Thursday, October 25, 2012

ELEVEN: Eleven

He says...

Our furthest afield number to date - the charming Leamington Spa. Staying at a b&b in nearby Warwick, we popped for an early sitting at French restaurant Eleven on Saturday night, and we were pleased to find that the restaurateur is an actual Frenchman... in Leamington Spa, who'd have thought it?

Starting with a glass of kir each, Monsieur Bomme reliably informed us the drink was named after the French catholic priest who invented it. I had the special starter - escargot - and Kat had the devilled kidneys on toast.

While escargot generally taste like vulcanised rubber, they're great because of the torture-like implements you have to use, while also giving me a good excuse to tell the story (again) about how I once accidentally flicked a snail at a white-shirted Frenchman in a Parisian restaurant.

Determined to remain stereotypically French for the duration of the meal, I went for the other special on the blackboard - duck a l'orange, which was melt-in-the-mouth although sadly let down by an extremely pedestrian selection of veg. However, Kat told me that such Wednesday night-esque fare is also typically French, so I think that made it alright.

It was, however, one of those very rare instances when I was actually jealous of Kat's main course - the cheese souffle. Usually my picking skills are far superior to hers.

Suddenly there was a subtle placing of something on our table. Sadly not the desert menu, but the bill, unrequested... our early sitting had come to an abrupt end. So we weren't to sample the delights of tarte tatin or Cafe leigois...

But we did drink whiskey in a pub, go back to the b&b and steal more whiskey from their delapidated bar, eat hula hoops... then the next day... WARWICK CASTLE.


SCORE: 7/10


She says...

As a last minute escape plan it worked a treat. Choosing a restaurant in an obscure location based on the number in its title and a few pics on the internet is going to get us into trouble one of these days, but this was another (after Hastings #9) winner all round. Cute, with an authentic feel (if a French restaurant in Leamington Spa could ever be called authentic), a genial host, who was ACTUALLY French, and interesting, slightly old school food, cooked well.

My devilled kidneys were a wee bit chewy, but then they generally are. However, I was mightily impressed by my first souffle and you really couldn't argue with it's incredible cheesiness. I put up a good fight but strugglde to finish it. Luckily Matt was on hand to help out. Decent, French, wine and a buzzy atmosphere made it a lovely evening despite the stormy clouds hanging overhead.





To be recommended if you're ever in the area, perhaps visiting Warwick Castle, which is something else I recommend, and as well as an Autumn stroll (in about 30 minutes) down the canal from Warwick to Leamington Spa. Works up a nice appetite.







SCORE: 8/10

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