tea at the maquis

Have you ever experienced a long term food coma? Where the slightest flashback of the amuse-bouche alone sends you tailspinning into a salmon and cucumber haze and before you know it you're drooling on a strangers shoulder whilst sat on the bus. No? Just me? Well tea at The Maquis for Sophie's birthday was one of these such meals.

In keeping with Philippe birthday tradition we piled ourselves, and our accidentally coordinated outfits, into the car and made our way to Sophie's favourite restaurant, L'Arbousier at The Maquis.

A birthday bellini santé.

A very suave Monsieur P

 

We started off with a salmon and cucumber amuse-bouche. It sounds unremarkable but it was anything but.

Then they brought out the godfather of all breadbaskets - wholemeal, walnut, cheese, sesame, olive, hazelnut and raisin, sundried tomato, multi-seed.

I wholeheartedly wish I could give you some hardcore food porn but as it was, we all ordered exactly the same. For starter, main and dessert. 7 x Tuna & Caviar Tartare with a pesto dressing. One word, sublime. Although I am a bit of a PAA (Pesto Addict Anonymous) and would probably call beans on toast sublime if it came with a pesto dressing.

Taking a digestive pause we tried to get a group photo. But our outfits were the extent of our group coordination, somebody managed to blink each time the shutter clicked. 

Beautiful mama-daughter shot

Then our gallant waiters in white bustled around the table and placed a gleaming silver dish in front of each of us.

Then using some weird waiter psychic skills, lifted the silver lids in synchronised silence to reveal each of our dishes... 7 x Sea Bass with Aubergine.

The food was THAT good I almost missed the sunset. Almost.

When the dessert menu arrived there was a chocolate molleux but no chocolate soufflé, Sophie's favourite. Seeing her crestfallen look, the owners said they'd talk to the chef and see what they could do. Riding on the birthday girls luck, we went ahead and ordered the same.
Chocolate souffle x 7 si vous plaît!

Now I was a Maquis first-timer, the others are veterans. To me the soufflé was light, airy and fluffy, like eating a chocolate cloud. For the veterans it didn't meet usual Maquis soufflé standards... so we ordered a molleux to share, for purely comparison purposes.

I wish I could show you the oozing chocolate centre, but unfortunately seven spoons attacked the poor chocolate pud with such ferocity that my 5 second reaction time was 5 seconds too late.  

I could go on and on and on about the night our tastebuds met heaven but for fear of slipping back into yet another Maquis food coma and dribbling on my neighbours shoulder it's probably best I go to bed...

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corsican paradise

This post has been a long time coming but I'm bursting at the seams to share it with you. A long long long while ago (lazy blogger) Sophie and her family invited me, Julia and Tee to their cocoon of paradise, nestled into the Corsican hillside.

A detox for the mind, body and soul. We'd start each day somwhat groggily, only to be brought back to life with a pot of tea before moving out to the balcony for Tee's daily yoga class or to the hills for a early morning jog (sometimes accompanied by angry mountain bulls). Makes you run harder, better, faster, stronger! I've heard Usain Bolt swears by it...

 Followed by a pot of tea and a swim. Sunbathing by the pool is basically swimming right?

Then when our bellies were grumbling that it was lunch time, we headed out to the garden for our dejeuner sur l'herbe. Now the Philippes know how to lunch. Assorted salads and dressings, cured meats and fresh fish, Fatima's world renowned ratattouile and just when you think you can't eat any more out comes the most impressive cheese board you've ever seen, accompanied by the worlds best fig jam.

Our bellies groaning, we all took our positions under the shady trees to read, snooze and digest with, yep you guessed it, yet another pot of tea made with Verbena from the garden.

The beauty of the Philippe's corsican paradise is that it's high enough up that the breeze whistles through the palm trees creating your very own microclimate, a world away from the sweltering Corsican heat. But you're still only a hop, skip and a jump away from the beach for a spot of après dejeuner sea bathing.

Some furry friends got wind that it's a pollen paradise too...

Kumquats

Still stuffed from lunch but in need of an excuse to eat more cheese (Brebris is just something else), we'd sit on the balcony and oggle the breathtaking view over dinner.

Now as it turns out Mr P is also an amoureux de coucher de soleil (trans. mad about sunsets). Each night as our watches beeped sunset o'clock, we'd set up shop on the balcony sharing our mutual appreciation of the reds, pinks, oranges and yellows.

Exhausted after our strenuous day of eating, drinking, reading and yoga-ing, we all said goodnight to paradise and got some zzzzzzzz's. Did I mention I never ever want to leave this place?

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