Le Pavillion de Gouffern

The French Revolution is one of the most important events in the country's history as it redressed the balance of power away from the greedy, ruling elite, fed the hungry masses, and has today given us yet another public holiday in the French calendar. Perhaps if Marie Antoinette had proclaimed "let them have a day off" rather than the infamous "let them eat cake" she would have kept her head.

Being in France then, it would be simply rude of us not to abide by the 14th July Bastille Day, so we decided to head out to Normandy for a week-long break. Silly-en-Gouffren is a ridiculously named village 2 1/2 hours west of Paris - far enough to be a peaceful distance away from the city, and close enough to rush back if my 8-month pregnant wife decided for once in her life to be early for something.

We booked into an old mansion which had a modest 3 stars but for the most part was very well appointed (although our room was pretty disappointing - see my travel review at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g319744-d321070-Reviews-Le_Pavillon_de_Gouffern-Silly_en_Gouffern_Orne_Basse_Normandie_Normandy.html)

The restaurant sits in a modern extension towards the back of the mansion overlooking the lawn and a small driving range. It's very nicely decorated although too dimly lit to enjoy breakfast or lunch.

The choice is fairly limited with 5 or 6 of each course. The lunch menu was exactly the same as the dinner menu and it didn't change for the whole of our stay. Despite this though, the food itself was excellent. Each dinner started with an amuse bouche or two. Not overly complicated but always well prepared:

Gaspacho

Salmon ceviche with mango

a simple chacuterie and salmon spread on breads

tuna pate

 

fois gras  

Some of the starters we enjoyed throughout our stay were:

- Seared Red Tuna with balsamic vinegar and Red Peppers. Firm and moist.

- Boudin Noir Spring Roll with cider sauce and dried apples. A bit too sweet but the filo pastry was light and crispy and the filling tasty.

Mains
- Roasted pork loan with potato daupine. Tender meat in a rich sauce.

- Thinly sliced duck breast with green been samosa and red fruit sauce. Absolutely delicious. Samosa was really well made: crispy filo pastry with creamy, green bean filling and a touch of garlic. Sauce gave a nice balance to the meat without being too sweet.

- Lamb chops in thyme with vegetables. Tender chops with an interesting coating of vegetables.

- Cod with green vegetables. Slightly plain but light and well put together.

- Brill braised with french peas. Side of vegetables were great as they were pan fried with pancetta and served on a cabbage leaf.

- Monkfish with a langoustine gratin and a duo of mushrooms. A powerful and meaty dish, with strong aromas from the mushrooms and firm but juicy seafood.

Desserts

large macaroon with raspberries and seasonal red fruits.

apple and banana crumble with sorbet

Creme Catalan

cherry sponge cake

Good to wash it all down with the local tipple: Calvados, an apple brandy which is first fermented into cider and then distilled and aged. Personally I don't like it as much as a brandy but still, it helps with the digestion!

Overall the choice was fairly limited but what they did have was absolutely fantastic. Due to the lack of variety though, we did venture out to visit a local restaurant with the interesting name "La Tete au Loup".

http://www.pavillondegouffern.com/uk/index.php
SILLY EN GOUFFERN - 61310 SILLY EN GOUFFERN
Tel. : +33 (0) 2 33 36 64 26
Fax : +33 (0) 2 33 36 53 81