Auberge de la Fenière

[Jonathan Day]

For some reason this year, every school in Europe held half term in the same week, so tickets from London to Nice were outrageously expensive. We decided to fly Ryanair, via Nîmes, which was offering very cheap tickets from London -- some for as little as £1 plus airport taxes. I was slightly worried because of Ryanair's reputation for inflexibility and poor service, but everything worked as planned. Stansted airport, though irritating to reach from South London, was efficient, and the outbound and return flights were exactly on time. Nîmes airport itself has a bizarre mix of flights -- Air Cubana was there, and there is one daily flight from London. But the airport is simple and modern, and more relaxing even than Nice Côte d'Azur, which as airports go is pretty good. We were quickly enough on the road toward Lourmarin, and I felt a strange peace as we drove though the sunny countryside, even when we went through the rather nondescript towns near Nîmes and wondered why the French seem to have several "literies" (bed shops) in any town of any size. Do they buy beds so much more often than people from other countries? We left Nîmes airport at 1120 and arrived at L'Auberge de la Fenière just over an hour later, in time for lunch.

The restaurant itself is decorated in a clean, modern style. My wife, eldest son and I had the Valentine's Day menu (EUR 78):

Noix de saint-Jacques et truffes, en salade de mesclun au vieux parmesan

(Scallops with truffles on a mesclun salad with aged Parmenan cheese)

Filet de chevreuil façon Rossini, galettes de polenta, sauce poivrade

(Venison filet with foie gras on polenta cakes)

Saint Marcellin affiné

(a soft cheese)

Blanc-manger au parfum de truffes, sauce chocolat

(Blancmange studded with truffles in a dark chocolate sauce)

Macaron "rose et framboise", sorbet litchi, coulis de fruits rouges

(Rose-flavoured macaroon with raspberries, litchee sorbet)

There were several interesting amuse-gueules, including a plate of jewel-like slices of bottarga, dressed with olive oil, and an anchovy cream that was light and perfectly flavoured, and all sorts of mignardises to follow.

The younger son wasn't quite up to the menu, so he had a pavé de boeuf which arrived beautifully charred and rare, surrounded by quenelles of mashed potato. He tucked into the beef with relish but looked at the potatoes, decided he didn't like them, but was eventually persuaded to taste. His face lit up and his eyes widened, and the potatoes (which were superb) vanished quickly.

Almost all of the food was delicious. We were served a mediocre second amuse, a flabby slice of red mullet, but the rest was remarkable. The scallops were sweet and firm, the combination of venison, foie and polenta perfectly balanced. The blancmange reminded me of one of Bruno Clément's truffly desserts, but it was better, and the macaroon was superb.

While we had our dessert, our youngest son had the "assiette tout au chocolat", an amazing plate of mousses, sorbet, cake, and other chocolate preparations. He adores dark chocolate, and this was perfect. The wine list, which I believe was developed by the chef's husband, was also good; we drank a 2000 Coteaux D'Aix en Provence from Chateau de Revelette, the "Grand Rouge" that had surprising power and finesse for the price (about EUR35).

What fell down at the Auberge was the service, which was friendly and earnest but entirely uncoordinated, as if orchestrated by the Marx Brothers. Part of the problem was that everyone and no one seemed in charge of our table; various waiters brought and removed dishes, took orders (but then forgot that they had), poured the wine or forgot to pour the wine. Servers brought bread around again and again, but wouldn't bring the Badoit we had requested.

Chef Reine Sammut is doing some beautiful cooking at this place, and the ambience is lovely. If she can just improve the somewhat bumbling front of house, the Auberge will be a required destination in the area. It was wonderful, though slightly frightening, to see the children start to recognise good food (and at a later lunch in Nice, to spurn badly cooked dishes). We will certainly return.

----------

Auberge de la Fenière

Route de Cadenet, Lourmarin

Tel 04 90 68 11 79

[robert brown]

The head of the dining room should have been Reine Sammut's husband, Guy, the biggest jerk (to put it family-suitable language) I have ever encounted in any restaurant, let alone what was then a two-star one. We stayed there a couple of nights five years ago, and while we were standing around for 20 minutes after checking-out waiting for someone to bring us our car, we saw him walking his dogs wearing a shirt and a pair of underpants. It showed us how much he cared about his paying guests.

