Catching up - October - Jersey, Corsica, and an Exploding freezer
October, 2009 - This is a round-up of what's been happening since the last time I was able to file some posts. It's been a very busy time and I'm still trying to catch up. So, very briefly:
12-Oct-09 - three excellent days in Jersey doing interviews for EAT JERSEY magazine, staying at the magnificent Longueville Manor in St Saviour, as the guest of the Lewis family, who celebrated 60 years at the Manor in 2009. Currently run by Malcolm and Patricia Lewis, the hotel is the only one on Jersey with five AA red stars and membership of Relais & Châteaux. I had a ground-floor room overlooking the lawns and swimming-pool and, even draped with autumn leaves, it was splendid. So was the food - dinner at the family's restaurant Suma's in Gorey, then lunch with the whole family at Longueville. An excellent few days.
We were to stay at the Hotel Posta Vecchia, a charming olde-worlde peeling-stucco building on the seafront, in the colonial style. There was a lift, however, and the rooms were very warm and comfortable, with satellite TV and free wifi as well. Best not to judge by first impressions. The hotel only does bed and breakfast, and as lunchtime approached the very helpful receptionist directed me out on to the quayside, where there were 'lots of restaurants'. Which I'm sure there were, in the season but not, it seemed, in October. The seafront was festooned with framed canvas shelters which, presumably in the summer, are extensions of the local restaurants alive with the smell of freshly-cooked seafood and the sounds of enthusiastic visitors. But not today. Indeed, there were several large restaurants on the other side of the road, all of which seemed to be closed. And then, squeezed in between 'Chez Même' and 'O Moule' I discovered 'Les Zéphyrs', with a canvas-covered frontage and an open door. There was no-one inside but it appeared to be open, and I went in. At the rear were steep, outdoor steps leading down to what I took to be the kitchen, but no sign of life. A moment later a most charming lady appeared and confirmed that, yes, they were open, and she could do me a pizza and a pichet of the local red wine. Fortunately I love pizza, and was veritably starving, having had nothing since the previous night. The pizza proved to be the classic Italian, thin crust, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms and all that stuff, and it was so big that it overhung the plate. The wine was a simple, local red, served lightly chilled, and absolutely delicious. For this feast she charged me the princely sum of €15, after which I staggered back to the hotel for a siesta.
That evening we were to meet the rest of the team, all of whom had arrived at different times, and the party included a couple of old chums: Andrew Hill from George Hill of Loughborough and Susan Hulme, a fellow member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Pandora took us to a restaurant called Le Bouchon, down by the old port where, to be honest, the food was a bit underwhelming: the crottin was very 'clarty' and escalope of veal turned out to be more of a burger, and slightly sweet. I didn't finish either. I did, however, enjoy the 2007 Domaine Pierre Rolle (Vermentino), Coteaux de Cap Corse, and the company was, of course, excellent.
So, fast forward to Wednesday 21-Oct-09 and the Hotel Solemare in Bonifacio, a lovely place right by the harbour with views of boats bobbing about, lights and activity going on. Pandora had arranged another visit to a typical artisanale Corsican restaurant which was 'ten minutes walk' away (in other words probably a mile or more and up steep, cobbled streets) so in deference to my creaking joints I chickened out and asked at reception if there was a restaurant a bit nearer. There was indeed - right next door. The Restaurant du Centre Nautique has a fabulous dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbour. I dined in solitary splendour on fillet steak, Cap Corse wine, coffee and the local brandy (which is mind-boggling). The following morning several of my colleagues confirmed the marathon race-walk which had been the previous night's journey to the restaurant, and that the food had been, well, underwhelming again. Andrew had set out in the morning to retrace his steps but been defeated when he got to 'the hill'. "You would never have made it, John," he said. I was glad I hadn't tried.
Then it was off to the airport at Figari for flights home. Once again, we were all leaving at different times and it was my luck to be one of the latest flights (via Nice again) which meant some three hours at the airport. Figari is small and doesn't have a Priority Pass lounge, but it does have a large bar... Which was closed. I was, however, able to bash out a 1,000-word article on my laptop whilst waiting, so it wasn't completely wasted. Incidentally, I was interested to learn that one of my journalist colleagues was flying to Orly and taking the Eurostar home, which seemed a much better idea than my trip via Nice... Except that you still have to get across Paris to the Gare du Nord. And I was home in time for apéritifs.
A smashing, and beautifully-organised trip, however, and some eye-opening wines. Log back in in April for more details about that.
24-Oct-09 - freezer went on the blink, packed with food, so I had to dash out and buy a replacement, as the engineer couldn't come until the following Thursday. When he did it cost me £160 for some hi-tech piece of computer printed-circuit board which runs the system. Our old freezer lasted 17 years before it finally blew. The new one lasted only five. Still, that's progress for you.
12-Oct-09 - three excellent days in Jersey doing interviews for EAT JERSEY magazine, staying at the magnificent Longueville Manor in St Saviour, as the guest of the Lewis family, who celebrated 60 years at the Manor in 2009. Currently run by Malcolm and Patricia Lewis, the hotel is the only one on Jersey with five AA red stars and membership of Relais & Châteaux. I had a ground-floor room overlooking the lawns and swimming-pool and, even draped with autumn leaves, it was splendid. So was the food - dinner at the family's restaurant Suma's in Gorey, then lunch with the whole family at Longueville. An excellent few days.
