Trappeurs Mark 2

Back in the Alps we revisit Trappeurs. Although it's a quiet time they accommodate 9 adults and 5 children (all english) stoically and efficiently at short notice. Only two at the grown up table order starters. A salade de pays and a salade chevre chaud. Both are monstrous. The menu does say "Our starter are huge - consider sharing them" I commend this strategy to you.

For mains I ask for Magret de canard. They ask rose ou non and I ask for entre les deux. It arrives magnificently black and crusty but just below the subtle crunch is a tender pink slice of duck. Excellent accompaniments, quality vegetables, the vin de la semaine turns out to be a 2002 beaujolais. The whole event is very nice. After desserts the men retire to the bar to join the chef in an un-named brandy. I mention that too much wine leaves me with a dry taste in the mouth in the morning - his answer is of course another glass of brandy. "le cognac est un couvercle pour l'estomac". Sounds better in french than "brandy puts a lid on yer dinner". I pay the bill, stagger home and yes he's right. The dry taste in the mouth is absent. The dull thud is still there. I find out later that the women in the party were force fed cointreau by the chef's wife and another tale was told about its efficacy in sorting out stomachs and other parts of the body.

At Last! The Caesar Salad Show

The Clifton Arms Hotel, Lytham, 28th August 2006

Top notch all round, though heavy on the pocket. Canapes while we read the menu. Menu "safe". Starter: Caesar Salad (honest guv). Lovely crisp lettuce, crutons just right with herby tones, yer actual anchovies, parmesan shavings and a sauce that knew its place. Brown bread to accompany was rather bland.

Wine arrived: a 2000 Gevrey-Chambertin (the list said 2001 but we weren't complaining). Cherry red, very smooth - would go down without touching the sides if you didn't stop it - long finish and generally in the lighter red fruit regions, perhaps redcurrents with a hint of vanilla.

Main course: Confit of Duck. Easy to say but this was perfect. Never had one as good. Even I can't cook this well. Crisp, cruchy skin and succulent, tender, moist flesh. Served with very good quenelle of carrot flavoured with aniseed or caraway (sorry, my buds don't always work fully), fine green beans, roast parsnips and crisp roast potatoes. (My companion's mashed potatoes were flavoured with tarragon - perfect with his chicken). Dark, rich sauce to accompany. My portions of veg just a bit on the mean side but my companion couldn't eat all his.

Dessert: two good sized portions of Lancashire cheese: one a blue, the other "neat". Fabulous range of biscuits to accompany, white grapes and good, wholesome butter. Coffee and chocolate mints. With a bottle of sparkling water £91.10 for the two.

Recommended. In the old school of restaurants so we could hear each other talk.

Calais or Dijon

Faced with a long journey through France I booked an overnight stop en route both ways. Going out was Novotel Dijon. Coming home was Holiday Inn, Coquelles, Calais. Which would you consider the better deal?

Dijon Novotel was easy to find. They had used the simple tactic of putting a sign on a board as you left the autoroute saying where the hotel was situated. We followed the instructions and there it was.

Holiday Inn promised to be within 4 minutes of eurotunnel terminal. There were signs at the some roundabouts but they petered out and we had to guesss the direction at several roundabouts and eventually arrived.

Dijon offered a red Marsannay 2002 at 24 euro; Holiday Inn a Vin de pays d'oc for 22 euros.

Dijon menu at 30 euros provided a good quality meal with starter, steak, dessert. Calais did a 25 euro 'plaisance' menu but we chose a la carte which was more expensive. Both were asked for water. Dijon supplied a carafe with ice and fresh water; Calais a carafe with tepid tap water.

Dijon menu was good but tourist oriented (chips...) but substantial. Pate starter, two different steaks to follow. Cheese course. Nice pace. Nice staff.

Calais was clearly trying to be upmarket. The pate with armagnac hints had no armagnac I could discern and the pate itself wasn't easy to find so small was the portion. Two miniscule chinese leaves and half a cherry tomato completed the dish. The steak and my son's seared scallops were good. Son ate his traditional ice cream. The service was very poor. We waited 13 minutes after being shown our table for anyone to offer anything. No-one bothered to think of asking if we wanted a cup of coffee or cognac. As we left the restaurant no-one asked our opinion.

Breakfast at Dijon included in the price. Breakfast at Calais a monster 15 euros each and the french still haven't mastered bacon 'n' eggs.

One hotel tried very hard and delivered a quality room for 3 with evening meal and breakfast for 158 euros. One tried to be something that wasn't wanted and charged 406 euros for the same. I'll leave you to work it out.

Guilano's Edinburgh August 2006

This can be dealt with quite quickly. Nice friendly Italian staff lead you to bright, clean, well-furnished and good sized restaurant. Menu and wine list look good. Hard to be disparraging in the face of such niceness. I had the Stagioni pizza - Ham, Mushrooms, Artichokes, Calabrese Sausage and Black Olives. If you like safe, rich, Marks & Spencer's cheese tarts (and, apparently the people of Edinburgh do) then this pizza is for you. However, if you were expecting a pizza then you have another think coming. Half bottle of a regional red that was very enjoyable - but would have been even better with Italian food. For dessert I had the Torta Fantastica - layered vanilla toffee ice cream on a crisp chocolate base. My compliments to the head chemist; it must have taken great skill to open the wrapping and put this on the plate then open the jar of fruits of the forest goo and spoon a bit over it.

However, the Cognac was served at perfect temperature (a complete cooincidence I was assured by Maria-Enza, they had no idea what the temperature was) and the espresso was very rich and worth having.

£29. 48. With the tip, that came to .... well, £29.48; I mean to say...
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