[Jonathan Day]

There was a guy with longish hair, stubble, wearing a suit rather than a uniform, who took our carte orders and then forgot to convey them to the kitchen. Perhaps this was the delinquent M. Samut.

I wouldn't give the place any stars at all on the basis of the service. But Mme Samut sure can cook. And the patissier is no slouch either.

[marcus]

We had dinner at La Feniere once a few years ago and found the Mediterannean accented cuisine of Reine Samut to be truly excellent, I remember well a bass with fava beans. Of equal interest was the outstanding and very moderately priced wine list. They had all of the single vineyard Guigal Cote Roties for 1989 and 1990 for 1200 francs, for those who don't remember, well under $200, including of course tax and service. We ordered the 1990 La Mouline, truly outstanding, and Guy Samut came over to our table asking if we were the people that ordered the great wine. He was actually quite pleasant and funny, stating that "Guigal is a god".

[vmilor]

Robert, this restaurant never had 2 stars. Maybe you mistook it for Moulin de Lourmarin which has 2 stars.

We have eaten at La Feniere 5 years ago or so and this is one of Robert Parker's favorite spots. I can see why because the wine list is filled with gems at incredibly fair prices. I actually had a 90 Rayas there and Monsieur Sammut, who is of Egyptian origin I believe, was very kind but a tad obsequious. The 90 Rayas had a star and en viellissement note but he was willing to uncork it. I forgot asking him about the price but he did not take advantage.

As to cooking I found it to be at the very upper end of 1 stars. Pieds et Pacquets was wonderful and when she succeeds the highs are quite high. But I remember some less good dishes. I guess one should stick there to regional specialties. Very uplifting cuisine in a wonderful setting.

Jonathan, I am truly dismayed that you went all the way there but did not try the Moulin. The chef is related to Veyrat and apparently he is one of the up and coming stars in France. ( Maybe because you were traveling with a very young boy?? How old is he by the way? ) Jellybean, who is a perfectionist, had interesting comments on the Mouline and I would be most interested in hearing your opinion if you go there in the future.

[Jonathan Day]

Vedat, it wasn't that far out of the way: our normal door-to-door time from London to Mougins is only 5 hours, going via Nîmes it was 8. We'll be back to Lourmarin.

I was inclined to skip the Moulin after reading Robert Brown's less-than-enthusiastic review on this forum. And, travelling with two children (14 and 8, the middle child of 11 was skiing) we are "working our way up": they started with a one star Italian place, and this time wanted to try a one star French restaurant. L'Arpege is in the distant future for them...but at this stage the Moulin might have been a bit of a stretch.

Finally, we were just off an aeroplane after an early morning flight, so nobody was quite dressed for an elegant restaurant. The children were slightly underdressed even for the more relaxed Auberge.

But if those reasons don't suffice, there was another and more practical one: the Moulin was closed on the day we were travelling!

I agree that the cookery was toward the upper end of the one star range, perhaps even deserving a second star if you could rate it separately from the crazy service. The sauce on our venison was excellent, and the foie was perfectly cooked. And the pastries, as I posted earlier, were outstanding.

For some illogical reason, when we are dining with the children I tend not to order higher-priced wines; perhaps it seems harder to concentrate on the wine. But the list at the Auberge was deep and interesting and well priced.

[degusto]

Guy Sammut has quite a reputation for his behaviour that give people strong and wrong impressions about the place. I tend to subscribe to the view Robert has.

The longhaired guy is not Guy Sammut but the Maitre d’. Jonathan’s experience is not surprising.

I agree with vmilor that the food at la Fenière most of the time is in the upper one star region.

