BISTR’EAU RYON, Plage Saint Clair, Boulevard des Dryades, 83980 – Le Lavandrou, France

02.04.11

I was very lucky to be the guest of some good friends at this wonderful restaurant right on the beach in Le Lavandrou.  Alain Ryon is the Chef at Bistr’eau Ryon and as my friends Ursula and Robert Morana were celebrating their wedding anniversary (and I just happened to be staying with them – good timing eh?), I got invited along for dinner.

And what a dinner.  Alain Ryon received a Michelin Star at his last restaurant and it is easy to see why.

Bistr’eau Ryon has an enviable location, right on the beach at Saint Clair.  There is a lovely outside terrace facing the sea, which is no doubt packed in the summer but for this evenings visit, we were inside.  Decor is understated and relaxing and the room had a very warm atmosphere.

The menu had three choices for each course as well as a set menu for 24 euros.   I think its always a good idea to keep a menu simple, then you can concentrate on the quality rather than quantity.  We chose from the main menu and everything was absolutely flawless.  Once we’d ordered, two plates of pate with mini crostini arrived as an appetizer.  This was a sign of the good food to come as something so simple was so delicious.

I began with thinly sliced scallops on a bed of bulgar wheat.  The dressing was quite sharp but I like a good belt of vinegar so it suited me.  For our main courses, whilst all of my companions at the table ordered meat, I ordered sea bass with an olive crust with mashed potato. Every bite melted in the mouth like butter.  I had no idea fish could be so soft.

Just before dessert, the Chef himself came to sit at our table.  I wasn’t planning to eat anything else as I was so full, but Chef Ryon recommended his Souffle Glace so of course, I just had to order it.  And if I thought the rest of the meal was good, this dessert was extraordinary.  It looked enormous when it arrived but each of us managed to finish our own souffles.  It seemed like  a spell – once you took one mouthful, you just couldn’t stop until the plate was clear.  Added to that the pressure of having the Chef watch you as you eat, and I don’t think any of us were going to leave un morceau on the plate.  But to be honest, there was no pressure with a dish such as this.  I wanted to take it off the plate and marry it, never be parted from it.  I will dream of that souffle the next time I’m presented with a lacklustre dessert…

We drank a very quaffable rose with our dinner, and as I didn’t pay, I cannot tell you the amount of the bill.  Suffice to say, whatever it was, I would have paid my share if I’d been asked, as it was truly one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever eaten.

Service was also excellent and cheerful throughout and it was obvious that whilst the waiters respect their Chef, they enjoy working for him.  The residents of Le Lavandrou and the surrounding areas are very fortunate to have such a culinary genius as Alain Ryon in their midst and I do hope they make the most of such a hard-working Chef.