Substance – Introduction Substance is a very good café and place to enjoy a serious coffee in Paris. There coffee beans are sourced from a number of countries including Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama and Ethiopia (that we have seen on the menu). They also always seem to have the Geisha […]
Le Doyenné – Introduction It is difficult to describe the delight we felt when we arrived at Le Doyenné restaurant for the first time. It was after the Covid lockdown was over, so there had been a long stretch since we had visited France. During that time we had followed […]
Prior to Le Saint Hubert We are not certain about when we will get a chance to drive around France again, but there are some things we do know will be on our list when we do. So, this story is about the events we are looking forward to and […]
Le Coquillage – Introduction Le Coquillage is Jane and Olivier Roellinger’s restaurant at Maison de Bricourt overlooking the Bay of Biscay in the pleasant seaside town of Cancale. Driving along the shore through Saint-Benoit des Ondes gives you a glimpse of what is in store at Le Coquillage. Trays of […]
Les 9 Caves – Introduction Les 9 Caves started out as a partnership between 13 people, including nine winemakers (one is renowned winemaker Bruno Duchêne, who for the last couple of years has had a run project making a wine jointly with Nico Carmarans, whose wines we import) and the […]
Les Canonniers – Introduction We first met Karim and Sandrine Hadjadj a couple of years after we started importing natural wines from France. We met Karim in Hong Kong where he was a pilot for Cathay Pacific and was just in the process of setting up an importing business and […]
Bistrot des Claquets – Introduction Bistrot des Claquets is a charming restaurant/bistro in the pretty Jura village of Arbois. It has a number of attractions. First it opens from early in the morning till late at night. Second it serves very good, hearty food that is a cut above average […]
Auberge de Chassignolles – Introduction Auberge de Chassignolles lies at almost 1000 metres above sea level in the mountains south of the city of Clermont-Ferrand in the heart of the Auvergne. You drive up through winding, mountainous, forested roads to reach this tiny hamlet. The Auberge nestles comfortably in the […]
The A7 Highway – Introduction This is a story about a highway in France that we have come to treasure. Our experiences on this road have been varied from exciting to terrifying, but always interesting. Our wine business leads us to travel throughout France from Alsace in the far North-East […]
La Mercerie – Introduction We love Marseille! It is a gritty, rambunctious city with unpredictable traffic and unpredictable experiences, but if you stick close to the “edges” of the city near the port and the sea you will find plenty to enthrall you. We love the work that has been […]
