Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 30 May 2011

“It was a hot summers night and the beach was burning“….except we dont have beaches in Luxembourg and the calendar only red 30 May. But a warm 30 degrees when driving into town around 6 pm. Pre-dinner glassse of rosê and then of to Restaurant Clairefontaine, which you all know by know is my favourite spot in Luxembourg.

On this warm  night we were in for a “standard” treat – however, on the high end of the scale – impecable food and wine, great service and attention from all staff. May I add great bread.

The first amuse, balls stuffed with tuna mash were “sold” to the boys as being round chicken nuggets. Magic – they asked for extra – and even thirds – but that request from Oscar was halted by yours truly.

As always when possible Arnaud arrange for us to have the seperate room, Didier always arranges some pillows in the corner. So as soon as we entered the room the boys threw themselves on the pillows and turned on their Nintendos. However, we insist that they come to the table when food arrives and remain their until the plate is finished. Emil is an easy customer. He finished his plate of pasta and beef with nothing left. Oscar was more pre-cautious in his exitement of food as always. My favourite food is Pizza Margharita is what he normally states.

The table…

The boys…

Where is my pasta.....

Oscar ! this is not how I taught you to eat bread in restaurants....

Actually we had good fun before the food arrived, the boys producing funny faces en masse for the camera…

Second round of amuses...

Eminence of King Crab - Astrids starter....

Different presentations of Salmon, a beauty on the plate.

Baby Saint Pierre, with beautiful Southern France inspired vegs and aioli...

Slowly ccoked Jarret de veau with leek

As the missus proclaimed afterwards….this is the best meal I have had in a long time. “She took the words right out of my mouth”…My main dish was certainly way up there among the best. Loved it Arnaud. We chose a “simple* Rully 1. cru from Jacqueson – 2008. Great great simple wine. I recently had this wine in Bourgogne together with good friend Uffe, Kjetil and Frode and was happy to re-visit this producer.

So the great thing about being regulars in a place like Clairefontaine is you feel at home, you feel the warmth from the staff, you know what to expect and you are seldom let down, and if there are complaints, you know you can deliver them to Didier or Arnaud himself, and they will be treated with respect and understanding. I give the ambience 5 today. It really is a privelege to have your own room dining with two boys. Not that they cant sit still, its just so more relaxed for the parents. Add the fact that all staff constantly jokes with the boys and in general are interested in their well-being – well, what more do you want as a gourmet dining parent.

So before you spend/waste a good 50 or 80 eur per person on a mediocre meal in Luxembourg – please do visit Clairefontaine, tell them I send you. Our meal today for 4 clocked in at 189 eur. Love you guys – Edwige, Arnaud, Didier and Sebastien – you made us a great couple of hours – again.

My rating for this visit: Food 8.5p (10), service 5p (5), ambience 5 (5), total score for this visit  18.5p (20)

A different take at Restaurant Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 5 March 2011

For a while this day had be in the planning, and Arnaud Magnier had finally agreed to take on the challenge of sharing his kitchen with 6 hobby chefs, who wanted to feel a little bit of the magic behind the curtains and maybe even learn a few tricks. To assist him on this beautiful Saturday was his second de cuisine William. Since they work hard 70-80 hours per week, it is understandable that he does not offer this service as a standard, but who knows, maybe he will consider it in the future.

Our expectations were sky high and it seemed the Day shared our feelings showing Luxembourg from its best side this beautiful morning. Walking towards the restaurant this was the squares I passed, the busy market square and the square leading me down to the restaurant.

Arnauld had had free hands putting a menu together, only request from our side was that the main dish should be fish and that we did not want to cook a dessert.

Here are some shots from the cooking of the amuse

William and Morten chopping the filet

Mixing the tartare

Arrainging the amuse...

Beef Tartare with Caviar

Second up was the starter, Terrine du Fois Gras with Mango Chutney. The cleaning of the fois gras, the rolling, the cooking (13 min at 76 degrees in duck fat). After that it needs to rest 4-5 days in the fridge, so we had a prepared one for the dish, but here are some of the shots.

