OOPS!

I believe I owe the blog a review of Remi de Provence in Macquarie Street - so before it fades anymore into the memory I will get down to it. (Yes if you ask I am procastinating on a Chapter on my thesis which is due Monday, but its a revision more than a totally new chapter. Besides the chapter is on iodine, and its deficiency in Tasmania and what has been done, so its VAGUELY food related as iodine is taken up in food. Well thats my excuse anyhow).

The thing I love about the internet is you meet really interesting people. I belong to a travel website, and pipe up in the Australia/NZ forum when people (usually Americans) propose to travel right around Tassie in about 4 days. Dialogue generally ensues in which I ask about what they are interested in, how long they have and what their feeling towards driving looooong distances is. I then make suggestions and generally thats it.

After undergoing the above with someone late last year, I got a message from them asking if they could take me to dinner to say thank you. Now, being a grad student who at that stage was living pay check to pay check I said "YES PLEASE". The proviso was it had to be a Sunday or Monday and not a predominately seafood place due to allergies. I was told to choose somewhere where normally I may not go due to budget, but please remember that they wouldnt have "dressy" clothes. Well the days ruled out Montys, and the seafood restriction ruled out Mures Upper Deck. In a fit of inspiration I remembered that Remi's was open on a Sunday, so booked a table for three.

I arrived to find Sharon and her husband already seated in the upper dining room. I REALLY like what they have done inside. You walk into vestibule which has the hostess stand, a fridge filled with what looked like cheeses etc and some wines. Walking down a few stairs you enter a landing which looks down on their bottle shop and beyond to what seems to be a casual private dining area. The bottle shop also acts as their cellar, so you can buy a bottle and take up upstairs with you. Around a corner and up some more stairs you walk into the main dining room - which although upstairs reminds me in feel of a basment resturant I went to years ago in Paris.

I was seated at a wood and cast iron table in a corner near the pass. Good spot and gave great views over the room. The floor is a sandstone and you would expect echos, but its lovely and intimate while still being open. The staff are attentive, with a cute french boy taking our orders.
I had the terraine to start, followed by the chicken with olives. Sharon had bread and the chicken, while her husbane had the soup and the beef.

Meal sizes were decent, not huge, but filling enough that 3 courses left you pleasently full.
The terraine was a country style, and tasted devine. The texture was rough, but still had that soft silky feel on the tongue that you get with a well made terrine. Rich without being strong.
The chicken and olives were brillant. Well cooked, fall off the bone, delicatly flavoured with a richness to the sauce which made you want to mop it up with bread. The soup was a vegetable soup which was apparently really tasty. It smelt lovely, a mix of green with sweet aroma which I think may have been carrots. The beef cassorole looked rich, and apparently was without being fatty or oily.

I did have a dessert, but can not for the life of me remember what it was. I know it was the tart of the day, I THINK it was berry but really cant remember. I do remember the pastry was glorious and there was a huge quinelle of thick cream on the plate.

As I said, as I was taken to dinner I have no idea how much it cost, however mains seem to run around the $20-25 mark, entrees around 15, and desserts around 10. I will definately be going back. For a sunday it was fairly busy with another 3 tables there while we were there.

So there you go. Remi de Provence - definately worth it for a good quality casual type meal. I know they were going for the French Bistro feel and they have succeeded wildly. Now that I have finished procastinating, back to trying to present very boring data in an interesting way so my supervisors dont fall asleep while reading it.