It’s taken me a week – a WEEK – to write this review. I’ve also just dyed my hair orange. These rather uncharacteristic occurrences may seem unconnected (and quite possibly are) but they make me wonder: what IS happening to me? Rebellion? Boredom? Capriciousness?
Speaking of which (all of the above, that is), my decision to go to Lastage a week before the end of the two-month financial drought I’m stuck in until tomorrow felt at once rebellious, boredom-preventing AND capricious. It might also have had something to do with the people I was going with, whose idea of an economy drive is to drop from two Michelin stars to one, and to consider the five-course menu instead of the six.
So this was exactly what we did: five courses at Lastage cost €50, which, while not exactly parsimonious, felt like quite a bargain once several amuse bouches had been thrown in as well. Rather like spending €300 on a coat in the sales, just because it used to be €450.
Mackerel rillettes
After a subtle morsel of stuffed guinea fowl on a neat pile of red cabbage and some smoked mackerel rillettes on rye had amused our palates, we moved onto the starter proper: thinly sliced veal with ‘Lardo di Collonata’. I’d never heard of this before, and it sort of reminded me of something my mum used to buy called haslet – only nicer. Google tells me that LdC is actually cured pork fat from a particular part of Tuscany, but the version we had involved thin strips of the lard layered up alternately with cooked beef. The dish was served with caramelized onions, mushrooms (which they thoughtfully removed from my plate) and a finely chopped, mayonnaise-y potato salad. I wasn’t crazy about the latter – it reminded me of aeroplane food – but the meat elements were a big hit.
Lastage: Veal with Lardo di Collonata
Next, I had a pot au feu which was heavy on salt, but the home-made sausages and bacon floating around in the broth were top notch. The soup was freshened up with the addition of a very crunchy brunoise of vegetables.
Lastage: Pot au feu
The fish course (which wasn’t technically a fish course because, had I chosen the other option, it would’ve been meat) comprised halibut with gambas, camargue rice (the sort of red-brown, short-grain, rather chewy, nutty rice), beetroot puree and saffron sauce. Like the amuses, it was a subtle, delicate, elegant dish.
I seem to have failed to write anything down about the main course, and since it was last weekend and I’d had a few glasses of wine by that time, I have no idea what it was. Not to worry. There’s enough courses to mention – I think you’re getting the idea. Before dessert, we had yet another amuse, this time ‘to activate your sweet tongue’. My my – if you insist.
Lastage: Sweet amuse
Sweet tongue duly activated by pear in lavender jelly with chocolate mousse, we then moved onto a pear clafoutis with white chocolate sorbet, a sort of blackberry fruit shake, and pistachio and olive oil jellies. It wasn’t too sweet, and I could’ve eaten it all twice.
As well as five (or eight, depending how you look at them) courses worthy of a place on the MasterChef final, the really striking plus point about Lastage is the service. The staff genuinely wait the tables like the profession it really is – something you rarely see outside France. Not only are they knowledgeable and professional, but also friendly and not overly formal. For the service alone, Lastage deserves five stars.
As for the price, it’s really what you make it. Three courses cost just €36, but it’s easy to splash out on the one, two or three more when the menu looks this good.
