It may look a little sharp and spiky on the outside, but its velvety, savory inside will seduce you.*
This prickly little porcupine of a cheese is Brin d'Amour.
Brin d'Amour - "a little bit of love" is produced by artisan cheesemakers on the island of Corsica. It is an unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese that is wrapped in a blanket of aromatic local herbs from the maquis, the distinctive Mediterranean shrubland of Corsica, and matured for 2 weeks to 2 months. This cheese also goes my the name Fleur de Maquis.
As you can probably guess, the herbs -rosemary, thyme, savory, and juniper- infuse the cheese with their assertive flavors. There are also subtle hints of green olives, hazelnuts and tangy citrus, making this a very unique cheese.
The texture is firm, yet creamy and smooth, and melts in your mouth. The aroma is dominated by the heady herbs, especially the rosemary.
Enjoy with a Côtes de Provence rosé or a white wine from Corsica.
*We cut the herb covered rind off because the texture was too sharp, but a less matured cheese should have a softer coating.
Larousse translation of brin.
As I walked in, I discovered a delightful bar with velvet beige arm chairs. I also saw a wide range of Champagnes (which I love love) and a magnificent bouquet of flowers in a very large vase.
He then brought the menu, and to my disappointment no cod no slamon. I inquiried and he said that the menu changes everyday and this was today's menu ... I guess he saw I was truly disappointed and swiftly went to see the Chef to ask what could be done. And guess what? I had salmon as an appetizer and cod as the main course: it was sophisticated and delicious. 
I ordered a glass of white wine from the Rhone Valley, excellent! My other options were a Riesling (too fruity for fish), a Bordeaux (and I do not enjoy the white dry Bordeaux), a chenin from a place I didn't know and you know how important "terroir" is(terroir is the soil where the grapes grow, whoch gives wine a distinctive taste, the same grapes grown in different soils do not taste alike!), a Chablis Premier cru (love Chablis, but it was too expensive) and this Rhone Valley white.
The mise-en-bouche was a "verrine" served in a small tea cup (no handle) of celery puree with a mirepoix of turnips and celery root ... when I tasted it, I know I was at the right place! This is when textures really started captivating me!
Having lived in Asia for so many years, I love the blend of exotic flavors in my food- I always say I inveted "world cuisine" before it bore a real name! The small salmon half cooked portion was served over a lemongrass flavored light yogurt and a carrot watery cream, half frosted .... some dices of papaye on one side and a few edible very small orchids ... plus a few greens for decoration.
The main course was cod, presented on a mashed potato, perfectly cooked, and with stir-fried red bell peppers in mirepoix on top and aside. Extremely delicate. Imagine all those textures in your mouth. A one eight of artichoke also stir-fried was on the side. I must confess I did not eat the avocado cream, too many falvors.
(Indonesian muppets)
"Rijsttafel" means "rice table" in dutch, and it's a meal developed in Indonesia during Dutch rule, it allowed to sample the many varieties of wonderful Indonesian food in one plate. It consists of rice accompanied by anything between 12 and 30 dishes served in small portions around the rice...
We started with with a chicken soup with rice vermicelli.
Then came the Mediterrannean clafoutis, a savory clafouty made with fresh tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes.
Then I served a large bowl of salad, seasoned with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and a traditional cheese platter with one sheep cheese (from Pyrennees), a blue cheese (I opted for Roquefort, made also with shee milk), a classic Emmental, and a goat cheese (Crotin).
