Sunday, June 17, 2012

We Are At Cluny and We Have Food


Cluny is a much, much smaller place than Paris, and seems warmer in terms of its atmosphere town's folk. I was sort of reminded of the little village Mdm Rocher and daughter drifted into one winter, but without all that English. We were checked in into Cluny Séjour, a former building of the abbey Cluny is purportedly famous for. It had thick walls, rather eerie corridors, and no wifi. We would study in its candle workshop. Producing the means for illumination. Haha.
Cluny-Séjour

Our first excursion into Cluny town. It had cobblestone roads.

Yonder is a really old tower

Being tourists. Just look at Dr. Max's face of awe.

We then went to have a nice dinner/reception at the Le Cellier de l'Abbaye – Vin et Spiriteux (Vente au Détail) that is supposed to not be like a real French dinner because it was composed of mostly entrées (the French version) and cheese balls, and wine. A bit about the Cellier before I go into the food (which I suppose most would be interested in). The shop is rather odd, I've been told, to be in a small, near-wine-producing town because it offers wines and spirits from other regions in its selection, besides locally produced one.
The Cellier, which is to be our emergency rendezvous if we were to get lost in Cluny. 
The Cellier, sans touristy people
The Cellier interior with its shelves of spirits and counter of cheeses

The first thing we had was wine and cheese puffs. Actually, we had a little lesson on savoring the wine and describing the flavors (fruity comes up rather often in the aroma. And berries). Then we had cheese puffs.
A lesson in wine-tasting
Wine and cheese puffs

The cheese puffs
The cheese puffs

THE CHEESE PUFFS

THE CHEESE PUFFS aka why are there only five left
The cheese puffs (known as Gougère, and also known as THE CHEESE PUFFS, heavenly, OMG it's the cheese puffs, etc.) are a specialty of the Burgundy region and taste wonderful. They are usually served with wine. Or wine is served with them. Either way it works out.

Wine and cheese puffs. Or cheese puffs and wine. 
We went on to have chicken pâté - baked in a nice bread crust, lentil salad, carrot salad, some cherry tomatoes, little cones of fresh goat cheese which tasted like goat, and a cream-cheese thing studded with sultanas. For dessert we had a bread-cake thing which name escapes me. It was brilliant.  


This isn't the pate, but it was good too. Some sort of ham with herbs and gelatin
A limited shot of our spread

Lentil salad

Little goats

Creamy cheese. With sultanas.

The bread-cake thing
 Then we went back to Cluny Séjour to sleep off our food and wine and purported jet lag.

Obligatory face-shot of Asian Alcohol Glow.  


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