La Table de Plaisance, Saint Emilion - France

Feb 10

Feb 10 La Table de Plaisance, Saint Emilion - France

Simply first class gastronomic experience.

Dan and I got married last summer in the Charente region (near Cognac), after the big day we were obviously extremely excited but also crazily exhausted, and we expected there will be so much to reflect on that when we planned our honeymoon we knew we would want a few days just to do that. So in that light we decided to do a mini-moon rather than going straight on a big full on 2 week holiday. And we are glad we did because it meant I got the chance to show Dan a bit more of my country. We indeed chose to spend a few days in the magical Saint-Emilion wine region. It was just an hour drive away for us but you can easily fly to Bordeaux airport which is about 40 min drive. If you are wine lovers like we are, it’s an area in France you cannot miss! This village has so much heritage and is truly charming. Perched above the most prestigious vineyards it has actually been awarded UNESCO world heritage status since 1999. It offers the ideal mix of history and fantastic food and wine! (more on Saint-Émilion and what to do there in another article soon).

Since we were in a well-known location for food-lovers indulgence and also newly wed, we clearly thought it was a great excuse to treat ourselves with a dinner at La Table de Plaisance, a 2 starred Michelin guide gastronomic restaurant. As Dan’s put it, it’s simply first class gastronomic experience. I guess that's what you would expect for a 2 stars but it truly lived up to the expectation.

We started the experience à la Française with an apéritif consisting of a few glasses of champagne. We asked to sit outside on the terrace of the hotel, it has outstanding panoramic view of Saint-Émilion with the town and vineyards. With our drinks we were served some beautiful amuse-bouches.

We then moved to the contemporary and elegant dining room to start our degustation. We decided to go for the Terroirs menu “Gourmet stroll to discover the producers and South-West products.” The food is visually stunning and absolutely delicious. The highlights were the wood pigeon and line-caught bass but this doesn’t come close to describing the exquisite attention to detail and care put into each dish. The Chef, Ronan Kervarrec, born in Brittany, advocates simplicity and works on regional products to glorify them and reveal their unique taste. Like a “Madeleine de Proust” (aka reminiscence) his cuisine of remembrance and emotion is defined as authentic and frank, simple and legible.

Line-caught bass, my picture does not do it justice!

We decided to go for the wine pairing which was a great idea to let the sommelier guide us to the perfect combination with each dishes. Dan finished with his favourite digestive: cognac!

Our wines were the following:
Fosse sèche « Les tris de la Chapelle » 2011 Saumur
Latour Martillac 2015, Pessac Léognan blanc
Fleur Cardinale 2012, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé

Basilic de Lamothe-Montravel, citron, fromage blanc, poivre long de Java

Fraises de Dordogne, meringue, vin rouge, baie rose

The attention to details throughout the experience is outstanding. The service is impeccable, friendly, attentive and never over-bearing or pretentious. We had mentioned we were recently married and we were offered 2 lovely congratulations chocolate boxes filled with golden chocolates (one to have at the table and one to take away). How very sweet!

A box completely made of chocolate and filled with golden chocolates.

At the end of the dinner, Chef Ronan Kervarrec came to chat with us which is always a nice touch.

Clearly the question of “value” is very much down to individual choice in this price bracket but for a culinary experience this would be hard to beat almost anywhere in the world.

We truly recommend La Table de Plaisance.

Our tips:

It seems obvious but it is preferable to book a table
The terrace outside has lovely views so well worth arriving a bit earlier your booking for a little aperitif alfresco
Go for the wine pairing rather than buying a bottle. You will get precious wine recommendations and the wine will be in perfect harmony with the flavours
Finish your meal with a fresh herbal tea from their herb trolley
Take something warmer for the terrace and later in the evening, the days are hot but the evenings can be a bit chilly depending when you go
Ladies, if you walk to the restaurant, come with flat shoes and carry your heels in a bag. Cobblestone, hills and stilettos don’t usually give you the best look!
If you are on a budget, it seems they are doing more affordable options at lunch time
Surprise your loved ones and go for a special occasion, we often find it’s best to spend on experience of this type than on material presents