But in terms of creativity, pristine raw material and height of the “highs”, Reine Sammut pales in comparison with Edouard Loubet at Moulin de Lourmarin. Loubet is very gifted and if he listened a bit more to his clients, found a bit more clarity in his preparations, stopped using stock powder, cut down on the use of herbs and did certain things a bit differently, he is one I would be willing to put a few euros on would get his third star within five years. He has a sense for perfection and a passion for cooking that is very rare to encounter. A lot can be said about his cooking and his taste combinations and one rarely likes everything he serves. One could try to be analytical and say that the food is challenging, as it is a la mode to describe what people call avant garde food today, but I do not think that it is the intention of Edouard Loubet to be challenging. He prepares food that he likes to eat and presents it in the way he likes to see it presented. To get three stars he would have to be more consistent and his service would have to be vastly improved. Since he is already charging three star prices it is not a bargain to go there. As vmilor says he is related to Veyrat. Exactly how remains a mystery to me. I think Veyrat is married to the sister of one of his parents but I am not sure.

The big difference between the two is that Loubet has his own style, which I cannot say very many chefs have, and Sammut has no style of her own. Her food is best when she does the local dishes the way she does them.

It is easy to agree with those who say that la Fenière is the nicer dining room of the two. It has a very authentic Provencal touch to it. The Moulin can give a cold impression.

The wine list is clearly superior at la Fenière with many wines at reasonable prices.

It is odd that so many find service at both these restaurant in the small village of Lourmarin to be so poor. But it can be taken as a proof that the stars are awarded by Michelin mostly for what is on the plates.

Both places are pretty relaxed from my point of view.

[marcus]

As vmilor says he is related to Veyrat. Exactly how remains a mystery to me. I think Veyrat is married to the sister of one of his parents but I am not sure.

Loubet worked in Veyrat's kitchen, which I think is the important relationship. He is often referred to as a strudent of Veyrat and this is probably where he developed his interest in herbs.

Robert Brown wrote a quite negative review of this restaurant a couple of years ago.

[degusto]

As vmilor says he is related to Veyrat. Exactly how remains a mystery to me. I think Veyrat is married to the sister of one of his parents but I am not sure.

Loubet worked in Veyrat's kitchen, which I think is the important relationship. He is often referred to as a strudent of Veyrat and this is probably where he developed his interest in herbs.

Robert Brown wrote a quite negative review of this restaurant a couple of years ago.

Loubet ended up in Veyrats kitchen mostly because he is related to him. That is at least how I understood it. You may also know the story behind why he left Veyrat's kitchen.

Anyway, tell Loubet he is a student of Veyrat and see what he says.

I know Robert did not like the place and I agree on many things Robert said and I have discussed it with Robert. If you read what I wrote, I have put down quite a few reservations.

I have probably had a dozen or more meals there, some extraordinary and some mediocre, and as I said the service is poor and a lot of things can be different but there is one thing very important with Loubet. He has a style and that is something very very few chefs have. This is why this is still a place worth visiting despite the lofty prices charged for the food.

[mcwein]

For some reason this year, every school in Europe held half term in the same week, so tickets from London to Nice were outrageously expensive. We decided to fly Ryanair, via Nîmes, which was offering very cheap tickets from London -- some for as little as £1 plus airport taxes. I was slightly worried because of Ryanair's reputation for inflexibility and poor service, but everything worked as planned. Stansted airport, though irritating to reach from South London, was efficient, and the outbound and return flights were exactly on time. Nîmes airport itself has a bizarre mix of flights -- Air Cubana was there, and there is one daily flight from London. But the airport is simple and modern, and more relaxing even than Nice Côte d'Azur, which as airports go is pretty good. We were quickly enough on the road toward Lourmarin, and I felt a strange peace as we drove though the sunny countryside, even when we went through the rather nondescript towns near Nîmes and wondered why the French seem to have several "literies" (bed shops) in any town of any size. Do they buy beds so much more often than people from other countries? We left Nîmes airport at 1120 and arrived at L'Auberge de la Fenière just over an hour later, in time for lunch.

The restaurant itself is decorated in a clean, modern style. My wife, eldest son and I had the Valentine's Day menu (EUR 78):

Noix de saint-Jacques et truffes, en salade de mesclun au vieux parmesan

(Scallops with truffles on a mesclun salad with aged Parmenan cheese)

Filet de chevreuil façon Rossini, galettes de polenta, sauce poivrade

(Venison filet with foie gras on polenta cakes)

Saint Marcellin affiné

(a soft cheese)

Blanc-manger au parfum de truffes, sauce chocolat

(Blancmange studded with truffles in a dark chocolate sauce)

Macaron "rose et framboise", sorbet litchi, coulis de fruits rouges

(Rose-flavoured macaroon with raspberries, litchee sorbet)

There were several interesting amuse-gueules, including a plate of jewel-like slices of bottarga, dressed with olive oil, and an anchovy cream that was light and perfectly flavoured, and all sorts of mignardises to follow.

