Celebrating the 70's - A chronicle of time and temperature

May 18, 2024

Thursday and Friday 16, 17 May 2024

The International LCDR, Bordeaux Grand Chapitre

Thursday was the Secret Welcome Dinner to four days of gastromonie as part of the la Chaine des Rotisseurs, Annual General Meeting and International Grande Chapitre. No one was told of the destination for the secret dinner, as we loaded onto five busses and 250 members of the la Chaine des Rotisseurs, from all around the world, headed to the WW2 Bordeaux submarine base, now a function space, on the outskirts of Bordeaux.

This base was constructed by the Germans, so you can imagine the quality of the concrete and the build. As was in vogue at the time, they did use a lot of Spanish prisoners to do the heavy lifting. Then they gave it over to the Italian Navy for their subs to patrol the Atlantic. No laughing or naughty jokes, please. They did their best with the old subs they had. Later in the war the Germans put their own subs in these pens.

It is an amazing facility at night, with the silent pools, sans conning towers, and the wide walkways echoing the clicks of high heels rather than ship boots. It was dark(ish) and cool inside and we followed lighted signs to a Champagne station, then as the push of thirsty members increased, to another drinks station, where we were treated to a son luminaire, projected on the walls, floor and ceilings.

Then onto a small deck near what was once a diesel tank but now hid the kitchens, to the seated dining area, where we were served a three course meal with good Bordeaux wines. The Semillon Sauvignon Blanc was a cracker and went beautifully with the tuna. The Pomeroy red, a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend was stunning with the chicken main dish and then a whole bottle of Camus Cognac graced the table for a typical but stunning French dessert.

Being a harsh judge of LCDR, Lady P had some criticisms, of course. Summing up, we both believed the choice and execution of venue was amazing and world class. Flashy thought the son luminaire went on a bit too long. The food was very good and the wines accompanying the dishes quite good. Some minor complaints about the wine, before properly allowing time in glass and the “oh, the tuna is a little under seasoned,” comments were expected from some!

Friday

Not wanting the formal Chaine tour, lunch and then dinner, we decided to do our own thing today, so headed off on a self drive tour of the Medoc area, looking for two markets and a seafood lunch stop. A lot of planning was put into the itinerary, slowly falling apart as the day progressed due to inaccurate French tourism information.

Arcachon was the first stop. The Arcachon bay on the west coast from Bordeaux is a fascinating world with multiple landscapes: oyster ports, sandy beaches, pine forests, a famous peninsula and the highest dune in Europe. The town was very quiet and sunny and we arrived just as the small market was closing. A walk along the foreshore and a toe dip in the ocean by Lady P, before the usual panic of making a lunch restaurant before service stops, usually around 2.00 pm last order.

This time, unlike la Rochelle, we actually made a very good Italian seaside restaurant on time, for frito misto and tagliatelle seafood. Both were surprisingly good. The second market was due, according to the French tourism information, to open from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm in a little village about two hours drive away. Unfortunately, this was not true and we spent an hour or so driving in circles, never to find a market. This resulted in a long nine hours driving in the flat Medoc countryside, which was very tiring on the passenger, but we had a great lunch and excellent weather as compensation. The French got the weather wrong as well. Home late to a scratch dinner.