A meal at Le Monastere Des Augustines is a leap of faith!…read more
My only clue that it will be glorious is when I picked up unforgettable snacks at their tiny boutique the day before. These were orbs of choco-pastries that melted in the mouth! They look like munchkins but the healthier kind with no added processed sugar.
That's why when I found out that the still active monastery maintains a restaurant that cooked with the seasons and used only local produce, I knew I had to have a meal there. The catch is, menu is released five minutes before opening. There are no reviews online. Locals I asked don't know much either. For a traveler whose highlights of each trip are the meal experience, this is a big, big gamble .
FORMAT. All I know is that it's "table d' hote" format (read pre-fixe). And as a monastery restaurant, the resident chef designs the menu on based on certain food preparation principles such as no use of alcohol, caffeine and any processed ingredients, to name a few.
FOOD. Soup and salad was self-service and buffet-style. I probably went three times because the irresistible choices of organic salads with housemade dressings were so crisp, fresh and unique. Although we got all entrees, my favorite was seared horse meat . Dessert was a blurry of French names I can't pronounce and their signature tea was a great ending to the lunch service.
My only regret is I didn't get to try the dinner tasting menu with six courses . Next time! Merci!