Arnaud with the raw liver, showing us the preparations

Torben preparing the rolls...

Slowly cooking, 76 degrees warm fat, 13 min for this sice....

Arranging the plates with the Mango Chutney...

Terrine of Fois Gras with Mango Chutney

Next up was one of the signature dishes of the restaurant, Arnaud’s take on risotto. He uses a Basmati rice, because he prefer the exotic perfumed taste. He uses white wine first, then adds chicken stock slowly. Towards the end, parmesan and whipped cream is added. This version included green asparagus and sol-y-laisse, dressed with creme of truffles and a parmesan bisquit

Susanne learning from the best...

William roasting the Sol-y-laisse

Dressing the plates...

Skovmand arranging and dressing...

The result, Risotto with Sol-y-Laisse and Asparagus

4,5 kilo of Cod

Milk with garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves simmering away, to be used for the poaching later

The main dish was going to be Arnaud’s take on a classic – Brandade – somewhat – re-constructed.

A beautiful garlic simmered creme made up the base, on top the poached cod, topped with the “Spumante(?)” – potato/olive oil creme – as light as a cloud…..dressed with roasted pieces of bread.

Yup, we now need one of those in our kitchens...

William poaching the fish

Magic is produced...

Dressing the plates

Final touches...

and "voila" - Brandade - Arnaud's way

Happy faces all around - Job done - table's waiting.

Table one is ready.....our table, eating our food. What a day.

Conclusion:

Actually, the hours just raced away, it was so fun and cool to watch. To learn and absorbe from two true wizards – its the little things that make the difference.  Salt, butter, coorect cooking temperatures, the organization in the kitchen, the preparations.

Arnauld and William succeded in setting up a menu, which we all feel we can somehow re-produce one fine day…if not as perfect …at least we would be able to give it a go. At the table afterwards Michael had put together a wine menu which matched our dishes perfectly. Thank you for that Michael.

Arnaud and William, we cannot thank you enough for taking some of your precious spare time and use it with us. We truly enjoyed every minute and all went away with a feeling of  “wauuw – this was even beyond our high expectations”. Besides making it all look so easy, we all learned a few tricks – and rest assured – if you allow us…..we will be bacl for the second class after summer.

Now, how could I rate this day and the experience in any other way than the following ….

My rating for this visit: Food 10p (10), service 5p (5), ambience 5p (5), total score for this visit  20p (20)

Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 26 November 2010

The yearly contest to find the best sommelier of the country was held last week at the annual Gastronomic fair on Kirchberg. I am happy to announce that the winner was in fact Michael Wagner….who you will find at…..Clairefontaine. So – “I had to pass” by to honour his victory with a small gift.

and the winner is....Michael Wagner

I let the choice of wine totally in his hands, who wants to argue with the best ! As always it was presented blind, and I was lucky to guess Rhone Valley. And what a smooth beauty it was.

My knowledge of Rhone wines has to improve, this was a great drop.

First amuse, Goat Cheese Lollypop

Second round of amuses

Maitre Didier finding the time to make friends with Emil

Le foie gras de canard Prestige

This was one of the best starters I have had at Clairefontaine (and there has been a few). The red beet, the capres worked perfectly with the fois gras. The quality and cooking of the fois gras flawless.

The missus opted for King Crab on a bed of tartar of Langoustines.

followed by

Slowly cooked shoulder of beef on mashed potato

The second time I have ordered this dish in a month. I must like it….

Poached Anglerfish - choice of the missus. Nice presentation, great taste.

The above plates were followed by the usual sweets. No room for dessert.

Conclusion: What do you expect, when coming back to “the best restaurant” in town, among friends. Well when its with your family, including two vibrant boys, the first focus is…are the boys in the mood to behave, …and then..is the dinner and wine being up to the usual standard. And tonight it all worked well. The boys and the missus behaved, the food were excellent and the wine a good companion. Thanks for having us and for the top service. Again Emil let Alex – (The Spanish waiter) follow him to the toilet, hand in hand, that was a sweet thing to watch. Thanks Alex. And to come back to the main reason for our visit…..Congratulations Michael with the award and for continuesly suggestiong and presenting us with wines that fits our pallets. We appreciate that a lot.

