Restaurant Review - The French Table
Monday 11 April 2011
It’s a case of the two ‘Fs’ this week in two parts of the country – lunch in both The French Table in Limerick and The Fatted Calf in Athlone. Taking time for a proper lunch is a very civilized thing which unfortunately many of us do not have time to do these days – just grabbing a sandwich or something to go. You won’t see this in France where, once the clock strikes noon, they down tools to have a proper lunch before resuming work. And so, as we approached Limerick, The French Table on Steamboat Quay seemed just the appropriate destination. This is a very civilized spot in a world of hurly burly and it wasn’t surprising to see a Franco Irish couple sitting with their baby and ordering a second lemon tart as they enjoyed the first so much!
Franco Irish couple, Thomas and Deirdre Fialon, own the French Table. Thomas is from the Alsace region of France and his cooking is totally assured in that confident French way, nothing is over the top, everything is executed perfectly. His menus will include ‘lapin’, foie gras, escargot, everything you would expect. The décor is contemporary, lots of walnut mixing with purple crushed velvet upholstery, and you could be forgiven for thinking you were sitting in a steamboat as you look out through the wooden Plantation blinds at the River Shannon hurtling past.
The lunch menu offered tremendous value and variety dishes priced from €8/€16 including a warm goat’s cheese tartlet with smoked duck, garden leaves and sautéed potatoes, grilled chicken, or fish of day. Croque Monsieur and Madame were there with Béchamel sauce and sautéed potatoes – priced respectively at €8/€9. The evening a la carte can also be had at lunchtime. The Table d’hote had 2/3 courses at €16/€20 and I kicked off with a really delicious chunky fishcake, topped with a Provencal style herbed butter, and dressed with perfectly anointed sprigs of lamb’s lettuce, cherry tomatoes and lemon, whilst Brendan’s fine bowl of broccoli soup came with beautiful breads. For mains I had a fine tranch of perfectly cooked hake complete with a puff pastry crescent, a little white jug of Champagne sauce, a quenelle of carrot puree and a broccoli floret. Brendan had a lovely panfried very lean sirloin steak (€3 supplement) similarly garnished but with a red wine jus. Accompanying vegetables deserved a medal alone – a beautiful dish of perfectly cut and cooked French beans, courgette, celery, carrots, and diced sautéed potatoes. To finish we shared a fine real French crepe with berries and cream. With two coffees (€5), two glasses of wine (€12.50), and optional service, our bill came to €63.50. Lunch or dinner this is a great spot.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON APRIL 9, 2011.