La Maison Bleue — Restaurant in West Suffolk

Today, after an enforced gap of over four years we returned to La Maison Bleue in Bury St Edmunds. Some 20 years ago we first visited it, observing a slight whiff of fresh paint at the time. In all that time it has never let us down for a moment. And today no exception. It is the restaurant I have visited most in my life and it rates as the best on all reasonable tests. Not the dearest (Three Chimneys Isle of Skye) and not the most exalted (any number of TV chef emporiums). Just the best. It is French by style and management - and by service. Good food may start in the kitchen and end on the plate but it takes a lot more to make for a fine dining experience. And it's not even about what you order - it is what comes with it by Chef's decision and the staff's willingness to cossett and care for their customers. La Maison does that non pareil. . Today we had the luncheon menu as so often. I went fish and fish (as so often) and Janet fowl and fish. But we started with an amuse bouche of lettuce gazpacho with Mascarpone cheese and other delights - sensational and a great palate wakener. Janet's carpaccio of marinated and finely shaved Guinea fowl was amazing; my lightly sizzled swordfish cubes were dressed in ways I would need to read the menu for. We both opted for Hake - not a fish to order in an English resto - but here trimmed to perfection, cooked with a light touch, assembled with delicious-ness. If I mention a touch of real caviar on the plate you will get the feel of the Chef's touch. A bowl of what would be called chips but were in reality sauteed tiny, unskinned crescents of joyous spuds completed our selection. Elsewhere we regretted the bread decision as bowls of sensational breads were delivered and devoured - and even commented on! This was eased along with a carafe of the house white Gascony - I have been ordering this for 20 years and its is the most sensation lunchtime white; easily matching my favoured Sauv B (Sancerre or Hayshed by pref). But we reserved the camera for Janet's dessert of strawberries... well they were the basis. And the cream was actually mascarpone ice cream to die for. Not done yet we ordered, with confidence espressos (mine brillient, J's slightly watery - odd) but these came with another amuse bouche - one astonishing pastille, one amazing salted caramel cube and an eye glass of something orangey and creamy and - to die for. OK the bill was £70 excluding service but frankly it was a snip....

After waiting for 3 months for our table, we visited as a table of 4 on a Saturday evening. First impressions were nice, as the restaurant was laid out very well and staff were friendly on arrival. Myself and one of our guests were gluten free, we received no menu to help us choose and on ordering, the waitress asked us what we would like -to which I responded we hadn't received the correct menu (that she had promised to bring) she then told us there was no allergy menu and told us I could simply only have 2 choices from the menu (although didn't seem convinced with herself when she was telling us).

Bread came (beautiful for the non GF persons, 3 different varieties of bread) the GF was no more than one slice of Genius shop bought bread (really disappointed it wasn't home made, and if it was then it was awful). I've worked and eaten in Michelin restaurants for over 10 years and must say was highly disappointed by the food, I can see why this has struggled to receive accolades. Starters were bland and small. My halibut for my main was wildly overcooked and dry to the bone.

As they don't leave the wine on the table, I had to ask the waiter over 5 times to top up our wine. Very frustrating and disruptive of the evening.

Service was 3/5 and food 2/5. In our taxi on the way home we expressed our disappointment, to then be told by the taxi driver that most customers he has collected from the restaurant has felt the same way.

Really such a shame as so much potential but I really think this restaurant is stuck in the old ways and needs to adapt to the changing environment around food and service. For a nearly £400 meal I must say it was the most disappointed and frustrated I've felt when leaving a restaurant. Truly a waste of money sadly. There are better restaurants in...

Solid French food!

I joined in for their fixed 3-course lunch menu for approximately £45, which included an amouse bouche to start and petit fours to end. Service was friendly and relaxed. Being alcohol intolerant, I especially loved that they have a dedicated non-alcoholic drinks selection.

For the amouse bouche, the cauliflower gazpacho was cold and fresh; perfect for the warmer weather. The beetroot dish, meanwhile, was nothing too exciting.

I then had their pork with asian bbq sauce as a starter. The beefy aroma was incredible. The pork was super tender and fatty. I loved the sauce which was full-bodied, yet light enough that the flavours did not linger for too long. The pork crackling on top also added a nice onion flavour. An excellent dish.

Next, for mains, I had their calves liver for an additional £3. This one had a mushroomy aroma that was even stronger than the last dish. Flavour-wise, I found it quite interesting. The liver was very rare on the inside, which meant it was on the tougher, chewier side. Being liver, it also had a strong gamey flavour. The rest of the dish - the parmesan polenta, chantrelles, and sauces - were quite heavy on the salt and did help to counter this. That being said, I definitely had enough of the flavours by the time I was finished.

Lastly, I was recommended the strawberry dessert. Although the strawberry cream was a bit grainy, everything worked very well together. The strawberry was sweet but not tart, the biscuit held its crunch throughout, and the mint in the strawberry sorbet gave the dish a bit of a lift. The petit fours were great too: soft, chewy, light but flavourful.

Overall, I had a great lunch, and I would be happy to come back again to try out more of...