My rating for this visit: Food 8.5p (10), service 5p (5), ambience 4.5p (5), total score for this visit  18p (20)

Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 29 October 2010

One of my longest periods of absence….I think 100 days or so from my favourite local restaurant….too long in my opinion.

But it was great to be back. Arnaud and Edwige used the summer vacation to give the restaurant an “up-date” interiour wise, the first since they took over the restaurant many years ago. The old ambience was classic and a bit old fashioned, I loved it. So a bit frighthened I felt, entering the room. I hate changes.

The new style, is lighter, more red, more modern. However with respect to the history of the room. With one or two minor objections, I think they have generally speaking succeeded in transforming the place into a more contemporary style.

Good to see old friends in the service, having the usual VIP treatment, blind tastings etc….It felt good to be back.

Amuses, food and sweets were brilliant, usual high standard.

Heres a few impressions…

Fois gras brick...brilliant !

Amuse....

Scallops....

The missus finished the plate…..(!) so it must have been very very nice. It sure looked brilliant.

Venison....

My own selection of cheeses, all very very good.

Cheese is nice.

So was the lunch in general. Usual high standard (which is top notch for Luxembourg)….I hope and promise – it will not be 100 days again before Im back. Thanks for having us and congratulations on your “new” restaurant.

My rating for this visit: Food 8.5p (10), service 5p (5), ambience 4,5p (5), total score for this visit  18p (20)

Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 20 July 2010

Whenever Bruce has been on tour, some of my best shows has often been the two-nighters. The second night being always even better than the first night. As  mentioned in my last post, I was generously invited by Arnaud Magnier to come back the day after to taste his go at a Paella. I guess one would call it Paella Revisited.  So this was a the second “show” in two days, and as with Bruce, Arnaud managed to also score higher on the second date.

I brought both the boys, they behaved to the liking of their daddy, even without the Nintendo, though Oscar had to borrow my I-phone towards the end of meal.

Oscar....

and Emil...

The service being as good as it gets. Alex, the Spanish waiter (Yes – he´s from Barcelona – but apart from that no compare to Manuel from Fawlty Towers) – even accompanied Emil to the toilet, while I could continue eating.…nice touch Alex, thanks.

From the right, Zucchini creme, Consome and beef with pasta...

Marinated saumon with tartare of saumon...

Beautiful, both the arrangement, almost like eating a huge flower…but also the delicate taste, Salmon as good as it gets. 9,5p

The Paella a la Arnauld

Looks slightly different than mine. The taste was wonderful, rich of safran (I love safran)…the salad basket on top was filled with delicate flesh of roasted red peppers and calamares. Absoutely lovely. 9p

I asked for a bottle of white, gave some suggestions…but got something else….a white Roussilion I think,-  almost finished the bottle. Must have been a nice one. The reason for neglicting my own wine ideas turned out to be – I was invited. And that was the response I got when asking for the bill. I like that. Arnaud was busy, but one big smile when I passed the kitchen to say thank you. I repeat it here gladly. Thank you to Arnaud and his team. I wont be back today, but soon.

My rating for this visit:

My rating for this visit: Food 9 (10), Ambience 4,5 (5) and service 5 (5)  Total score 18,5 (20)

Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 19 July 2010

So, the school´s out for summer….so today Emil and I decided to pay our friends at Clairefontaine a visit. We took a small stroll through the sunny streets of Luxembourg. We have 30 degrees and a clear blue sky.

This was our route…

The playground

Place Clairefontaine

..with the monument of G.D. Charlotte

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We arrived at Restaurant Clairefontaine, and wine and food was ordered…

Tokaji dry Oremus, Hungary

3 amuses, Beef/Mustard, Cabillaud -- and Lamb

Variations of Tomato

Emil opted for the pasta, which came with Ketchup, Bolognese and Parmesan

Off to show Maitre Didier his artistic efforts....

