We were determined not to make this little freezing rain ruined our weekend
lunch plan, a rare occasion that we were able to be out and about eating at a
proper restaurant. It’s been a long while since we were last at Louise – in fact
if I remember correctly that’s only our second time and I felt like it’s a
century ago.
Last time I thought it’s still "work in progress" – I was trying
to be nice when I said that - and I guess this time I am going to see how that “work”
has evolved with all the accolades they managed to get since then. There were
no lack of casual French restaurants in town, and Louise offered more or less
the same as the other of the similar caliber but a tad more laid back, with a bistro style a la carte menu for their weekend
brunch.
The classic no-fuss architecture of PMQ and the typical French bistro décor
provided the appropriate casual comfortable setting for the food and one could
even have a peek at the cooking action from the spacious open kitchen further
at the back of the dining room upstairs.
We decided to share a few dishes among the two of us. The
bread basket was great, but even better was the whipped brown butter served on
the side. We asked for a second serving of those sourdough bread just so we could
spread more butter on. One probably couldn’t get a better pate en croute in
town – good buttery crust, well-flavored and fatty terrine, and I loved the
pickles salad on the side too for the acidity balance. The dish was listed under
“Louise Classics” and it really is.
We ordered the poached egg not just because it sounded like
a good brunch dish to have, but I remembered those were one of the dishes I
like in my last visit. The soft-boiled eggs was sitting on a softest, creamiest
Jerusalem artichoke velouté with rice crisp and sausages for both the flavor
and texture. There’s a hint of black truffles too. Other than the fact that I
thought it’s a bit overpriced for what it is, the dish was delicious. Beef tartare
was enjoyable, done the classic way with the equally enjoyable fries on the
side. The meat was so good that I felt there’s not much one need to do other
than chopping and plating, and I found myself munching on those crispy fries
non-stop.
I like their wine list with a good selection by the glass or
carafe. We went for the chenin blanc from the Loire Valley, light straw color, crisp
and easy-going with plenty of citrus and gripping acidity, and sure brightened
the mood on a rainy afternoon and went well with the casual dishes we had.
We had to cancel our another main course dish in order to make
room for desserts. They couldn’t have a better marketing pitch by presenting
the choices in a nice wooden box. We went for two and they were both excellent.
The Paris Brest was served with a
thick layer of chestnut praline cream sandwiched between two fluffy puff pastry
shells and I love the texture of the madeleines, soft, buttery with a hint of citrus
zest. Just the way it should be.
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