Christian Ettiene - Avignon - France - review

Name: Christian Ettiene

Address: 10 Rue de Mons
84000 Avignon,
France
04 90 86 16 50

Food: French, Modern French

Average price: $12 - $125Euro.

Complimentary:

anchovy bread

Nice salty, sweet and tangy flavours

tomato gazpacho with watermelon

Too sweet for me - R liked it.
Tomato bread twist was nice.

We ordered: Tomato degustation - $70Euro


Royal de tomate "Saint Pierre"
heirloom tomatoes, minted celery juice

I found the texture a little too akin to baby food for me, but R enjoyed it.

Traditional tomato tartare
with basil three ways, summer salad with olive oil

The red one had too much onion otherwise the others were quite nice and fresh.

Cuttlefish flan with its own ink,
confit of "Olivettes" tomatoes, lemon vinegar foam with basil

R really enjoyed this

Tomatoes with beans - There was a nice sweetness - acidic tomatoes worked well with beans.

"Marmande" tomato consommé
with cumin, brunoise of Provençal vegetables

The pasta was quite doughy and the broth was extremely salty.

Lamb meatballs rolled in basil,
"Cœur de bœuf" tomato concassée, Parmesan emulsion

Egg in foam - ok, rather heavy and salty.

Goat curd cheese with Picholine olives,
mousse of "Noire de Crimée" tomatoes, tomato grissini

This was quite a heavy mousse, I needed water in between mouthfuls. But it was ok. I couldn't really taste the goat cheese that much.


Tomato-green tea pastry with a salad of cherry tomatoes and strawberries,tomato sorbet, sesame praline

This tasted like a Greek fruit lolly to me. Sometimes the tomato was too savoury and the sponge was a little hard (I think it was perhaps matcha?). It was interesting but I didn't like it much, R thought it was ok.

marshmallow

Good texture, subtle flavour.

saffron and strawberry macaron

Quite nice.

chocolate coconut

too bitter, no sweetness, the base was a little soft but R liked this.

cannelle 

A little doughy within and very chewy outside - not cooked well but it had a nice flavour.

Cost: $140Euro for two tomato tasting menus

Service: A little young. The two waitresses we had were very young, a little sloppy in appearance and knew very little English. They did not know much about the menus and did not refill our water very frequently. The older gentlemen that we had for a few of the dishes however was very well informed, polite and polished. Like all other Michelin starred restaurants the head chef himself came over at the beginning of our evening to introduce himself and ask exactly what I could and could not eat so he could better suit the menu to my dietary requirement.

Atmosphere: A rooftop garden. The mood is very relaxed and suited towards a great night with friends spent under the stars with a glass of wine. The summer terrace did have shelter and blinds that were unfolded as the night became cool. The edges of the area are brimming with wonderful wild flowers and fragrant herbs. There's a small view below to the church square. Some patrons chose to dress up slightly but most were dressed fairly casually. I'm not sure what the main, indoor room is like.

Parking: Risky. There are even less car parks in Avignon town which is geared towards pedestrians so take the bus or train and leg it.

Website: http://www.christian-etienne.fr/

Hours: Open Tue-Sat 12pm-1:15pm, 7:30pm-9:15pm

Would I return: Yes.