Food for thought and not only that: Les Compagnons de la Grappe

Photo Credit: http://www.cartesurtables.com/

Les Compagnons de la Grappe
**** (out of 5)

26 rue Lepelletier
Lille, 59000, France 

Neatly-tucked away from the hustle of Lille's centre, Les Compagnons de la Grappe offers traditional Flemish and French fare in a wonderful cosy rustic setting. The restaurant makes simple, honest, and great-tasting home-like meals in a similar setting.

The outdoor patio / terrace looks lovely and welcoming but even though the heaters were on, it was too chilly for a November night to enjoy food outside. It was pretty adventurous of us to head out on a Friday night with no reservations. The place was packed, but amazingly enough, we were seated immediately at a cute corner table by the fireplace. 

The decor is simple, bright and cheerful; the place exudes great ambiance. The menu was extensive with the regional Flemish specialties and French regulars; I picked a duck salad that I adore ever since visiting Gascony - Le Salade Composee (or Salade Landaise) with the best of the season - foie gras, magret de canard and gesiers. The plate was overflowing with goodness of regional produce - with potatoes on the side, the foie gras was very tender, the magret had just the right texture and smokiness, and the dish, overall, hearty and great-tasting. For desert we split a light rum baba that came with a generous portion of rum on the side.

The service was fantastic, quick and unobtrusive. The extensive menu options and the variety were a pleasant surprise in a restaurant that competes with hundreds of others in the category of Northern French gastronomy. I wouldn't hesitate going there again, actually, I just might.. soon!

Read more »

A l'entree. Back to Lille

It's been only 5 days since we came to Lille. It is hard to believe it's been less than a week - so much has gone on! This time around we are much more comfortable with the city, people, culture, and language. We bypassed living in the sleepy upscale Lombersart and opted for Vieux Ville - the heart of the city. It is busy, lively, and has lots of character, with its cobblestone streets lined with boutiques, restaurants, and bakeries. There are 3 patisseries within mere 20m-30m of the house. The apartment itself is on the 3d floor of a typical French building with a Flemish influence: narrow and long.

This time around the cultural novelty I had experienced on my first visit lost its edge - it is a given that people here are so much slimmer, despite seeming to eat and drink all the time and their cafes being full at any time of day, that they are dressed non-nonchalantly great, that women wear virually no makeup and their hair looks in need of a good cut, that scarves are the most popular accessory, that almost all people have fantastic shoes, that kids are super well-behaved, etc, etc, etc...

As we are settling in, the kids are getting used to the new school, new classes, making friends, and all four of us creating new routines and trying to stick to old ones. I'm ferociously interested in what's going on at school, all the how's and what's of each day. Everything about French elementary school fascinates me: textbooks, stationery, agendas they fill out every day, hot 5-meal lunches, relationships, and instruction.

There is so much more to learn and discover! We are thinking ahead and trying to plan out the next 4 months here and I'm terrifired that they are not going to be enough to see and do everything I'd want to do. Here is my big wishlist: the Loire Valley, Brittany (Saint-Malo), Normandie (Mont St. Michel, Vimy), and Alsace (Strasburg & Colmar); Amsterdam, UK (London), Switzerland, Cypress / Malta / Morocco. This is pretty ambitious, especially given that the first trip we've scheduled doesn't include either one of the items. Anything you would recommend?

Les Macaroons at Pauls

A typical street in Vieux Lille

Boys taking selfies at La Grande Place

The Belfry tower

The Meert confectionary masterpieces

Read more »

Au revoir, La France!

Bidding farewell to France took several rounds and made the leave longer, hectic, and in a way, sadder than I would have liked it to be. There were kids' farewell lunches at school, lunches with the new friends from the French class, packing for the next trip, catching up on the last sights, events, and restaurants! Alas, swift English goodbyes (which I would so much like in this case) are not for moms with kids!