The younger son wasn't quite up to the menu, so he had a pavé de boeuf which arrived beautifully charred and rare, surrounded by quenelles of mashed potato. He tucked into the beef with relish but looked at the potatoes, decided he didn't like them, but was eventually persuaded to taste. His face lit up and his eyes widened, and the potatoes (which were superb) vanished quickly.

Almost all of the food was delicious. We were served a mediocre second amuse, a flabby slice of red mullet, but the rest was remarkable. The scallops were sweet and firm, the combination of venison, foie and polenta perfectly balanced. The blancmange reminded me of one of Bruno Clément's truffly desserts, but it was better, and the macaroon was superb.

While we had our dessert, our youngest son had the "assiette tout au chocolat", an amazing plate of mousses, sorbet, cake, and other chocolate preparations. He adores dark chocolate, and this was perfect. The wine list, which I believe was developed by the chef's husband, was also good; we drank a 2000 Coteaux D'Aix en Provence from Chateau de Revelette, the "Grand Rouge" that had surprising power and finesse for the price (about EUR35).

What fell down at the Auberge was the service, which was friendly and earnest but entirely uncoordinated, as if orchestrated by the Marx Brothers. Part of the problem was that everyone and no one seemed in charge of our table; various waiters brought and removed dishes, took orders (but then forgot that they had), poured the wine or forgot to pour the wine. Servers brought bread around again and again, but wouldn't bring the Badoit we had requested.

Chef Reine Sammut is doing some beautiful cooking at this place, and the ambience is lovely. If she can just improve the somewhat bumbling front of house, the Auberge will be a required destination in the area. It was wonderful, though slightly frightening, to see the children start to recognise good food (and at a later lunch in Nice, to spurn badly cooked dishes). We will certainly return.

----------

Auberge de la Fenière

Route de Cadenet, Lourmarin

Tel 04 90 68 11 79

←

Jonathan --

I'm a new member to eGullet, and I read your 2004 review of La Feneire with great interest. We're going to Provence this May. And an acquaintance -- who is the (American) sommelier at Christian Etienne -- recommends Auberge La Feniere over Moulin de Lourmarin. Do you know anything about the latter restaurant, and if so, do you agree with the sommelier?

Thanks

Mike

[Jonathan Day]

Mike, welcome to eGullet. I haven't been to the Moulin de Lourmarin -- as noted above, it was closed when we came through the area. Robert Brown's views on these matters are always reliable; I would re-read his comments (click here) as you make up your mind. Why not try both and post a comparative report?

I'll add, though, that the wine prices at the Auberge were surprisingly reasonable; perhaps this is one reason the sommelier was enthusiastic about the place.

[cigalechanta]

We ate on the terrace at the Moulin for lunch. Loubet came to each table to greet the diners. I recently bought his cookbook, "A Chef in Provence"

He buys his chevre from a goat farm where we stayed for three days one year in Silvergues.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

We ate on the terrace at the Moulin for lunch. Loubet came to each table to greet the diners. I recently bought his cookbook, "A Chef in Provence"

He buys his chevre from a goat farm where we stayed for three days one year in Silvergues.

←

Your comments are so personal and suggestive that I wonder if you could tell us more of your experience at your meal at the Moulin? They are much more evocative than more formal reviews.

[cigalechanta]

Margaret, I don't remember what We had, it was a few years ago and I never keep notes but sometimes the menus are given to me. I have the Chez Bru, Auberde de Eriden, Chez Fon Fon, La Petite Maison and several others around the country and brief notes for Moulin de ma Table.

At the Auberge De L'Ill, the owner, a charming elderly gentleman also came to each table to greet the guests.

mimi, a retired lover of good food in happy surroundings

Edited February 25, 2005 by cigalechanta (log)