Over the past few years I’ve honed my palate and developed a very unhealthy appetite for food, in all senses. I’ve eaten in over 500 restaurants across Europe and within that time the urge to travel further and more often is only becoming more regular. There’s something exciting about it. The adrenaline on the plane, knowing a potentially extraordinary meal is just around the corner in a place you’ve never been. Service is always different in each country, the language barrier can mean you quite literally have no idea what you’re eating and of course – the weather can be spectacularly different. You can get some of this in London yes, but eating in a French restaurant within Bordeaux, the wine growing capital of the world – it doesn’t get much more exciting.
Le Saint James is an exclusive luxury Relais & Château hotel, nestled away in the commune of Bouliac looking over the grandeur of Bordeaux city centre. It feels like a fairytale up here. The restaurant in this hotel is no exception either. It oozes luxury, class and finesse which has all been cleverly designed by architect Jean Nouvel, creating a space which is meant to resemble a terraced garden, gracefully slipping itself into the rolling vineyards. Executive chef here is the multi-talented Nicolas Magie, who with the help of Christian Constant together create masterpieces in the kitchen showing off classical cooking, with a twist. We started our journey here with of course, a glass of chilled and buttery Champagne, alongside some stunning pre-nibbles. A duo of sweet and succulent snails, light and fluffy brioche with a sweet sticky dipping sauce and glazed egg shells filled with a pure taste of the sea.
Opting for a surprise tasting menu, first course to grace the table was the season’s first white asparagus from the South-Western Landes area of France that had been cooked in a chicken broth and served alongside three stuffed morels. Each had been cooked and stuffed with a mixture of smoked eel, chicken and mushroom. Sadly you rarely come across morels in the UK which is a shame given how versatile they are – with such an enticing flavour, moorish texture and unusual appearance. Yet just another of the perks when travelling for food, you get to eat ingredients such as this.
One thing I will say about the tasting menu is that portions are huge. They certainly don’t hold back on anything. The food is big, bold, rich and being France – a few kilo’s of butter have most likely been abused in the process. My favourite dish of the whole evening here at Le Saint James Restaurant was this beautifully presented plate of seared scallops with the most heavenly seafood dumpling, citrus and a drizzle of beurre blanc. Such a harmonising plate of flavours and textures which made for an unforgettable experience. Equally as good was the expertly cooked pigeon, paired with one the most refined jus I think I’ve ever come across.
With our cheese course and dessert on the way, we certainly didn’t expect the cheese to arrive how it did – but were blown away by its unusualness. Served as a sort of cheese fondue which was incredibly powerful, encompassing a mousse like apple sorbet which simply lifted everything to an ethereal state, but brought us straight back into cheese heaven by a carefully crafted gelatin apple which contained, you guessed – more cheese. Dessert continued to astound and amaze. Quite easily of a two Michelin star standard, this slice of patisserie perfection was filled with crème, layers or bitter chocolate and droplets of orange gel – not too dissimilar to a Jaffa cake, simply better.
The restaurant at Le Saint James is magical, refined and incredibly opulent. The views alone turn this restaurant into a sensory and eye-wateringly beautiful experience like nowhere else in the world. To appreciate the views they (to everyone’s surprise) even turn off all of the lights in the restaurant allowing the candles to illuminate only the tables and for everyone to turn their chairs and look over the glittering lights of Bordeaux. I don’t know anywhere which could go to such lengths for the customer. When it comes to cooking, Le Saint James is a meal to never forget and as fabulous as it was, there is still much more scope to do better and go further if they wanted too. The food may currently be awarded only one Michelin star, but elements have a real two star Michelin feel – with even more precision the possibilities are endless.
9/10