The Little Nomads' teachers had hinted that it'd be nice to have a class farewell with some treats for the kids.
- Oui, avec plaisir!
What do French kids consider a treat if they have pain au chocolat for breakfast? I didn't want to leave the class with the lasting memories of North American-type sponge cake, nor was baking an option. Finally, it was decided on tarte aux fruits which was a smashing hit! Both classes had prepared beautiful albums with keepsakes of the months the boys spent at school.

By the end of November the temperature in Lille was slightly above 0C, just cool enough to remind you of the looming winter. Christmas music was floating at the Place du General-de-Gaulle around a tall decorated Chrismas tree. Marche de Noel was in full swing and the smell of roasted chestnuts, cooking specialties, and spiced wines filled the air.  With these Christmas-filled memories of Lille, the Little Nomads and I left for Russia on December 1st.

The remnants of my lunch at Aux Moules -
a quirky Flemish restaurant

Vin chaud -
hot spiced wine is
a winter-time specialty in Flandres

The Very Little Nomad's farewell lunch

The Little Nomad's belle francaise

Read more »

Food for thought and not only that (4)

Clement Marot ***/*

16 rue de Pas, 59000 Lille, France
www.clement-marot.com 

I wondered if we'd be lucky to get a table at lunch at this Michelin-starred restaurant. The main seating area got filled up right after we had managed to get a table without a reservation. The decor was lovely, wine list exhaustive and pricey, the chef gracious and welcoming, however, I felt like inspiration was not a part of the menu. The menu du jour had a Flemish focus, which was perfect for the grey clouds, occasional snow and drizzle that day. Having spent so much time in Lille I had not yet had a chance to try Flemish food stapes besides mussels. I ordered Terrine de Poisson for an appetizer and Carbonnade Flamande for the main dish. The terrine arrived beautifully served. This colorful dish looked quite lovely with a few layers of fish and veggies but I could hardly make out the taste of fish and both the homogenized texture and the bland taste were a bit disappointing. The Carbonnade was very good but I had scooped an equally good Carbonnade off the Big Nomad's plate in Ghent in a side-street restaurant. The Big Nomad's Foie Gras Terrine was served on a bed of greens and Coq au Vin was pretty good, as I was told.

I have to admit that my expectations were set high for this place and they were not quite met. The food was quite good but only good.


L'assiette du marche ****

61 Rue Monnaie
www.assiettedumarche.com

Both the interior and the exterior of the restaurant are beautiful and it is a pleasure to be eating here. For the first time in France we had to ask for the English menu as the list was quite extensive and featuring lots of out of ordinary ingredients. I had a Salad with smoked herring and apples - an usual twist on a Russian vinaigrette, with refreshing and interesting textures. The main dish was fish (can't remember which one though) quick-fried to perfect crispy crust and tender flaky meat, accompanied by butter-sauteed leeks the taste of which still haunt me. The rum baba, which looked deceivingly simple, melted in my mouth.

The cuisine here really excels at great combination of tastes and textures. It is wonderfully-prepared, well-served by impeccable waiters in a great setting. One of the best restaurants I've visited in Lille!

Read more »

Food for Thought and not only that (3)

L'Ecume des Mers (***/*)
10 Rue Pas
59000 Lille
03 20 54 95 40

Apparently, places like these do exist - impeccable service by rather arrogant but nevertheless efficient waiters in crisp white shirts who appear and disappear quietly with gleaming trays of seafood, piled oyster shells, and sparking Champaign glasses. The menu features seafood mainly - from fish to lobsters, served beautifully. Though the food very good, the stand-offish air of the restaurant makes it hard to enjoy the meal.

Le Petite Table (***/*)
59 rue de la monnaie
 
My grandma would cook these meals, if she were from Provence. This lovely small restaurant serves  simple and unassuming food with a very approachable price tag - the way Provencal food should be. My meal consisted of seafood tartar made with smoked salmon and walnuts, seafood lasagna, and creme brulee. The portions are very big, the waiters extremely charming and welcoming, and the room itself quite homey. If you are in a mood for soul-food, this is the place to visit!

Read more »

Lille's Fine Arts Museum (The Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille)

The Old Women by Goya

Ever wondered where this surreal Goya's black-period "The Old Women" painting is? It's in Lille's Fine Arts Museum, as well as many other magnificent works - an amazing collection for a city of 1.2 mln!