Lobster wrapped in bacon - with stuffed zucchini flowers on parsley sauce

Sweets...

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Before leaving we were invited back tomorrow – with a glimpse of this “Paella revisited” from the kithen….”You are invited” – said Arnaud, and who can say no to that…see you tomorrow friends.

Paella revisited

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Conclusion

Being a regular here, I often tend to be sometimes too hard and sometimes too soft in my review. On the last visit we had among the best dishes ever in Luxembourg, a Japanese inspired fish dish and a beef dish. Except for the fact that they both were very dry, a bit too dry. That little detail, the lack of a litlle more liquid drew the perfect dish down to a very good dish.

On this visit the tomato starter was very nice, the gazpacho perfect, the avocado creme a bit too dominant. The lobster this time had problems keeping up with the very rich parsley sauce. The cooking of the lobster with the bacon perfect.

I love the terasse, one of the most quiet spots for terrasse dining in Luxembourg. No traffic, and no hectic waitering. Thanks for having us guys.

My rating for this visit: Food 8 (10), Ambience 5 (5) and service 4,5 (5)  Total score 17,5 (20)

Lagura, Luxembourg – 30 June 2010

And so it happened once again….

I went to a for me – new place – and was mighty disappoointed. Why is it so hard I wonder. In this case Lagura is beautifully set in an old mansion, the homepage, the entrance, the deco and the beautiful terrasse offers the best possible frame for a nice meal. The menu and a la carte dining looks tempting, a mix of Italian and Asian food.

We were friendly greeted, during the 90 min stay the young female waiter tried her best, she smiled, she asked standard questions etc., “Would you like an aperitive, maybe a glass of Champagne (which my boss would like to sell you because she earns a lot per glass!!!!) – but it just didn´t come natural to her. You didn´t believe her.

When ordering the Pinot Noir Rouge from Hugel, it was confirmed that it would be chilled. When it arrived it was lukewarm, and the ice bucket did not succeed in bringing the temperature down until the bottle was almost empty. Priced at 38 euro, you can calculate a 3,5 times the normal purchase price, which is horrible but also standard average in Luxembourg.

The young waiter passed our table several times, but for crying out loud

!!!!!!!!!!! – WHEN YOU PASS A TABLE  – LOOK AT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!! –

I have no problem in serving my own wine, but when you pay 3,5 times the value some kind of service should be expected. I beat the staff, serving ourselves 3 times out of 5 times.

The food:

Most main dishes are between 22-30 euros. We were offered a little amuse, Tartare of Tuna (!) on a Mint Gel. It tasted and looked like Salmon, and had a slight fishy smell to it. The gel tasted of nothing,

Astrid ordered Risotto an apparently it was good, it was very creamy, lots of parmesan. I found it slightly overcooked. It was definetely freshly made, and the waiter informed us about the waiting time when it was ordered. I had a Poulet au Curry with basmati rice. I have big problems cooking basmati rice. They always end up sticky and tasteless in compare to my local Indan restaurant who claims its very easy. Well the chef at Lagura had the same problem. Very poor taste, and too sticky for my taste. The chicken came “baked” in a bread crust. The “filling” – chicken and vegetables – of the crust was ok if not fantastic. The sauce was offered on the side and let us just say it had a mildly flavoured curry taste.

The crust – as good as it looked was not really eatable, maybe it wasnt the point. But I gave up. When ordering the food, the missus asked for a tomato salad, but that was not possible. Knowing they had several dishes on the menu with tomatos – it is hard to understand why a chef would not find a way to slice some tomatos, add a bit of chopped onions, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Jesus.  But we ordered the suggested side salad, which came at around 5 eur, and was not bad or good in any way.

