Café De La Gare 1900

La Table d'Inomoto

➤ 85 rue Nationale, 33240 Saint-Andre-De-Cubzac, France, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Cafés • Européen • Japonais • Fruit De Mer

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"Seiji is an artist and today's meal of courgette gazpacho with a low-temp egg, codfish with miso and hazelnut willow and dessert of peach soup with brownie was out of this world. We drove 70 kms to eat here and were glad we did! Not to be missed if you are anywhere nearby. Seiji is an artist! Today we ate gazpacho with egg at low temperature, cod in miso and hazelnut sauce, and dessert peach soup with brownie. All stubbornly prepared. We drove 70 kms just to eat here and we didn't regret it. Don't miss it. You're in the region."

La Table d'INOMOTO

➤ 85 rue Nationale | Face à la Poissonnerie, 33240 Saint-Andre-De-Cubzac, France, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Kebab • Pizza • Mexicain • Français

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"Despite the fact the “cheminotes,” or train workers, continue to take part in the national pastime of French strikes, the local trains around Bordeaux are still running. So we were off recently to Saint Andre de Cubzac to meet friends whom we have known for almost 40 years. The chef came to Bordeaux to work as sous chef at La Pavillon des Boulevards. Now he has decamped across the river to create a little jewel box restaurant, which describes its food as “franco japanese”. Our meal began with a chou fleur cream. A handful of lightly dressed greens and sprouts sat atop a soft cooked egg. It was sitting on a bed of cauliflower “rice” with the creamy soup surrounding it. A thin sliver of crunchy cauliflower stem garnished the dish. There was also a crunchy rice cracker and cubes of smoked haddock topped with edible flowers. It was a work of art to see, but an even greater work of art to taste. The egg yolk flowed into the cauliflower with unctuous creaminess. The salad added crunch and tang. But the smoked haddock added the master touch, balancing the creamy richness of the soup with a bite that was firm and smoky. With this course my friend had brought along an Alsatian pinot gris, Domaine Allman Laugner 2015. It was round on the tongue with a clean, crisp finish. Ideal with the richness of the cauliflower. Next was the main event. My wife and I were both lured in the direction by pork cheeks. The pork was cooked fork tender. It was napped with a brown gravy that had just the merest but flavor enhancing whiff of orange. Alongside were crunchy sweet snow peas, a tangle of earthy enoki mushrooms and a leaf of crisp bok choy. But the side dish that sealed the deal was a butter laced mound of puree de pomme de terre, mashed potatoes. It reminded you of how the French can take something as simple as the lowly spud and turn it into a classic. With this dish, our friend had brought one of my favorite right bank Bordeaux reds, a Chateau Canon Reserve 2011. It was big and smooth with a fine texture. It was perfect with the pork. To finish our “repas” the chef served whipped cream covered strawberries, sitting on a disk of meringue floating in a pool of raspberry coulis. It was soft, sweet and refreshing. We finished at the restaurant with coffees and then returned to their home for digestifs and a chance to relive fond memories of the times were have spent together."

Cafe de la Gare 1900

➤ 25 avenue de la Gare, 33240 Saint-Andre-De-Cubzac, France, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Cafés • Européen • Français • Fruit De Mer

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"We were stopping through this town on our way up north and were recommended this restaurant by our Airbnb host. We enjoyed the unique and modern look of the place. There were five of us and we all got one of the set menus. The food was delicious - especially the "Easter nest" dessert. Our waitress wasn't warm and welcoming but also wasn't rude. The two male employees we encountered were quite friendly and welcoming. But the blond lady at the bar who rung us up at the end had an attitude which left a bad taste in our mouths. I wanted to be sure they had included the two deserts we added at the end as well as let them know we had an foreign credit card which requires a signature and she seemed to have gotten so offended by it. Cute place, cool ambiance with a lot of locals, good food but could do without the attitude."