Lille - Maison du Champlain, 13 Rue Nicolas Leblanc, 59000 Lille, France
I have been rather quiet on this blog, because of having too much other stuff to do. So I am going to write a whole list of reviews that will be short but sweet.
I love Lille because it is so small and easy to get around, but has lovely shops, lots of museums and culture and of course great food. However like any city it is easy to end up getting average touristy food. Last time I went we discovered L’Atelier de Gourmond, which we booked again, I won’t do a full review as it is already listed unfortunately it didn’t reach the heights of last time but was still very solid cooking.
On the Friday we tried a new restaurant which on the whole had some very good reviews and has a bib gourmand in the Michelin guide it is called Maison du Champlain and is attached to a boutique hotel of the same name. It is a tiny restaurant 12-14 covers, painted white and some might say atmosphere less, but think that depends who is there. They do not allow children in the restaurant, I guess, because it is size and one crying baby really would affect everyone.
There is a set menu that also includes wine, at 33 euro’s for 3 courses and a quarter bottle of wine, it was a very good price. After a substantial amuse bouche and starter (delicious but hard to describe consisted of a cakey bread tasted much better than it sounds), we had opted for an additional course of lobster wontons with lobster bisque. This was the stand out dish by some way; I would have happily eaten this as a main course. The flavour of the lobster bisque was amazing with a silky smooth texture. The main course was a bit more out there; haddock with a beer ice cream, this for us was the least successful dish. Cold icecream with hot fish did not work, and the fish needed a lighter sauce. For dessert we had a poached pear with ice cream, well executed with a soft pear. Then finally with our coffee and very large digestive’s we had some petit fours, tasty but a little much after all the food we had consumed.
The menu changes weekly and I love being surprised, however this would not be the place for any fussy eaters. The quiet, calm atomosphere and husband and wife team were perfect for our girls night out. If you are looking for buzzy this is not your place, would definitely return.