At this point, the wine was still lukewarm. I excused myself, and went to the rest room. I called Clairefontaine….explained how I wanted a nice ending to a bad meal. And if I could have a table on their terrasse, just for a glass of wine and some dessert.

So 25 minutes later we sat down at Clairefontaine, warmly greeted we were offered Amuses, but rejected since we were not overly hungry.

Half a bottle of Meursault for me and a pink Champagne for Astrid, and we were already feeling better. Before the ordered desserts came, we we offered a pre-dessert which blew us away, I shall spare the details on the desserts because this post is about Lagura, but they were all wonderful. Later the ususal sweets were offered and I had a wonderful digestive on the house.

I cannot thank Edwige and Arnaud enough for saving our evening, Didier and the rest of the staff for being so wonderful and attentive even on a busy and warm day.

The dinner at Lagura clocked in at 99 eur – our “second” dinner at Clairefontaine clocked in at 89 euro.

Conclusion:

I get so irritated, like stated on some of my other post, when all the things are in place for having a wonderful restaurant, and it fails so miserably due to lack of attention to obvious details. In this case it was mainly the food and wine – which off course is bad enough for a Restaurant. Lagura, I shall never be back.

Our rating for this visit: Ambience 3,5 (5) Service 2 (5) Food 2 (10) : Score 7,5 out of 20.

Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 6 February 2009

Oscar had begged me for quite a while to go back to the “Ratatouille” restaurant which is his name for Restaurant Clairefontaine. I had not been there for a long time as well, so I was not unhappy to meet his request.

The usual amuse of three different tastings was accompanied by a glass of white wine which as tradition has it by now I had to guess blind. I could not. Not a chance. It was not a taste I was very familiar with. It was heavy and medium dark yellow and had a lot of power I thought. It turned out to be a French Chenin Blanc, I presume from Loire…but I forgot to note who was actually the producer etc. – not my favourite drop. On my last visit I guessed a Moselle Riesling and more or less a dry Juracon so this was a set-back. Give me an easier one next time please Samuel.

I ordered the  “Risotto my style with truffles and smoked egg” – as a starter. For main dish I opted for the Angus rib-eye entrecote.

Oscar could have anything he desired but was most interested in getting the longest piece of baguette – but his father insisted that he tried the suggestion of Arnauld – A piece of chicken breast with Ditali pasta and a rich reduction.

To accompany the dishes I chose a young red Burgundy  – the 2006 Mongeard-Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny – half a bottle since Oscar opted for juice.

“Risotto “à ma façon” aux truffes et à l’oeuf de ferme fumé 8p.

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Le “plein coeur” d’entrecôte Black Angus fondante et son Parmentier minute, tête de champignon farci sauce poivre flambée et pommes Dauphines 10p.

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Mongeard-Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny 2006 – A brilliant wine – young, almost blue in the corners, but what a nice nose and so full of raspberry and all that makes out a good Pinot Noir.

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Oscar and his dinosaur puzzle which kept him busy through-out the meal. Note the colour of the Chenin Blanc in the right corner.

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As it turned out…the dish of Oscar plus the following rich chocolate ice cream he was served was complimentary, so the bill clocked in at 78 Euro – a friends price I know…but anyway very cheap for the quality offered.

Highlight for me was the rib-eye – WHICH WAS TO DIE FOR – I hope the dish will still be on the menu when I come back. The risotto was al dente cooked as it should be, but it was not the best starter I have had in Clairefontaine. Service is still among the best in Luxembourg. Thanks friends.

My rating for this visit: Ambience 5,0 (5) Service 5,0 (5) Food/Wine 9 (10) : Score 19 out of 20.

Clairefontaine, Luxembourg – 30 June 2008

Chef: Arnaud Magnier, Voted best chef in Luxembourg by Gault et Millau in 2005. Michelin rating: 1 star, Gault et Millau rating: 18 points.

This lunch was planned out of the blue since my wife had a day off and Oscar didnt feel like attending Kindergarten today. And we had wanted for a long time to bring him here for lunch to test how that would work since he is normally NOT that good in sitting any longer than 2 minutes at the table. And besides – the weather screamed for terrasse dining.