The Museum is the largest outside Paris and hosts a very decent collection of paintings. Housed in a beautiful belle-epoque palace built in late 19th century specifically for the museum, it overlooks an equally beautiful Place Republique.

The art collection represents a wide panorama of artistic highlights from the 12th to the 20th century. I embody its Gothic collection with a Bosch-like "La chute des réprouvés" (15th cc) by D. Bout. The 16-20th centuries collections are more varied and plentiful, arranged by schools and location. There are a few magnificent works by Rubens and his workshop. The Spaniards are represented by Goya, El Greco, and Ribera; 16th - 18th century Italy: Venice, Tintoretto, Bassano; Romantists represented by Delacroix, Neo-Classisism represented by David, and much, much more!

The antiquity collection was much more fun for the kids - ancient Greece and Egypt, always a hit!

Photo credit: linternaute.com

The Museum's ceiling

The Museum's tiled floor

The reflection of the museum in the back building's windows

Read more »

Food for Thought and not only that (2)

Le Lion  Bossu *****

Courtesy of www.lelionbossu.com

The meal at this very cosy restaurant was absolutely fabulous!

In spite of its numerous awards, reviews,  and accolades, we did not have difficulty getting a table for lunch. The upstairs room has about 15 tables closely put together but the room was not full and we had a wonderful time. Nothing of pretense here - lovely decor and delightful ambiance!

All of the Menu du Jour items had complex and delicate flavors: it started with a Remoulade de maigre - a spreadable fish pate with nuts on a bed of endive. My main dish was magret de canard (duck fille) with raspberry sauce and celery risotto which was absolutely fantastic! The Big Nomad's lasagnes de petoncles (scallop lasagna) with spinach and creamed mushrooms was served in red curry sauce. A little pear and almond pie in wine topped the meal and was on par with the rest of the dishes!

Magret de canard, risotto de celeri

Lasagnes de petoncles

Read more »

How to be unambiguously Canadian

Roots handbag

How do you identify a Canadian in a crowd of tourists on St Marco's square, the Louvre, the Pyramids, etc? Look at the backpack or purse they are carrying (never mind the bright red baseball hat with a maple leaf on it) - it will most probably have a Roots symbol on it! It is like a secret sign - the Masonic handshake, the "know" symbol of a sort, that whispers "you are here too, eh"?

I love Roots purses for their casual ease and functionality but had not thought they'd be more than just a purse when I packed two on my trip. Incidentally, I've had a few conversations with fellow-Canadians inspired by the bright-red Roots purse I was carrying.
A rare Canadian is fond of red-and-white flag-waving, instead, they are inconspicuously wearing Roots abroad!


The Impression of the Day.
The Little Nomad: You know, mom, girls at school are not girlie-girls at all.
The Nomad mom: What do you mean? They don't play with Barbies?
The Little Nomad: No, they don't. The fight with boys and some are even stronger than any of the boys!

Maybe that's one of reasons French men are so lean?

Read more »

Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle

Another Wednesday... I took the Little Nomads to the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle with a collection, which is "unique in France and includes over 250,000 objects". The collection has certainly outgrown its building - there is an impressive insectarium with species from all over the world, fossilized remnants of prehistoric life, reconstructed dinosaurs, and recreated prehistoric tropical forests.

The museum must have been heaven for a team of taxidermists as both floors are packed with thousands of stuffed species.

The building is located in one of the most picturesque areas of the city with a park, which elicited much more the enthusiasm in the Little Nomads, than the museum itself. They joined a horde of French kids who were tediously working on  knocking nuts off the park's many chestnut trees. We left the park with the Very Little Nomad's pockets stuffed with chestnuts.

Read more »

Parlez vous français? -You'd better start RIGHT NOW!

