"Luckily my birthday this year fell on a Friday not a Monday (like our anniversary earlier in the year) so we had a wide variety of restaurant choices for the celebration. I fancied something upmarket and En Cuisine fitted that bill perfectly. As a recommended Restaurant in the Michelin Guide there are stickers from the last 4 years on the door, and this year a recipient of a Bib Gourmand award as well (Bib being short for Bibendum, the Michelin Man’s name, in the form of a Michelin Man’s hungry face sticker) I determined it was the place to go This lovely restaurant serving great food is hidden away behind an unprepossessing exterior. There is quite a dark entrance hall with some seating on the left hand side behind a glass room divider that wasn’t in use when we lunched here. Walking on through the building you pass the kitchen on your left and the toilet and cash desk area on your right. It then opens out into the dining area towards the rear. As it was such a splendid day we chose to sit in the canopied area outside and being the first diners there had the choice of seats. I have to say that the view at the back is not the best. You see the roof of the nearby Esso Petrol Station on one side and the illuminated Carrefour Market sign opposite it, but then we were here for the food not the view, that is just a bonus. We sat in the middle next to the Water fountain and over the next hour and a half were treated to the most delightful food from their standard menu, all served politely and efficiently. Having surveyed the menu we found that we differed only in respect of entrees with our choices. Although it was lunchtime we started with Kir Royales, it was a celebration after all, which we enjoyed while trying to deconstruct the Amuse Buche. It seemed to be based on cucumber and charolais melon topped with a black prawn cracker, but whatever it was it went down a treat. Being a fish lover I had to start with L’Esturgeon – caviar, avocado, swirls of fish in a centre with haricot verts, cucumber and parma ham, very tasty and full of flavour. My wife’s Tomato salad was somewhat surprising, not overwhelmingly red at all, containing haddock topped with a foamy cream and accompanied with a green tomato gazpacho which tasted far better than I imagined it would when she chose it. Keeping the fish theme going, our main course was termed Dorade Royale, a filet of Dorado served with aubergines, small shitake mushrooms, small potatoes and a divine sauce beautifully presented. Fish need bones around which their body is structured but I couldn’t find any at all, I had to wonder did some sous chef spend hours removing every single one? Incredible, such attention to detail. Moving onto my favourite part of any meal, the strawberry dessert was not what we expected either as the waiters delivered a meringue sphere surrounded by strawberries, when the sphere was cracked open it revealed grapefruit sorbet and creme anglaise inside. The whole combination worked extremely well, at least to my palate. Coffees then concluded a thoroughly enjoyable celebratory lunch. Definitely one to recommend."
