Good Morning from beautiful Provence,
Sorry that my blogging hasn't been up to scratch, spare time and wifi have been a slight issue... The plane from Frankfurt to Marseilles was delayed by about two hours, due to a hole in the outer shell of one of the doors, and I was stuck on the bus outside the plane, major buzz kill. Thankfully I have a PDF of the new Dan Brown book so punished a few chapters of that, which helped pass the time. The flight to Marseilles was absolutely incredible! Flying over the snow capped peaks of the Alpes, the green fields of Provence and eventually Marseilles was an amazing experience! Marseilles is right on the Mediterranean and has multiple small islands off the coast, together with the turquoise blue of the Med made for an incredible approach to the airport. I hate looking like a tourist but I couldn't keep my eyes off the window!
My first meal in France was one of my favourites, Burger King's legendary double whopper with cheese, the meal setting me back a 'whopping' €10!!!! Then it was off on the bus, €8, to the central station and a 1km walk to my hosts for the evening, Emily and Mikaela... Fortunately they were away for the weekend so no awkward turtle in someone else's house, which was great.
After an amazing shower I got dressed up for my much anticipated meal at Chez-
Fonfon. The plan was to take a leisurely stroll down to the old Vieux Port (some 2000 years old) and then walk along the coast to Fonfon. The walk, according to Google Maps, should be about 5km and take just under an hour... Well the walk ended up being somewhere in the region of 15km and I got completely lost! However it turned out being a massive blessing in disguise! I discovered some old churches, a newly built art gallery, and the old embattlements and fortifications of the old harbour, and then proceeded to walked the whole of the old harbour. No mean feat in a pair of brand new country road dress shoes that had not been properly in. My feet, and big toes have suffered sufficiently due to this foresite.
Everyone seemed to have moseyed on down to the harbour for drinks after work for a bevvie and catch up with mates. People were banging away on their guitars filled with the customers Friday afternoon banter. It was a great experience, and I eventually made it to Fonfon after about two and a half hours of walking. No thanks to the wind blowing off the Med, PE eat your heart out!
Chez-Fonfon is built in a small harbour/cove in Marseilles. It was one of the original (4) restaurants that signed the Bouillabaisse charter when chefs in the area felt that the recipe was being tinkered with too much and losing its identity. Bouillabaisse is, as most great recipes, a peasant fisherman's dish. Made from the scraps left over after the day's fishing while the fishermen were cleaning and repairing their nets after a long day on the water.
Bouillabaisse should traditionally contain 5 types of freshly caught fish and no shellfish. A soup is made, more of a very well flavored deep and rich stock, from vegetables and small fish. Which is then used to poach the larger fish later.
The experience was phenomenal, I had my own table set up at the windows overlooking the tiny harbour. You are seated and served with a large bowl of bruschetta and various hors d'oeuvres: a smoked fish pâté, olive tapenade and chick pea pâté. After about 30 seconds from when I placed my order my wine had arrived, a beautiful crisp white wine with a nose of - who am I kidding? It was by far the cheapest bottle on the menu, a cultivar I'd never heard of, but it was really easy drinking and got the taste buds and excitement levels going. A minute later my soup arrived, ladled out at your table with a garlic aioli and saffron rouille. The aioli contains no egg and has such a smooth texture and richness that it is a sight to behold, smeared liberally over a bruschetta and unceremoniously dunked into the soup, the combination is heavenly. The warm rich soup, with its deep red hues from the saffron has an almost lobster bisque quality to it, complimented by the rich yet subtle garlic aioli makes for an amazing start to the bouillabaisse.
Just as you are beginning to float away on the bus to flavor town, the waitress arrives at your table to show you the jewels of the Mediterranean that will be served for main course. She spoke French, and I said oui and merci a lot and had no idea what she was on about. Trying to look like I knew what was potting, I inspected the gills and had a close look at the eyes, the fish were of cause so fresh that they may well have been swimming a few minutes before, beautiful crystal clear eyes and bright red gills. I said another merci and got involved with some wine and soup.
Not five minutes later the freshly poached fish was served with saffron potatoes. The fish was a study in how to prepare fresh seafood, lightly poached, the larger more flaky fish almost raw at the core, each fish having a different texture and flavor from the others; from light and flaky to dense and firm, almost steak-like. The saffron potatoes were perfectly cooked, with a redness all the way through, firm yet tender, enough to lightly guide the side of my fork through.
The whole wile my soup dish getting topped up, so as to be able to spoon the fish into the soup and have glorious mouthfuls washed down with glasses of wine. Interrupting myself to have a piece of bruschetta with aioli. The saffron rouille wasn't my favourite, I'm not a huge fan of saffron besides the color it adds, it's wildly expensive and not very flavourful.
Eventually, I was slightly pickled, and full to the gills. I ordered the bill and met the chef, and €80 later I was on my way. What an incredible experience. The walk home was thankfully much shorter, I was a little concerned about Marseilles' reputation so I made a B line for my accommodation.
Tomorrow the Jankes arrive, and so does the party. It's been an emotional few days, and not the easiest flights and traveling experience. I'm off to a bed and you know I will be dreaming of Bouillabaisse and ancient ruins...
Matty
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