Reims - Part 2

Dinner was held at the Au Petit Comptoir (again, another wonderfully researched selection by Jini), which was down the road from our hotel. The meal was pretty incredible - the food was great and the service exquisite. We weren't sure, but I vaguely remember reading that the chef had apprenticed at Chateau Les Crayeres, which is generally considered to be one of the best restaurants in France. At almost 300 Euros per person, it had better be!

Au Petit Comptoir was much more reasonable - a 3 course meal could be had for under 30 Euros. While my fish was slightly disappointing, we all thought that Karen's tuna and Sandra's steak were absolutely brilliant! Sandra, who was on a low-carb diet left her mash behind on the plate. That was until I rememberd that the mash was actually truffle mash! Suffice to say, it didn't remain on the plate much longer.

Where's dinner?


Sandra and her steak and truffle mash


Good food, wine and company - what more would one want?


But the treat of the evening was really the cheese tray and dessert trolley. We were under the impression that the set dinner only included 1 type of dessert. Lo and behold, the trolley was dragged out and we were promptly told that we could pick a little bit of everything! Nik was sold on the place after hearing that!

The Dessert Trolley - Please Sir, can I have some more?


More cheese, anyone?


Fully satisfied...


After stuffing our faces, we took a slow stroll back to the hotel, taking in a bit of the Reims nightlife along the way. It seems to be a nice, simple way of life here. Whole families with their kids and dogs could be seen walking to the bars at 11.30pm at night. Life does seem to be much simpler here than in London, with good food, drink and family valued above everything else.

A brief planning session for the next day ensued when we got back to the hotel. Of course, one can't do effective planning without uncorking 2 bottles of champagne! Out came the cups and the laughter began!




The next day saw us setting off early to explore the Reims Sunday market. I couldn't resist the rotisserie chickens that I saw. No surprises what I had for brunch then.

Me and my roast chicken


Waiting in the rain to leave...


After checking out of the hotel, we proceeded to the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Reims. I was quite surprised by the sheer scale of the structure. I wouldn't have expected such a large building to have been constructed in the middle of the town.




We then took a scenic drive to Epernay where we drove past endless streches of vineyards and champagne houses. The sky was blue and the sun was out. The roads were clear and took us over rolling hills. It truly was quite serene. It got me thinking whether or not I could live a life like that. The idea of waking up every morning to tend to my crops sounds like simplistic bliss. Though the truth of the matter is that I think I would get bored pretty quickly. I don't think I'm done with the big cities like London and Singapore yet. Nevertheless, such a lifestyle is something to KIV I think. Maybe in 30 years time?

Lunch was again spectacular - thanks to the research efforts of Jini once again. L’Hostellrie La Briquterie was this beautiful hotel situated in the countryside outside Epernay. The restaurant (and its grounds) was stunning. While the food was certainly more sophisticated (with quail and foie gras, no less), we preferred the last place, which seemed much more personable and accessible to the general French public.