us and recommended which dishes we should try. She was a truly ladylike and genteel person whose husband was working in another part of the country, she was living with her mother in law and had a three year daughter whom we did meet. She was a little doll and so wll behaved but I digress, sorry.
Wong suggested we try Or Lam which is a kind of meat stew with vegetables but with the addition of herbs and spices and buffalo skin and pork skin. I have to say that put me off but my husband who is game for anything ordered it. I ordered a chicken lap or larb ( depending on where you see it written) which is a minced meat salad flavoured with coriander, chilli and fish sauce and between us we thought we would try a fish mok which is fish wrapped in banana leaf and steamed with herbs and chilli.
The dishes arrived piping hot with sticky rice which I have to say I got pretty sick of in the end as it is very chewy and quite dry but this was our first Laotian meal and we were keen and eager to try things.
The fish mok was delicious and so tender and no hidden bones to surprise us either. The flavours of the coriander and lemongrass and chilli really soaked into the fish and that went down as a success. We did try chicken mok on other occasions and that was just as good. This was one of my favourite of the dishes in Laos.
The next dish was the chicken lap which is cold. The minced chicken is cooked in stock in a wok and then cooled after this chopped fresh herbs like coriander and ginger plus others are added and finally fish sauce is poured into the mix. I admit that at times I found the fish sauce was a touch overpowering and if too much was added I didn't like it as much. This was my first try and I really enjoyed it as it was fresh tasting and very different.
The final dish was the Or Lam which I really was not keen on trying but felt that I had to give it a go. There were lots of vegetables in the stew such as carrots, squash, potatoes and beans so I managed to select a spoonful of those for my sample. The stew itself was really tasty but the bits of buffalo skin and pork skin were very off putting and even my husband who ate some said they were pretty revolting but he ate t to be polite. I am sad to say that my manners don't stretch to eating yukky things so as not to offend. Fat and fatty meat is a definite no no for me!
We ordered a lemon tea each to drink with our meal and they also brought us a jug of iced water. What is nice in Laos is that if you eat at a restaurant and they bring you water it is safe to drink. I think it wouldn't be worth giving tourist funny tums from tap water so they are very careful we found.
The dining terrace was empty apart from our table and there was no-one downstairs either but maybe lunch isn't a popular meal. We found the food to be freshly prepared and tasty and didn't have any adverse reaction from the meal which is always a plus when travelling. The service was quick and quite friendly. The owner brought our lady guide a special tea as she knew she was pregnant so I suspect she is a friend. Wong was quite up front and had said that they would give her a meal for free if we ate there so she wasn't trying to pull one over us.
When it was time to go we paid in cash so I am not sure if they take credit cards. The meal was not very expensive between £5 and £10 I believe so it wouldn't have been worth the bother.
As we were going to be walking for another few hours we decided to use the 'bathroom; facilities before going on. These were downstairs and round the back. On the way I passed a few ladies washing up in bowls on the floor which slightly concerned me but as we had no upset stomach from the meal it was obviously okay.
The toilets were separate and they were proper sit on toilets and there was a wash basin, soap and paper towels too so I was quite happy. I still used the hand sanitiser though to make sure.
Prior to arriving in Laos we had read that you were safe to eat from the street stalls. As we were going around the city Wong had bought us some baked sweet potato and banana from a lady with an open fire pit and we ate that but we did actually avoid the little stalls along the road; we always feel if we lived there we would eat from these stalls but when on such a time schedule we really do not want to be laid up with traveller's tummy as it is no fun. We did however eat at a number of local restaurants, most of them I forget but I did remember this as it was our first meal with local Laos food so one we remembered.
Thanks for reading this review may be posted on other sites under my same user name.
©Catsholiday
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