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!

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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!

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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!

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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

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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.

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