The restaurant has been a favourite of mine for the last 5 years both for business and private lunches and dinners.

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The missus and Oscar at the table at Clairefontaines beautiful terrasse.

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The service and attention I (- and to the best of my knowledge also other visitors) get is probably the best in Luxembourg and the food is very good presented with what I would consider bigger than average portions for this type of gastronomic restaurant. I recently referred an American group of tourists I met in another Restaurant in Luxembourg to Clairefontaine and upon their return to the States, they kindly sent me a really nice mail, stating that the food and service at Clairefontaine was indeed the gastronomic highlight of their European tour and warmly thanked me for this recommendation.

The wine list should satisfy all clients with open wines around 9 EUR per Glass and bottles from 25 EUR and up up up……

With a huge numbers of white Burgundies to choose from – it was easy pleasing my wife and the one Chassagne-Montrachet I spotted was then confirmed as a very good choice by the sommelier Samuel.

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Remi Jobard-Chabloz, “Les Charrieres” 2004.

After a little while in the glass I asked Samuel to decanter the wine since it was still very closed and green. And that helped the wine to finally open up and reveal the force of this village, the minerals and complexity. However, it remained still a surpricingly very “green” chardonnay, almost too young for my taste and I like to drink all wines what most people would consider too young.

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Clairefontaine serves a small menu of the day for lunch as well as two bigger menus both mid-day and evening. But today we went for a la carte since we only wanted a starter and a main course.

We were as always greeted warmly with a smile by the staff and the hosts Edwige and Arnauld and treated to the appetizer which at Clairefontaine always consist of 3 small tastings on one plate.

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 From the right A cold creamy soup of Salmon, in the middle Mashed potatoes with mussels and a beautiful reduction and to the left a Risotto with a roasted piece of sot-l´y-laisse 10p

The risotto was so deliscious that I almost asked for a re-fill……

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For starters we opted for

Le saomon d’Ecosse “Label Rouge” en 2 cuissons, des pommes de terre façon Roësti et crème aigrelette au caviar d’Aquitaine 8p –

and

Une déclinaison d’un thon rouge, mini poivron confit et farci, sushi de légumes maison, tartare et carpaccio au pistou 9p

The highlight of these two dishes was the tartare of tuna which was to die for.

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At the same time Oscar was treated to a

Roasted Filet of veal with a risotto. Dont take his look to serious. He liked it he claimed and was just busy being a big boy behaving to the liking of his proud parents.

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Our main dishes…

Les filets de rougets petits bâteaux cuit à l’unilatéral, des supions farcis et légumes aux senteurs ensoleillées, un milk-shake de concombre et chèvre frais 9p

and

Le homard Breton rôti entier puis décortiqué, purée crémeuse et palets confits de céleri, le jus d’un rôti de viande à la truffe mélanospurum 10p

I love lobster and the above confirmed that. A generous whole lobster served with a fantastic reduction. The Filets de rougets had a nice Provence vibe to it. The tomato flan and the cucumber shake made the whole dish scream “SUMMER AND SUN”…..

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There has been a few visits where the food although tasty has lacked a little in presentation, but I think today was “back to form” for Arnauld and his kitchen staff. The ambience both inside and outside is “As good as it gets” in my book. Didier the Maitre de Hotel makes sure your visit is always met with the same high standard. I consider Didier among the best of his kind in Luxembourg. Always warm and friendly with an eye on every table.

Finally to round this up, while the missus sipped her coffee and I had to find 226,- EUR- a few pictures to get you in the mood if not already……

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Samuel story telling “Ratatoullie” in French for Oscar….

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Didier at the entrance to the inside of the restaurant

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The restaurant from the inside….

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Thanks dear friends for a lovely lunch…..one of the best I have had in a long time.

My rating for this visit: Ambience 5,0 (5) Service 5,0 (5) Food/Wine 9 (10) : Score 19 out of 20.