14 July is Bastille Day so what else could we have but a French chef. Nico Filippo has cooked for us once before and is the partner of popular ex-REX floor staff member Jess, who assisted him.

Food

In the Covid restriction mode, we were served to entrées seated in our tables. The first was a poached prawn on iceberg lettuce with a spiced mayonnaise aka a prawn cocktail. The iceberg added a delicate crunch to this small starter. Next up was pea and ham soup with the aromas arousing the palate immediately the bowl was placed on the table. A classic dish to which there was no cream added nor potatoes. The flavour of the smoked ham hock was magnificent. A wonderful way to start.

The main was a rump of lamb had been roasted with jus rosemary, gratin dauphinois and French beans. My meal was cooked to perfection with an enticing pink colour in the centre of the rather large portion. Nico told me that each rump was about 250 g so no one went hungry. The layered potato was decorated with rosemary and thyme sprigs standing proudly upright atop the stack.

Nico explained to us that the lamb had been cooked sou vide for 3.5 hours at 54° C and that in the style of French of serving all the “bits” were served on the plate rather than having side dishes. The dish was thoroughly enjoyed by the Covid reduced numbers in the room.

The cheese selected by James Healey but served by Gary Linnane did cause some confusion as many thought it was Beaufort (including myself) when it was another much-loved cheese, Comte from Jura. The salty and savoury overtones once again confirmed this is one of our favourite cheeses.

The coffee today again presented by our President, Nick Reynolds, was Honduras El Laurel, washed bean. The notes supplied the coffee included “notes of plum and black tea are the highlights of this washed bean, which translates into a caramel-like sweetness’. It was very elegant but personally would have liked a little more dosage to give it a bit more punch.

Wine

Six wines were served all pre-poured in our restrictive mode. The first two wines meant for the entrées were the Leo Buring Leonay Watervale Riesling 2014 and the Meyer-Fonne Reserve Alsace Riesling 2013. The former was surprisingly developed and lacked some of the characteristics of the style that many know so well. Acid and lemon predominated. The Alsace I think was the better of the two with the usual tiny touch of residual sugar. It was a fine wine.

Domaine Nicolas Reau Pompois Loire Cabernet Franc 2013 started us off for the main. Opinions differed on this and I found it had a slight off stink, a touch of brett which distracted from my enjoyment. Next up was Château Peyredon Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2009 which many thought was the red wine of the day. Drinking at its peak, 2009 was a wonderful year in Bordeaux and this Bordeaux was elegant, soft and ready to go.

Others thought that the Nick O’Leary 2009 Shiraz from the Canberra district was the go-to wine for the lunch. Under screwcap, it was showing some degree of brown, but the fruit was intact and it was a very attractive wine. Finally came the Domaine J L Chave Mon Coeur Cotes du Rhone 2009. Chave is a highly respected label but despite 2009 being a very good year, the wine was let down by bretty overtones subduing the fruit. A disappointment.

All in all, an excellent lunch that once again confirmed that even with our current restrictions an enjoyable time can be had. Thanks to Nico and Jess for their efforts to present this fine lunch.