So, on Friday, we took a little drive down to France. To Strasbourg, to be precise - the once German, now French, capital of the Alsace; tourist magnet; and seat of the European Parliament.
With no particular plans, we parked on the outskirts of the Old Town and spent the day walking and seeing the sights.
We stopped for lunch at a touristy (yet delicious) little restaurant, where we enjoyed €5 colas (*ahem*), and hearty meals.
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| Veal Cordon Bleu |
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| Entrecôte with Chanterelle Sauce |
Although the meal was incredibly expensive, the food was delicious, portions were generous, and we got free sides.
Apart from the massive bowl of fries, there was a fresh green salad, and a surprisingly tasty, winey red cabbage.
Whilst I did enjoy the meal, it did make me realise how good I have it in Lampertheim, staying with friends and family, and how difficult it is for tourists in Europe to find real local cuisine. (That's been my experience, anyway).
We then took a walk to the centre of the Old Town, and admired the gorgeous Cathedral.
What I enjoyed even more than the cathedral, however, was the discovery of a little shop called La Cure Gourmande. I saw the word "biscuitier", and I knew I'd love it.
As we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly shop assistant offering us samples, and that was before we could even admire the rows and rows of perfectly arranged biscuits. Gorgeous!
I wonder if a shop like La Cure Gourmande would do well in Australia, or if the price point would simply be too high to attract enough customers to be profitable. Hmmm... food for thought.
We did a little more walking around the city, and then it was time to head home. Whilst I thought Strasbourg was gorgeous, I must admit I was more than a little relieved to leave such a touristy and busy city at the end of the day!
And once home, we brewed a pot of tea and got stuck into the biscuits. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging!
And a pretty tin! I plan to keep tea in it once I'm back in Melbourne.
I got a range of biscuits. Clockwise from top left: Mendiants (butter biscuit with raisins, orange and nuts); Petit palet nature underneath; Mantecaos Chocolat, Fourré aux Framboises; Mantecaos Amandes; Navette au Chocolat and Navette aux Amandes.
I've yet to try them all, but the plain butter biscuits are my favourite. All the biscuits have a lovely texture, and none are overly sweetened, which I appreciate. I do have to say, however, that I find that all of the almond biscuits taste very strongly of almond essence - would definitely avoid those in future! Apparently there are a couple of La Cure Gourmande stores in Paris, so I'll be able to pick up some more biscuits next week when I visit.
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| Krümmel Monster!! |
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3 comments
While in the Alsace region, you should also try Flammkuchen / tarte flambee, preferably at some nice vineyard. Enjoy! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about tourists having a hard time finding decent food. I've been lucky too that I've got my whole family over there so visiting them is entirely different to how most people would see Europe. There's the benefits of going to those teeny local joints that are far cheaper and more authentic than where all the tourists go to.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention home cooking!!
As for the biscuits - There's a shop here in Fawkner that sell home-made cookies by the kilo. They're pretty cheap too. Its just a tiny little Italian bakery.
What fun! At first I thought "why's Sarah complaining about tourists so much... and then I remembered it's August in Europe". I think I was there is late April a few years back. May the yummies keep a-comin'.
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