The first minutes of the French course I started at one of the universities was the beginning of a 3-hour shock therapy. I expected a nice lady teacher with a bunch of handouts, speaking v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y, explain (in EN preferably) how to pronounce the phrases to be used in certain situations. The instructor (who arrived fashionably late) immediately set us to work on sheets of print-outs she distributed, speaking French all the time. Everyone else in the 20-student class seemed to catch up quickly (it turned out that all but 3 students have French language background) but it took me a while to understand that she wants us to read out familiar words in magazine covers she distributed. Thank God for common Latin roots!

Next we were to work in pairs asking questions about each other and then present each other to the class. I know NO word of French - how was I supposed to do that?!?!?! We were not allowed to use extra-material in class, no books, no iphone applications, and speak no other language than French. Luckily, my partner in pair was no other than a Sudanese-born Kitchener, ON-resident with 17 months of French life under his belt and having taken pity on my non-existent French, translated some of my questions. And guess who gets to go first and present my partner in front of the class? Oui, moi! A few awfully-sounding phrases that were supposed to remind French somehow were passable for the first time I had ever "spoke" French, but we then moved to asking questions. THEY were asking ME questions IN FRENCH! All 18 students were beyond excited to show off their knowledge of French and I was showered with questions. As Je ne parle pas français-ing was not taken for an answer, I had to do lots of "me talk pretty". And as it was expected, the last person to present got no questions as everyone was out of steam and out of French words they knew....

The make-up of the class is extremely interesting: a few American and Canadian girls who au pair in French families; a few spouses of working partners who (like myself) are taking French for self-improvement and a few who (unlike myself) are killing time; a few students-to-be with a French prerequisite; a flock of international husbands exotiques married to la mademoiselle francaise; and finally, a couple of gals who came to France to hang out and see where life will take them. Geographically, the whole world is represented: Asia, Middle East, Europe, North America, Russia, and even Belarus!

100%-immersion definitely tested (if not pushed me out of) my comfort zone with all the knowledge I've accumulated in life being of no use here! Is the method based on the precept that if I'm being asked to speak French enough times, at some point I'll have a linguistic burning bush moment when I'd realize how French words constitute a sentence and I'll be happily on way to order a morning cafe-au-lait and a croissant (which I can actually do quite well already)?! Or is this an intimidation strategy aiming at having students take the class seriously?

In any case, I was very much challenged and therefore, interested. Comprenez-vous?

Read more »

The Wazemmes Market

One of the largest markets in France, the Wazemmes Market combines the liveliness of French markets' afternoons and the hustle of a Middle-eastern bazaar. Open 3 days a weeks, the market draws the biggest crowd on Sundays (up to 50,000 we were told). It really felt that all 50,000 showed on a day we went there! The covered market, although not as exciting as the outside, has a great cheese shop (if you are willing to wait in line)! The flea markets sells everything from bijou to carpets.

The shouts of street sellers, the smell of cooked food (everything from Arabic delicacies to Spanish paella to traditional French pastry), the colorful sight of flower stalls and rows of vegetables make this market a great place to visit and shop! We bought way too much our family would need for the next few days: vegetables, ripe fruit and ripe cheese :), freshly-baked, still warm bread, and off-the-stove middle-eastern dessert for the kids! From now I know what I'll do on Sunday afternoons!

The Impression of the Day: Gap Canada is couture! 
While the Little Nomads and I hang out at the market, I heard someone speak to me in French. I turned around to see a thirty-something French dad, whose outfit would certainly qualify as hyper metro-sexual in North America (and "just-went-out-for-a-stroll-on-a-Sun-afternoon" in France) with an equally well-dressed three-year-old sitting in a stroller, which I would not even know how to operate. After my usual Je ne parle pas français, the guy switched to perfect English and inquired where I bought the hats the Lille Nomads were wearing.
-Canada, - I said. Gap Canada.
The disappointment showed on the Dad's face and he sighed: "Oh, I'm sure we don't have them here. But I'll check, thanks!"
It sounded the way we'd say: "Oh, you know, such and such bought her dress in France and of course, you can't buy that here!"

So yeah, Gap Canada, let's show who REALLY sets the global fashion trends!!!

