It’s official. I think I’ve just found the perfect bistro/brasserie – ever! Whilst we were staying in the village of Bages in Bordeaux at Château Cordeillan-Bages, we spent our first nights dinner in this picturesque restaurant which is just a few minutes walk from the hotel. The sun was shining, the air was warm and the place looked absolutely beautiful.
Café Lavinal opened in 2006 and owes its name to Berthe Lavinal, grandmother of the famous Jean-Michel Cazes. The restaurant is right next door to the prestigious Château Lynch-Bages (currently undergoing a huge transformation), delicatessen, wine shop and a bazaar – meaning you could spend all day in this little village and never have to leave. Inside this 1930’s brasserie-inspired setting, expect red moleskin bench seats, a zinc bar, cast iron lighting fixtures and of course a huge focus on wine from the Bordeaux region and beyond.
In good weather, just like we had (it was around 28 degrees at 7pm) the sunny outdoor terrace is perfect for people watching and enjoying the peaceful village atmosphere. If we had more time in Bordeaux, we would have come back here every single night for food or even a glass of wine because head chef Baptiste Gournillat and his team have turned this place into something really special.
We ordered a bottle of the delicate Domaine de L’Ostal Rosé (also from Jean-Michel Cazes) and tucked into our first course from the 3 course €29 “Lavinal Menu”. Beautiful Herring fillets with warm potatoes, red onions and pickles. Zesty, fresh and the quality of everything on the plate was simply perfect – plus it washed down incredibly well with that rose wine.
Equally as good and one of my favourites was the egg mimosa. It’s such a simple dish, but when done right it can be ever so satisfying. Here the eggs were very well presented, nicely seasoned and came with a smoked eel rillette, crunchy parmesan shards and dollops of vegetable coulis. This was Summer on a plate.
For our main course, lemon sole – Meunière style. Served in a herb viennoise and with Barigoule artichokes. The sole was flaking away at the sight of my fork and the artichokes were so soft, but still with a good colouring and flavour. One thing that really struck me about the “Lavinal Menu” we ate from was just how good value it was for the quality.
For desserts, a not so French tiramisu which was once again excellent (and boozy). As well as a Saint Honore style choux with some hot chocolate sauce, citrus puree and scoop of vanilla ice-cream. The choux pastry was as light as a cloud, flaking away as I plunged my fork into it and the rich hot chocolate sauce was just what this dessert needed, melting into the creamy piped filling.
I really did fall in love Café Lavinal and during our trip, it was one of my absolute highlights. Such a magical, tranquil little place which oozes French sophistication and charm – yet keeping it all very casual. We’re always visiting Bordeaux and so next time we do, we’ll most certainly be coming back here to see what head chef Baptiste Gournillat has in store for us next!
This looks picture perfect! I love dining Al fresco!