Firstly, L’Isle sur la Sorgue is a pretty Provinçal town in the department of Vaucluse, southeast France and is a must for a riverside coffee and croissant. It is famed for its antique stores, weekend markets and striking waterwheels on the Sorgue river. It is really beautiful and has lots of restaurants by the water, perfect for a romantic meal. When you google the town, the image you will most likely see is the famous shot below…

 Le Jardin du Quai was recommended by our host, and also Jennie Mayle (wife of the author Peter Mayle) who wrote the book ‘A Good Year’ that the film was subsequently based on…excuse me a moment while I pick up the name I just dropped…

Le Jardin du Quai is a secret garden tucked behind a vintage store; in fact, hidden might be a better way to describe it as it took quite a bit of walking around, berating Google maps for not knowing what it was doing, and a trip through the wrong restaurant, to finally enter the restaurant through what appeared to be the back entrance.

A path of pale pebbles cuts through the charming little garden beneath the trees. Tables covered in white tablecloths sat beneath a canopy of vines and the green iron chairs finished off the green and white theme perfectly. Sat with a glass of rosé (when in Provence), with the last of the sun shining down through the leaves, it would go down as a pretty perfect moment…and the food was about to make it better.

Because it had been recommended to us on two occasions, we hadn’t done too much research, so we were surprised when the waiter explained that there was no menu. He explained what I have subsequently read on their website that there is ‘pas de Carte ou de Menu’, and that patrons should let themselves be guided by the creativity of their Chef Daniel Hébet, who composes his menu according to the ingredients that are in season, all with the philosophy ‘générosité et gourmandise’ which translates to generosity and greed…I like Daniel already.

The seasonal menu started with the perfect summertime amuse bouche: a refreshing gazpacho bursting with fresh-from-the-garden summer flavours, the perfect start to our meal in the secret garden. Following that while we waited for our starter we were served some delicious fresh crusty bread, they clearly didn’t think we’d had enough bread to eat already that week…it’s probably for the best that I don’t live in France or I would turn into a baguette.

Our culinary journey continued with an exceptional lobster starter. The lobster was deliciously rich and slightly sweet, and the deliciously buttery sauce it was served in made it a truly memorable dish. Fresh garden peas, broad beans and pea shoots alleviated the rich butteriness (I think I’ve just invented a word there), of the lobster. The effect was a beautifully balanced dish that also looked stunning, the bright pink of the lobster and greens of the peas and beans were striking against the choice of black bowl.

For our main we were served a beautiful fillet de bœuf (medium rare of course), over a bed of mushrooms – I identified Chanterelles and Shiitake but there may have been others – and a sweet, creamy onion purée. I am unsure of the rest of the ingredients of the purée due to the lack of menu, but it was bloody tasty! It was a very indulgent dish packed with a lot of the flavours you want when you order fillet de bœuf and topped off with a luxuriously silky and rich jus.

To finish this exceptional meal, we were served a mille-feuille with a blackberry sorbet and a mixture of berries. A mille-feuille is a classic French pastry that consists of layers of razor thin puff pastry and a cream filling, and is translated as one thousand sheets, layers or leaves. By this definition our dessert was not technically a good mille-feuille as it consisted only of two layers of pastry compared to the traditional minimum of three. Additionally, while the pastry was wonderfully airy, crispy and flaky, it couldn’t be described as razor thin which is one of the characteristics of a traditional mille-feuille. As a classic mille-feuille should be, however, the flavours were simple and delicious, and the textures were delightful.

All in all, we were pleased that we had let ourselves be guided by the creativity of Chef Daniel Hébet and would recommend that you do the same if you get the chance! The ambiance, wine, and food were exceptional and the service was charming, if a little slow. Having just been to L’Orangerie at La Bastide de Gordes, whose prices definitely demand a special occasion for most of us, when the bill came at Le Jardin Du Quai, we were pleasantly surprised, if a little shocked! For four courses each, and wine the total came to €106 and for the incredible food and overall experience I would have been happy to pay a lot more!