Read more »

Sauerkraut is faux pas

Ok, with the weather getting chilly, my brain gives out a signal screaming for comfort food. A very common Russian винегрет would do it. Nor problem making it, really, IF you manage to find sauerkraut. Seems like the closest place where you can get is Alsace! After a 2-hour treasure hunt I found it in a HUGE supermarket... It was real sauerkraut... in Riesling...

I guess that's the only way you'd make French eat it!

Read more »

Food for Thought and not only that: Le Compostelle

Le Compostelle ***/*

The lunch menu featured EU22 / EU17 for a 3-course / 2-course meal.

For starters, I had Cannelloni Shrimp, with chopped seafood and vegetables wittily stuffed in a cucumber and carrot cone. Presented on a beautiful blue stone slab with drips of sauce and salad. The main course - mahi-mahi (apparently, called Dorado as well) in a citrus sauce accompanied by risotto and veggies. The dessert was truly amazing - once again, beautifully presented mascarpone mousse with grapefruit. Good flavour and texture - airy and light (felt like it contained no calories!)

Cons: very dry and reserved service, a limited wine list.

Read more »

Lille Zoo

Wednesdays are off-school days in France, at least for Ecole Maternelle (JK and SK) and Ecole Primarie (Grade 1-3). This Wed the Little Nomads and I ventured into a Lille zoo and a local fair, full of rides, balloons, attractions, and tons of people.

The zoo is a part of Parc de la Citadel (free entrance) around the perimeter of a historic building of Citadel. The park also includes the Fair and two playgrounds.

The zoo admission is free of charge - the fact to I had some difficulty getting accustomed. Despite the fact it's free, the zoo was quite amazing, featuring many rare and interesting animals, from a rhino to lemurs. It is not very big, but just enough to have a good warm-up before we entered the Fair.

The Fair prices were also a pleasant surprise - all of the kids' rides were 1 euro, various attractions from 2-3 euros, and I haven't seen a single one, which was over 3 euros. We left the Fair after 2 hours and I realized that I spent less that 10 euros for 2 kids for 4 attractions and rides each!

Read more »

A Glimpse of Lille, France

A Book Market in the Stock Exchange building

Canon balls stuck in the facade

after an Austrian siege

of the late 1700-ies

Lille's own Belfry tower

The Impression of the Day. French take their sauce seriously!
How many sauces can you find in a local supermarket on a given day in North America? I wouldn't dare to count for the fear of spending hours there. In France, one of the biggest supermarkets sports, at best, one shelf with 8-10 miniature bottles of sauces. The Little Nomads' lunch menu describes in detail what sauce will be served with the main dish and I haven't seen a single one being repeated in 3 weeks they've attended school (and only 3 sauce sound familiar). I guess I should start reconsidering my approach to cooking, while we are in France at least...

Read more »

Braderie de Lille

The tradition of Braderie, a giant flea market, is Lille's annual tradition. It is the largest in Europe and is said to have originated 500 years ago.  It is supposed that the tradition dates from the Middle Ages, when once a year the servant classes of Lille were given permission to sell – from dusk to dawn – old clothes and objects belonging to their employers. Over the years the Braderie has changed, becoming much larger and lasting longer. For two days and two nights a carnival atmosphere reigns, where everyone does as they please. 

A View of the Street during Braderie

The number of people was truly astounding - apparently, the 1mln-something population of Lille shoots up to 2-3 million as people flock from all over Europe to find their vintage pieces. Some people arrive a few days in advance and camp out in tents (some in sleeping bags in parks) to reserve the best spot for a stall.

Everything is being sold and bought here - huge furniture pieces, a rusted street hydrant, paintings, lamps, extremely used kids toys and worn clothing, 5-Euro Crocks and 30-Euro Keds (you get the idea). Retail stores join Braderie by having a 'sidewalk' sale and putting out sale items at very low prices: Salamander shoes sold for 10-15 Euros.

A Mussels' Mountain

The map Braderie shows a 100-km square perimeter with streets dedicated to various types of sellers: tradesmen, linen, pottery, etc., 2nd-hand occupying the largest area. There are also a few posts for lost children, which we surprisingly, but luckily, didn't use.

