We were in Cluny, famous for its abbey founded in the 10th Century, one of the largest before being destroyed.
Since the end of the 19th century, it is one of the centers of the Ecole des Arts et Métiers, that was organizing a party for the end of the school year. Cluny is also known for its stables, that we did not get a chance to visit.
We arrived there in the morning, walking around this small town and enjoying the market that was setup in front of the abbey.
We looked for restaurants and first wanted to go to the Bar du Centre, but the staff did not seem to be eager to serve customers. That is when we saw Le Cloître, a restaurant serving traditional French dishes, as well as crêpes.
We looked for restaurants and first wanted to go to the Bar du Centre, but the staff did not seem to be eager to serve customers. That is when we saw Le Cloître, a restaurant serving traditional French dishes, as well as crêpes.
The waiter warned us that the service would be slow because they had a party of 16. I appreciated the heads up as, at least, if we stayed, we knew what to expect.
At Le Cloître, they propose different prix-fixe menus. Jodi went for the appetizer-dessert and I went for the appetizer-entrée as we would probably share the dessert. For her appetizer, Jodi ordered the fried Saint-Marcellin cheese salad.
The cheese was delicious with its crispy and not greasy shell, all melty inside.
On my side, I started of with the escargots façon Beaujolaise:
It was quite interesting: I adore escargots de Bourgogne prepared with butter and parsley, tried them in a Roquefort sauce, but never this way, that is like a ragout made with red wine, with a taste similar to a daube, a classic French stew. I liked it, but my preference still remained with butter and parsley.
For the entrée, I ordered the quenelle de brochet et morilles au coulis de champignons, that is pike quenelle with morel and its mushroom sauce.
When the dish came, it was definitely overcooked and the sauce burnt. Problem was that this dish took 20 minutes to be prepared and, as the service was slow, we had no time to send it back, the abbey closing early. So we ate it. The quenelle itself was decent. But no trace of morel despite what the waiter told us.
It was served with some haricots verts that were not good, and a nice (at least) gratin Dauphinois, that is a potato au gratin. Overall, this was a promising, but very disappointing dish.
For dessert, Jodi ordered the brioche perdue au chocolat chaud.
I thought it would be French toast with a hot chocolate spread, but it seemed like a store bought slice of brioche toasted, with an imitation of Nutella on top. Perfect for a homemade breakfast, but not something I would serve in a restaurant.
We also tried the creme brûlée that was just ok.
We also tried the creme brûlée that was just ok.
This was a disappointing lunch and next time, I'll pass Le Cloître...
Enjoy (...)!
Le Cloître
16 Rue Municipale
71250 Cluny, France
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
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