The Good Earth is a Chinese restaurant, so it does not really fit with the rest of the establishments I wrote about so far. However it is an excellent Chinese and is vegetarian-friendly, offering 4 starters, 3 soups and 10 main courses.
It has become a must-visit every time we are in London. It is part of a small chain but we have visited only the one in Knightsbridge, not far from Harrod's.
There is a smaller dining area on the ground floor and a larger one in the basement, with round tables that can accomodate parties of 8 or so. It is a busy restaurant to it is wise to book a table.
Service is fast and thanks to the round tables it is easy to share the dishes. Our favorites are Sichuan “Chicken”, Sweet & Sour “Chicken”, Dry-fried Aubergine, and the tofu dishes.
Meat eaters can choose from a wide selection but I find that the vegetarian offerings are tasty and it is more fun to share.
There are some good desserts. My son loves the chocolate ice cream.
http://www.goodearthgroup.co.uk/index.php
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Vegetarian-Friendly Michelin starred restaurants
Over time I plan to visit some new restaurants:
Fleur de Sel, Megève,
Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville, Crissier, Lausanne
L'Alexandrin, Lyon
...and some I already know:
Chateauvieux, Satigny, Genève
Denis Martin, Vevey
George Blanc, Vonnas
Alain Ducasse, Paris
and many more.
There are several in London, such as Petrus, but they are too many to mention...
Fleur de Sel, Megève,
Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville, Crissier, Lausanne
L'Alexandrin, Lyon
...and some I already know:
Chateauvieux, Satigny, Genève
Denis Martin, Vevey
George Blanc, Vonnas
Alain Ducasse, Paris
and many more.
There are several in London, such as Petrus, but they are too many to mention...
Curlew, Bodiam, Sussex
This restaurant near stunning Bodiam Castle has earned one Michelin star.
It is apparently going through some changes as we were informed that a new chef would start a few days after our dinner.
England, of course, is much more vegetarian-friendly and on the web site of the restaurant a vegetarian menu is mentioned, without being actually shown.
We had a reservation for Sunday night and we were quite surprised to have the restaurant all to ourselves! That was a bit odd, but Rob, who waited on us, was extremely helpful and friendly. Another surprise was that no vegetarian menu was available but the chef was willing to prepare whatever we wanted.
We both had the double baked cheese soufflé, which was excellent, while the main was salmon for me and a risotto for my son. He was very happy with it.
We ended the meal with dessert.
I was somehow disappointed because I expected a vegetarian menu and I must say it is odd to eat in an empty restaurant. Apparently it was full for lunch, but on Sunday night people rather go to their local pub. The simple style of service might surprise diners who are accustomed to the more formal approach you typically find in a one star Michelin restaurant. It did not bother us.
http://www.thecurlewrestaurant.co.uk/
It is apparently going through some changes as we were informed that a new chef would start a few days after our dinner.
England, of course, is much more vegetarian-friendly and on the web site of the restaurant a vegetarian menu is mentioned, without being actually shown.
We had a reservation for Sunday night and we were quite surprised to have the restaurant all to ourselves! That was a bit odd, but Rob, who waited on us, was extremely helpful and friendly. Another surprise was that no vegetarian menu was available but the chef was willing to prepare whatever we wanted.
We both had the double baked cheese soufflé, which was excellent, while the main was salmon for me and a risotto for my son. He was very happy with it.
 |
| double baked cheese soufflé-not pretty but excellent! |
 |
| risotto |
We ended the meal with dessert.
I was somehow disappointed because I expected a vegetarian menu and I must say it is odd to eat in an empty restaurant. Apparently it was full for lunch, but on Sunday night people rather go to their local pub. The simple style of service might surprise diners who are accustomed to the more formal approach you typically find in a one star Michelin restaurant. It did not bother us.
http://www.thecurlewrestaurant.co.uk/
Château des Monthairons, near Verdun
This charming hotel and restaurant is not Michelin star material but it is an ideal base to discoverVerdun and the surrounding area.I had avised the restaurant that there would be one vegetarian diner, also because I had read a Tripadvisor comment stating that the restaurant was not able to accomodate such a request unless they were informed ahead of time.
Even with the reminder there was some confusion at dinner when we were served a fish amuse-bouche. After some more explaination dinner went smoothly
Sorry for the odd layout but this blog site is quite weird and behave in ways that are quite strange to me.
http://www.chateaudesmonthairons.fr/en/index.php
Monday, October 29, 2012
Le Parc Les Crayères, Reims
Les Crayères is another monument to French cuisine. Currently it has a 2 star rating from Michelin. The restaurant is located in a small château in a beautiful park in Reims, in the Champagne region.
As usual, I informed the restaurant that there would be some vegetarians in our party and I specified that it meant no meat or fish.
As we were seated we were asked again whether fish would be acceptable. A short discussion followed about what could be prepared for the vegetarians. This is never a good sign in my opinion. When I go to a restaurant of this kind, it is to taste the cuisine of the chef and not the recommandations of the maître d'. I feel that the chef should be able to create dishes for the diners. In any case we were able to order our dinner.
After a set of four amuse-bouche, delicate but a bit subdued, the vegetarians had a vegetable medley and a mixed salad as a starter, while I had scallops on artichoke 'risotto' with shavings of white truffle. My dish was excellent, while my wife found the starter not daring enough. The fall vegetables were overpowered by the mushrooms and the tiny ginger and beet ravioli were too shy and lost among the other green.
The vegetarian main courses were the artichoke 'risotto' I had as part of my starter and angel hair pasta with white truffle and a parmesan sauce. My son loved this dish, regretting only the minute size of the portion.