Longueville Manor. Pic.: www.longuevillemanor.com
18-Oct-09 - off to Nice for the night, on my way to Corsica for yet another wine trip. There are no direct flights to the island, and flights from Gatwick to Nice are at odd times of the day, so I stayed overnight at the Campanile at Nice airport, which was very pleasant. My flight out the following morning was quite early, and I arrived in Bastia at 09:50. The trip was organised by UBIFRANCE, the French Embassy commercial office in London, and led by the enigmatically-named Pandora Mistry, whom I was to meet later. In the meantime, they'd sent a car to pick me up at the airport - it's about half an hour's drive from the town. The driver pointed out, as we drove along the coast, that you could see the islands of Elba and Monte Cristo on the horizon, although fog made them rather hazy. He also filled me in on some of the details of the Corsican language, which is neither French nor Italian but somewhere in between. The scenery can be hauntingly beautiful, as well.
A glimpse of the island's interior. Pic - UBIFRANCE
We were to stay at the Hotel Posta Vecchia, a charming olde-worlde peeling-stucco building on the seafront, in the colonial style. There was a lift, however, and the rooms were very warm and comfortable, with satellite TV and free wifi as well. Best not to judge by first impressions. The hotel only does bed and breakfast, and as lunchtime approached the very helpful receptionist directed me out on to the quayside, where there were 'lots of restaurants'. Which I'm sure there were, in the season but not, it seemed, in October. The seafront was festooned with framed canvas shelters which, presumably in the summer, are extensions of the local restaurants alive with the smell of freshly-cooked seafood and the sounds of enthusiastic visitors. But not today. Indeed, there were several large restaurants on the other side of the road, all of which seemed to be closed. And then, squeezed in between 'Chez Même' and 'O Moule' I discovered 'Les Zéphyrs', with a canvas-covered frontage and an open door. There was no-one inside but it appeared to be open, and I went in. At the rear were steep, outdoor steps leading down to what I took to be the kitchen, but no sign of life. A moment later a most charming lady appeared and confirmed that, yes, they were open, and she could do me a pizza and a pichet of the local red wine. Fortunately I love pizza, and was veritably starving, having had nothing since the previous night. The pizza proved to be the classic Italian, thin crust, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms and all that stuff, and it was so big that it overhung the plate. The wine was a simple, local red, served lightly chilled, and absolutely delicious. For this feast she charged me the princely sum of €15, after which I staggered back to the hotel for a siesta.
That evening we were to meet the rest of the team, all of whom had arrived at different times, and the party included a couple of old chums: Andrew Hill from George Hill of Loughborough and Susan Hulme, a fellow member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Pandora took us to a restaurant called Le Bouchon, down by the old port where, to be honest, the food was a bit underwhelming: the crottin was very 'clarty' and escalope of veal turned out to be more of a burger, and slightly sweet. I didn't finish either. I did, however, enjoy the 2007 Domaine Pierre Rolle (Vermentino), Coteaux de Cap Corse, and the company was, of course, excellent.
The next two days were spent in visits and tastings, and these will be written up in detail in the spring, 2010 edition of JOHN RADFORD'S WINEWIRE.
Vineyards in Morsiglia, Haute-Corse. Pic.: UBIFRANCE
So, fast forward to Wednesday 21-Oct-09 and the Hotel Solemare in Bonifacio, a lovely place right by the harbour with views of boats bobbing about, lights and activity going on. Pandora had arranged another visit to a typical artisanale Corsican restaurant which was 'ten minutes walk' away (in other words probably a mile or more and up steep, cobbled streets) so in deference to my creaking joints I chickened out and asked at reception if there was a restaurant a bit nearer. There was indeed - right next door. The Restaurant du Centre Nautique has a fabulous dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbour. I dined in solitary splendour on fillet steak, Cap Corse wine, coffee and the local brandy (which is mind-boggling). The following morning several of my colleagues confirmed the marathon race-walk which had been the previous night's journey to the restaurant, and that the food had been, well, underwhelming again. Andrew had set out in the morning to retrace his steps but been defeated when he got to 'the hill'. "You would never have made it, John," he said. I was glad I hadn't tried.
Then it was off to the airport at Figari for flights home. Once again, we were all leaving at different times and it was my luck to be one of the latest flights (via Nice again) which meant some three hours at the airport. Figari is small and doesn't have a Priority Pass lounge, but it does have a large bar... Which was closed. I was, however, able to bash out a 1,000-word article on my laptop whilst waiting, so it wasn't completely wasted. Incidentally, I was interested to learn that one of my journalist colleagues was flying to Orly and taking the Eurostar home, which seemed a much better idea than my trip via Nice... Except that you still have to get across Paris to the Gare du Nord. And I was home in time for apéritifs.
A smashing, and beautifully-organised trip, however, and some eye-opening wines. Log back in in April for more details about that.
24-Oct-09 - freezer went on the blink, packed with food, so I had to dash out and buy a replacement, as the engineer couldn't come until the following Thursday. When he did it cost me £160 for some hi-tech piece of computer printed-circuit board which runs the system. Our old freezer lasted 17 years before it finally blew. The new one lasted only five. Still, that's progress for you.
posted by John Radford at
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