While we were on holiday L'Image, on the market place in Preuilly sur Claise, finally reopened. It has been taken over by our friends Matthieu, Sihan, Manuela and Chris. They've given the place a good sprucing, but not transformed it into something no one who knew and loved the old L'Image would not recognise. One really noticeable difference is the light levels in the bar, which are no longer restricted by heavy curtains.
Chris was given some wild celery from just down the road, and is making celery salt. I might have to give this a go myself!
For the moment, the place is a bar that opens in the morning at ten o'clock for the day, until eleven o'clock at night, and does small plates of tempting tasty food from five o'clock in the evening onwards, Tuesdays to Saturdays. Later, as resources and renovations allow, the restaurant will reopen.
Matthieu behind the bar.
On Bastille Day we popped in after swimming for a bite to eat and a drink. We shared a market platter and I had a non-alcoholic martini, Simon had a non-alcoholic beer. We also shared two desserts (a raspberry bundt cake and roasted apricots with cream) and had a coffee each. The welcome is friendly, relaxed and completely bilingual French and English. Everything was absolutely delicious! I especially recommend the non-alcoholic martini, the curried chicken rillettes, the cucumber salad and the apricot cream. The raspberry cake deserves an honorable mention too.
Sihan's sensational raspberry bundt cake.
Broadly speaking, the food is French traditional, with international overtones giving it a creative edge. The main focus is ingredient led not any particular cuisine style though. As far as possible all the ingredients are locally sourced and carefully prepared to make the most of their qualities.
Market platter (Fr. Assiette du marché).
It is really nice to have somewhere relaxed, flexible and informal to pop into whenever we want to, and virtually on our doorstep.
Roast apricots with cream (Fr. Abricots roti, creme fraiche, amaretti).
The menu for 14 July.
Chris chopping shallots.
You can find the Restaurant L'Image 37 on social media -- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RestaurantImage37; and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantimage37/.
1 comment:
It all looks fabulous - it's time we gave the restaurant a try!
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