mouthwatering

As you walk up Queen St. asian food places, from Korean barbeque to specialized Japanese take up the streets. Auckland starts feeling like Seoul. In between all these little eateries (where one can work out a meal for as little as 6.5NZD) stands “Le Garde Manger”. 
 

After a week on the road, or better said in the air, my appetite craves some “real food”, similar to what I would eat at home. I check out their board on the street. It’s already dark and getting cold, I don’t feel like walking much more. I am tempted by the French onion soup and walk in, despite the prices. 

“Alo, table for one?” In pure French accent. “Yes please”

Wooden tables, many small squared tables for two one next to the other, with enough space to make them private, votive candle lighting the night. Patterned red and white tablecloths dress the tables and the lamps on top. Very French, very warm and cosy. Calming colour in the walls and many old pictures of French kitchen characters. Indulgent aromas and a quiet crowd talk on top of French music, Amelie soundtrack, Stacey Kent, Edith Piaf… Ah! Can it get any better? I am wondering.

The server comes to me, welcomes me again, and hands in the big menu. (No, it can't get any more better than this! If food is as good as him, my god!) Two pages, one with the specials, one with the menu. In the fixed menu starters include greens salad, les galettes (pies) with a wide choice of fillings or soup: French onion or soup du jour (butternut squash and almonds tonight). The mains: one fish and one meat dish that can be paired with green beans or salad. On another board, hanging on top the cashier is the wine list: Whites, Reds, New World and French. By the glass and by the bottle. 

Everything is very simple, one might think too simple for the prices they offer. But as the server comes with the dishes for the table next to me, the herbs that float around the tenderloin with the potatoes and the onions, and the mustard grains from the salad seem to come to life and my mouth is watering. When the server comes to me I ask him a couple of things about the ingredients of the butternut squash soup and about the paysanne salad. He replies to me very confidently, as if he had prepared them himself. True love and pride in his broken English make up for his lack of words –which fortunately didn’t matter much because I can handle a bit of French–  I order the French onion soup and the salad and glass of the house French red. He walks to clear another table and gets lost in the kitchen. 

Despite the small size of the place and the open door kitchen the sounds are not loud and every now and then the Chef pops out his head, spies the dinning room and goes to the backyard. He returns with a bunch of fresh herbs in his hands.

Maybe after five minutes the warm bread bun and butter are brought to my table, salt and pepper already in the table, and the glass of wine plus a small glass bottle of tap water. It highly surprised me in a great way, for I didn’t ask for it but was more than welcomed. After another five minutes the soup and the salad, all at the same time, as per request. Lovely. I can’t wait to dip my spoon and break this cheese layer covering the onions. And the romaine is so green and crispy, the mustard vinaigrette so silky and balanced that not only I do not regret coming here to spend 4 times more what I would in any of the many Chinese/Korean/Japanese little eateries around town, but I congratulate myself of my choice. 

As I am finishing my dishes the place is close to full. Service was very good, casual and smart at all times and at all tables. My glass of wine is empty. As my dirty dishes are neatly cleared off my table they offer to pour another one. “No thank you, but you can tell me where the ladies room is”. Basic and very clean. When I come back the server suggests me to try the chocolate fondant with the warm liquid heart but I have had enough. Portions were not huge, just the right size. And at the slow easy going French rhythm for eating they seemed much larger than they actually were. I ask for a cup of tea that comes with evidently home made pastille d’orange as petit four. 

Overall, I had what I consider one of my best meals in Auckland so far. (Though othing beats Tanuki's cave, great company and the taste of reencounter!) Better than the seafood buffet at the 5 star hotel and better than the classic mussels anywhere you go and way too much better than any of the so popular (and some very good and so cheap) Asian food. Was it worth? Yes, definitely. It did calm my home made food crave and the experience was très bon!