We contributed to Braderie by joining the hoards of hunters looking for a piece of treasure in someone else' garbage. Bought a very 'vintage' clock from West Germany for 1 Euro :) The older lady who sold it said that it had belonged to her mom. Now I feel awful about even thinking of leaving it behind in France

As with all events in France, gastronomy is certainly a big a part of the tradition. Moules et frites (mussels with fries) washed down with local beer is the food most representative of the fare. A few restaurants compete for the highest mussels' shells mountain, which they create by throwing shells on the pavement."Do in Rome as Romans do"-policy is easy to implement when it comes down to eating this well! Mussels were delicious and the beer very cool!

The next day on our way to Brugge we ran into our house owners who were headed to Braderie. The husband told us the locals' secrets of shopping at Braderie - apparently, you need to go early morning on the 2nd day, when stall-keepers, hung over and tired from the busy night can't wait to get out of town and are willing to sell stuff for pennies.

Shopping for treasure in a 3-mln crowd with small kids is somewhat hard. We did the best we could given the circumstances so we'll save the owners' tips till next visit! 

The Impression of the Day. High heels + cobblestone = bad combination!

Read more »

A Visit to Lille

Streets of Lille

What can I say?! Lille is absolutely lovely! The weather was great - 20C for our first trip to the centre of the city. As usual, I get an overwhelming feeling that a rare person has a job here - all restaurants are packed with (mostly young) people, smoking, chatting, and having a beer.

Lille has 3 universities with 100,000 student enrollment. With the school year starting next week, I can feel the youthful buzz in the air. The shops and restaurants are full of students-to-be. They give the city a youthful look as 29% of city's population are under 20.

The Little Nomads and I took a really well put-together bus tour of the city and I made notes en route of the places I'd like to see in depth. Apparently, Lille has managed to pass from a governing kingdom to another, without much (to no) bloodshed and a traditional warfare has somehow escaped it. It changes hands from being Flemish to Burgundian (?) to Spanish (Netherlands) to French. From a very cursory glimpse I had on the bus, most of the city's architecture are in baroque and neo-classic style, Loius XIV's favourite.

The Impression of the Day. French men are very-very lean. 
Is it the food or the air or the French women? Haven't seen a single gym yet...

Read more »

The First Day in Lille

We arrived in Lille in the afternoon. Having taken 2 moderately smooth AC flights with the Little Nomads, we picked up our 4 suitcases and walked out of Gare Lille Flanders to the sight of the oddest exterior design of the Crown Plaza hotel.

The house, located in north Lille, was a 15-minute drive from the station. The 'house help' or the 'servants' house (as I called it), where we will live for the next 3 months, is quite lovely. It is a part of an impressive residential structure built in a traditional style of the 17th-century Flemish architecture.  Three distinct buildings constitute a square (with entrance gates on the fourth side): the main house or what I call the chateau, the 'house-help' quarter where we live and the 'stables' on the other side (now converted to another living quarter with three garages). A spacious courtyard is private, laid with large cobble stone.

The courtyard of the residence. Our 'house' is located on the left

Both owners speak impeccable English. The wife has an air of a relaxed golf-playing soccer-mom than a proud mother of many children and sounds like a graduate of an elite private English boarding school.

I spent some time creating as much of an open-concept as I could in our 2 bedrooms, which are decorated in a classic Provencal style. I cleared out countless knick-knacks, trays, vases, lamps, miniature sculptures, stacked numerous little coffee tables, cute chairs, etc. These details are quite lovely but not in a household with two extremely active boys!

Apparently, the modern open-design concepts are extremely contagious! I feel that I prefer IKEA furniture much better to the heavy wooden chiffoniers, closets and cupboards hand-painted with pastorals of palaces and fields. I guess I'm not much into antiques either...


The Impression of the day. God, wine is cheap here!
A terrific 5-EU bottle of Loire valley Cabernet Franc made me cry. It was beyond good! The dry sausage was a great accompaniment and we were done with both quite quickly. It will take a while till I get used to the wine and cheese prices here but I'm afraid the reverse transition will be much harder.

Read more »