Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Friday 15 June 2012

Lunch at the Lion d'Or in Amboise

This year we had our first lunch on French soil at the Lion d'Or in Amboise. As I mentioned before, I had never felt the urge to eat there in the past because the place looked tired and not very inviting. Since it has changed hands, it's certainly worth a visit. I'm not going to write too much text, but just let the photos speak for themselves. Sorry for the poor quality of some of the photos. They were taken by Mats - with my camera - who's probably not used to the 'cameras for nitwits' having a very sophisticated camera himself - or maybe he was giddy with hunger ... Anyway, they give you a fair idea of the quality of the meal.

The 'traditional' dining room at the Lion d'Or.
We were seated the last table on the right.

An appetizer of spinach mousse and asparagus cream soup.

Foie gras, onion confit and toasted baguette.

Veal onglet and green asparagus.

Tournedos steak and bright green 'fêves des marais'.

A 'café gourmand'. I don't remember what the yellow cream in the middle was,
but on the right there is chocolate crème brûlée.

A trio of sorbets: apple, raspberries and mango.

This was just the first in a line of outstanding lunches and an excellent start of a wonderful and exciting week ...

6 comments:

chm said...

After seeing the first picture, I’m now sure we — Ken, Walt and me — had lunch at the Lion d’Or several years ago. As I recall there weren’t too many people when we were there and I can’t remember what we had for lunch. It certainly wasn’t as exciting as what your photos show. Great pictures.

Leon Sims said...

Cafe Gourmand was Sue's choice on many occasions on this trip.
I'm keeping notes on these eating houses for our next trip to the Loire.

GaynorB said...

What a fantastic looking (and I hope tasting) lunch.

I'll be adding this to our list, but I'll remember to book!

Niall & Antoinette said...

It all looks really delicious! :-)

Vera said...

Mmm,it tasted really good............

ladybird said...

Chm, The food was really good: fresh and well prepared and presented. The waitresses were very kind too, with a great sense of humour.

L&S, I like Café Gourmand as you get a taste of everything. Although I never drink my coffee, there is always a volunteer ready to take it off my hands.

Gaynor, Maybe you can go there when you visit Amboise market this summer!

N&A, It was ... Definitely in the top 3 of this year's culinary experiences.

Vera, I can still see you sitting there, savouring every bite :)