Since we bought the house here in Thezan we have from time to time been trying to book a table in this restaurant in Magalas, about 15 minutes away.

It has only been going for about three years itself but has managed to hook a Bib Gourmand from Michelin and an impressive 14 from Gault Millau.
This week we knew that my brother Teddy and his wife and daughter were coming over so about a fortnight ago we rang and begged for a table any night at all this week.
We got one for tonight.

The history of the building is that it was the butchers shop in the village, was made a restaurant before M. Bontemps (sic) arrived called Le Boucherie and since he has taken over is fairly acknowledged as the most interesting -and reasonable -eating in the area.

Four out of the five of us decided to eat the Menu Surprise.
This was priced according to how many courses you took.
We went for the €30 choice : Starter, Main and Cheese or Dessert.
(we were very grateful we didn’t go for any more!)

Even before we were fully seated we were amused with a little dish of hummus accompanied with a dish of toasted sesame seeds and some grisilini to dip in both.
Then arrived a dish for each of us of tiny sweet mussels and clams in a superb bacon and cream sauce; another amuse.
Our palates were to be amused yet again before we actually got our starter with a tiny shot glass of intense and delicious hot puree of cauliflower.
So much for the freebies.
The starter (and they had the generosity to produce one for our A La Carte chooser who hadn’t ordered one) was delicious but exceptional mainly in its garnishes.
It was a generous slab of Foie Gras with some toasted brioche. With it was a glass with some quince paste in the bottom and some delicious quince jelly in the middle and a tiny bowl of confiture de Figues on top.
There was also something creamy in a glass which was I suspect related to the liver and a salad of perfectly dressed red leaves all impaled on a in skewer .
And all very good.

We were actually the first in the restaurant to achieve main course so this moment of drama was centered on us.

In arrives the chef and his assistant carrying a ten foot plank holding a joint of pink meat which they held along our table for us to review.
It was then taken away to carve.
It was, we were told, a joint of pork which had been cooked for 22 hours at extremely low temperature.

It was extremely good, very pink and tender, very fatty (I ate every bit) and served with some pasta dressed with some intense pistou.

Next up was another freebie a little cleanser of pineapple, mango, lychee and passion .
Suitably clensed we all went on for the dessert (despite the tempting array of cheeses on an old butchers block in the corner)
This was a mousse of three chocolates, served in a glass (they do love stuff in glasses in France!) and was extremely good, especially the dark layer which was full of a crisp chiffonade of flaked toasted almonds.

Unbelievably after this marathon we were offered more petit fours with the coffee.

It was very very good, not I feel incredibly original but none the worse for that and for €30 a skull, for a meal of that quality, incredible value.

I talked a little to Mme Bontemps (La Maitre d’), praised inordinately her husbands skill, and said we would send customers to her when ever there was a vacancy- “But you have no need ” I said ” You are full anyway”
I wanted to book in for next week before we went but wasn’t let.

The wines -my friends told me- were excellent.
It being November for yet another three days I drank sparkling water and drove home.