In a year for collective self-reflection, we all had cause to turn inwards, epitomised in the discovery that virtually everything could be done from bed. Work, of course, so long as you position the camera above the pillows propping you up and stick an artwork on the wall. And restaurant level dining, as takeaway became the way to eat out.
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Interaction has also become something we do at home, turning our attention to the family. Travel has been something we do as locally as possible, turning our attention to local picnic spots and beaches.
I speak for the comfortably off, which we overwhelmingly are, while not forgetting that forgotten group of Canberrans who don't have the luxury of homes and salaries. And families.
Which brings me to Le Tres Bon, where I am always struck by chef and owner Christophe Gregoire's decision to make Bungendore his home, so especially far from his home town of Les Vosges, in the east of France near the Austrian border.
I think he did it for love (ha, the things we do for that four-letter word!) and he keeps the connection with his home by hosting regular trips back for Australians who want to get a taste of the food of his homeland.
But of course none of that has happened in a year, and it won't happen anytime soon. Which leaves Gregoire recreating France in his Bungendore kitchen.
This place has always been a romantic favourite of ours, in its little crumbly historic building in Bungendore's main street, with an intimate feel and a sense of occasion from travelling into the country for dinner. Tonight our table has no cloth, which would be fine and welcome if the top was attractive, but the top reminds me of vinyl and the menus are plastic covered, which detracts from the sense of care and charm. But, as per NSW public health orders, the COVID safety plan for restaurants means all menus should be laminated to make for easy cleaning and tablecloths removed to minimise contact points and ensure the thorough sanitisation of the tabletop. Such is the new way.
The menu has a familiar feel, with dishes we recognise from visits in recent years, actually I guess a decade.
To wit, the snails, cooked and served in a little ceramic dish where each of the half dozen snails, doused in parsley, has its own nest. They're robust little bites, if not as exciting tonight as we remember.
The rillettes combine duck, chicken and pork to a very smooth, soft and decent result, although there is a blandness in taste here which may or may not be the way you like your rillettes. We tend to prefer punchy, textural and rustic. The apple and sage compote is a lovely little accompaniment, along with the cornichon, and the little piece of heart-shaped beetroot is a sweet touch. The fresh salad with the rillettes and with many of the other dishes is a real strength at Le Tres Bon. Here, greens are not an afterthought, and they have a freshness which suggests they're pulled recently from the garden.
The salmon tartare is salmon diced small and mixed with olive oil and lemon juice, plus red onion which feels a little too dominant to me. On top is welcome caviar and alongside those appealing greens. This is a decent version.
In the mains, our favourite tonight is duck confit. It is prettily presented with a red flower, orange segments and green broccoli. It's a bit salty, but the meat is strong and substantial, the orange sauce assertive and likeable, and it's served with potato gratin.
Our least favourite main is the vegetarian option, a rice ball filled with vegetables and cheese, and served with tomato sauce. The croquette is large, heavy and uninteresting in its flavours; the sauce is overdone. This needs a rethink, and given that French restaurants are now winning Michelin stars for vegan food, such a thing is clearly possible.
At the meat-eaters' end of the scale, there's steak and fries. The cut is skirt steak, a big flavoured piece of meat, although we're finding the meat component here large and some work to get through. It's aggressively salty, and the meaty gravy is intense, although it lacks interest.
It's a three-course set menu, which we must tolerate, it seems, until the pandemic comes to a close ($80, included a Kir Royale champagne cocktail with sweet berry liqueur).
And so to dessert: Crepe suzette, of course, a range of macaroons of various colours and flavours, and chocolate "vacherin", which is our pick of the three. The good chocolate ice cream is layered with meringue and served with a pretty array of berries, flowers, and cream.
There is a real pleasantness and friendliness about Le Tres Bon, especially, as we said, in the style - the historic set-up and French country cooking.
Gregoire emerges from the kitchen towards the end of the meal to chitchat and pour dessert wine, which is a good thing and reminds you that you are in a place that is owned and operated by the chef, and a very good chef despite our reservations with aspects of tonight's meal.
Le Tres Bon
Score: 14/20
Address: 40 Malbon St, Bungendore
Hours: Friday, lunch and dinner; Saturday, dinner; Sunday, lunch.
Owners: Christophe and Josephine Gregoire
Chef: Christophe Gregoire
Vegetarian: Caters, but limited on the set menu
Noise: No problem
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