FRA: Serge Magner Plateaux-Repas
Served cold, but fulfilling!
Literally means 'meal trays', Plateaux-Repas from Serge Magner looked really awesome. Serge Magner is a company that not only specialises in catering for special events, but also owns quality restaurants. I had the chance to try them twice during the summer school: one for the welcome lunch, and another for the farewell lunch.
Welcome Lunch
Appetiser (Shrimp and Sausage) - Taste: 8.5/10
Main Course (Duck and Potato) - Taste: 8.5/10
Dessert (Baba au Rhum) - Taste: 9.5/10
The meal started with a tray of cold and refreshing slices of prawn and sausage. The shrimp was crunchy and succulent, while the sausage was really flavourful. In addition, the bread wasn't hard and the cheese (I forgot to take note what kind of cheese) went well with the sweet raisin purée enriched with cinnamon.
The main course was served cold too, but I really enjoyed the heady aroma of the herb-seasoned potatoes. I was really glad to find that the potatoes were neither too soft nor too firm. The duck slices weren't the most tender I'd eaten, but they were pretty juicy without being overcooked.
The highlight of the day was the dessert. Baba au Rhum is a yeast cake saturated in rum. The fragrance of the rum was really intoxicating. Just one bite, and I was taken in by its charm. Amazingly sweet and slightly bitter, the cake was really soft. The citrus cream on the side didn't disappoint either. For this extraordinary damp cake, I'm brave enough to give 9.5/10, which I think is the highest score I've ever given to any of the food being reviewed in this blog so far. Pika's advice: If you can take rum, you MUST try this!!!
Farewell Lunch
Appetiser (Beetroot with Anchovy) - Taste: 8/10
Main Course (Fish and Lasagna?) - Taste: 8/10
Dessert (Booze-Soaked Cherry Cake) - Taste: 8.5/10
To be honest, the farewell lunch wasn't as awesome as the welcome lunch, but it was great nonetheless. The appetiser showcased savoury anchovy bites on top of a bed of sweet beetroot. The nutty sauce on the side tasted really unique, and I mixed it with the rocket salad which, sadly, wasn't that appealing. There were two thin slices of camembert cheese served with raisins. The bread wasn't as soft as the one for the welcome lunch, although it was bigger. I remember I ate a truckload of beetroots because many of my friends didn't like them.
The lightly seasoned fish fillets for the main course was tender, and they were sitting on top of a thick mash of tomatoes and olives. Surprisingly, the lasagna-like stuff was reminiscent of curry puff back in Singapore! Although it wasn't spicy at all, it had a bit of the familiar curry flavour, complete with chunks of potatoes inside.
The dessert was definitely not for the faint-hearted! I even teared after popping two or three cherries into my mouth as they were really sour! The ones in the cake weren't as strong though, but they were nicely sour. The cake had the consistency of a pie with a buttery, slightly crumbly texture.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 8.5/10
I wonder when I can have that amazing Baba au Rhum again. While some stores sell this cake which was invented in the 1800s, it just doesn't taste as good as Serge Magner's which seems to have the best taste in terms of the balance of flavour, as well as the strength of the rum used.
Serge Magner Plateaux-Repas
Z.I. Le Broteau
Impasse Louis Verd
Irigny
France
(Mon-Fri: 9.00am - 12 noon, 2.00pm - 6.00pm)
*I'm sorry, I have no idea about the price!
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
Comments