Bergerac

A random but good find thanks to Teapot's craving for French food and Urbanspoon.

Service was top notch from the minute we stepped into the quaint French restaurant. The waitress led us in, gave us a choice of tables and brought over the specials board straight away. I must commend this place for having a couple of portable specials boards - it certainly makes it easier than craning necks around corners or over other people's heads to catch a glimpse of the daily specials.

moscato

bread & snail shaped butter

We order moscato to kick off the meal then start the difficult task of choosing dishes. We can't go pass the duck terrine from the board, and settle on a gravlax de saumon as our second shared entrée. Then it's ravioli de crabe for me, and confit de canard for Teapot.

duck terrine

What can I say, the duck terrine is perfect. The texture is smooth and holds it shape well. The sweet and slightly sour (cranberry?) jam pairs perfectly with the creaminess of the terrine and the crunch of the toasted baguette slices. My only qualm is that the baguette slices are a little thick and could have been split in two, but that doesn't stop us scoffing the lot down.

gravlax de saumon - gravlax of salmon on toasted brioche with roe salsa

The salmon gravlax is another hit. Slices of smoked salmon are dotted with orange fish roe which provide a cleansing 'pop' of flavour. The toasted brioche is sweet and charred on the outside, complimenting the cured salmon well.

confit de canard - confit of duck thighs with orange glaze & potatoes sarladaise

Teapot's duck confit is "delicious" and "melts in your mouth". The orange sauce is noticeably citrus-y but subtle enough to not be too intense.

ravioli de crabe - crab ravioli with blue swimmer bisque

My crab ravioli in blue swimmer bisque is also a delight to eat. Unlike the Italian variety, the ravioli is delicate and light, almost like a wonton wrapper. There's a generous filling of crab meat inside each one. The little parcels of shellfish goodness sit atop a rich crab bisque with an intense crab flavour and undertones of butter.

pan fried mushrooms

Our side of pan fried mushrooms is deserving of a much fancier name. Whatever the chef has done has brought out the deep earthy flavour of the mushrooms, which has also absorbed the garlicky butter sauce its been cooking in.

Onto dessert and we're both ridiculously full from eating too much bread at the start of the meal, but as all foodies know, you have a second stomach for dessert (just don't ask a doctor to confirm that). We decide to be slightly rational and choose the bombe alaska to share. Which is a fantastic choice if you like your dessert served with a side of theatre. A cute little ice cream gateau covered in meringue arrives, with faint caramelisation down the sides. Then the waitress lights a small pan of Grand Marnier on fire and douses the whole thing in flaming alcohol. Wow.

bombe alaska - ice-cream gâteau with dried fruits on almond biscuit,
covered in meringue & flambéed with Grand Marnier

It's quite a beautiful dessert although the Grand Marnier is very strong and gives you that slight 'burning' sensation. And you can't avoid it, because cutting into the bombe alaska means half the pieces gets dragged through the alcohol. The ice cream is smooth and spotted with 'dried fruits' which seem to have been reconstituted in water and are actually quite juicy. The meringue on the outside is soft on the inside and slightly crispy where it's been caramelised (twice, firstly by a blowtorch, then again by the flaming Grand Marnier).

The service is commendable, particularly from our main waitress of the night. Polite, friendly and happy to chat, she made the dining experience truly enjoyable.

Overall impression: 9.5/10