My main was a most classic fall French haute cuisine dish: lièvre à la royale. It was a miracle, possibly even better than the same perfect dish I had a few years back in Paris at Senderens.
As desserts we had a chocolate tart, a pistachio soufflé and a tarte sablée.
My wife had the soufflé, served with a quenelle of lemon ice cream or sorbet that unfortunately was too strong and grainy in texture.
While I would definitely recommend this restaurant for meat-eaters I felt that the chef was not inspired by vegetarian cuisine.
The staff of the restaurant was friendly and efficient, but the perfect clockwork of service I expect from this kind of establishment did now always work seamlessy.
web site: http://www.lescrayeres.com/
As usual, I informed the restaurant that there would be some vegetarians in our party and I specified that it meant no meat or fish.
 | |
| le château |
As we were seated we were asked again whether fish would be acceptable. A short discussion followed about what could be prepared for the vegetarians. This is never a good sign in my opinion. When I go to a restaurant of this kind, it is to taste the cuisine of the chef and not the recommandations of the maître d'. I feel that the chef should be able to create dishes for the diners. In any case we were able to order our dinner.
After a set of four amuse-bouche, delicate but a bit subdued, the vegetarians had a vegetable medley and a mixed salad as a starter, while I had scallops on artichoke 'risotto' with shavings of white truffle. My dish was excellent, while my wife found the starter not daring enough. The fall vegetables were overpowered by the mushrooms and the tiny ginger and beet ravioli were too shy and lost among the other green.
The vegetarian main courses were the artichoke 'risotto' I had as part of my starter and angel hair pasta with white truffle and a parmesan sauce. My son loved this dish, regretting only the minute size of the portion.
My main was a most classic fall French haute cuisine dish: lièvre à la royale. It was a miracle, possibly even better than the same perfect dish I had a few years back in Paris at Senderens.
As desserts we had a chocolate tart, a pistachio soufflé and a tarte sablée.
My wife had the soufflé, served with a quenelle of lemon ice cream or sorbet that unfortunately was too strong and grainy in texture.
While I would definitely recommend this restaurant for meat-eaters I felt that the chef was not inspired by vegetarian cuisine.
The staff of the restaurant was friendly and efficient, but the perfect clockwork of service I expect from this kind of establishment did now always work seamlessy.
web site: http://www.lescrayeres.com/
Le Relais Bernard Loiseau, Saulieu
My first post is about a very well known 3 star Michelin restaurant in Saulieu, in the Burgundy region of France. I am not going into the history and the facilities of this establishment because it is easy to check on the web if you want more information. You can also check their menu to see whether they offer vegetarian options. If the choice is limited, it is always better to ask.
In this case I was told that the restaurant could accomodate a vegetarian. I went there for lunch in October with my youngest son, who is a vegetarian, just like his mum.
We had a classic starter-main-dessert lunch, as follows:
After a delicious amuse-bouche I had lobster with artichoke, while the vegetarian option was 'jeune legumes en potager' which was an actual starter from the menu.
The lobster was simply perfect, tasty, well presented, great quality, cooked to perfection. My son's starter was pretty and quite good, but he was not overwhelmed.
As a main I had a classic dish from Mr Loiseau, chicken breast with warm foie gras, while my son enjoyed a small but delicious risotto. My dish was good but after the perfection of the lobster I had expected something more.
Dessert was a chocolate feast: 'rose de sable au chocolat' for me and 'chocolat java en atome' for him. Mine was outstanding and I would go back there just for that dish.
Overall it was a positive experience. This is definitely one of the foremost addresses for French haute cuisine. I felt they made an effort to accomodate a vegetarian, even if in my opinion they could have been more daring with the main course. At least it was not the dreaded 'assiette de legumes!'
web site: http://www.bernard-loiseau.com/
In this case I was told that the restaurant could accomodate a vegetarian. I went there for lunch in October with my youngest son, who is a vegetarian, just like his mum.
We had a classic starter-main-dessert lunch, as follows:
After a delicious amuse-bouche I had lobster with artichoke, while the vegetarian option was 'jeune legumes en potager' which was an actual starter from the menu.
 |
| medaillons de homard |
 |
| jeunes legumes en potager |
The lobster was simply perfect, tasty, well presented, great quality, cooked to perfection. My son's starter was pretty and quite good, but he was not overwhelmed.
As a main I had a classic dish from Mr Loiseau, chicken breast with warm foie gras, while my son enjoyed a small but delicious risotto. My dish was good but after the perfection of the lobster I had expected something more.
Dessert was a chocolate feast: 'rose de sable au chocolat' for me and 'chocolat java en atome' for him. Mine was outstanding and I would go back there just for that dish.
 | |
| chocolat java en atome |
 |
| rose de sable au chocolat |
Overall it was a positive experience. This is definitely one of the foremost addresses for French haute cuisine. I felt they made an effort to accomodate a vegetarian, even if in my opinion they could have been more daring with the main course. At least it was not the dreaded 'assiette de legumes!'
web site: http://www.bernard-loiseau.com/
About this blog
Why this blog? Because I love food. Good food, from all over the world. One of my favorite cuisines is the one from France.
This is where my problem start. You see, I am married to a lovely vegetarian lady and taking her to a fine restaurant in France can be a frustrating experience, because often food choices are extremely limited if you do not eat meat or fish.
So I have decided to embark on a mission to try and test the finest restaurants, in France and elsewhere, to find the most vegetarian-friendly ones.
This is where my problem start. You see, I am married to a lovely vegetarian lady and taking her to a fine restaurant in France can be a frustrating experience, because often food choices are extremely limited if you do not eat meat or fish.
So I have decided to embark on a mission to try and test the finest restaurants, in France and elsewhere, to find the most vegetarian-friendly ones.
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