Review: Restaurant - La Tupina, Bordeaux

 

 

Bordeaux has no lack of fine restaurants and boasts of no less than four michelin starred restaurants (Le Pressoir d' Argent, Le Gabriel, Le Chapon Fin &  7ème Péché ) just in the centre ville alone.

Since we were in the mood for something casual, we decided on La Tupina - a casual dining bistro, which also comes highly recommended by Lonely Planet (Rated TOP Choice). We don't always rely on LP for food ideas; LP's suggestions can sometimes disappoint. On this occasion, LP did really well.  

 

A welcome sight - fresh produce of the day

The moment you enter the restaurant, your senses are engaged. Your eyes feast on the fresh produce of the day, laid out before you on the reecption table. You are at once embraced by the thick aroma of the soup stewing in the Tupina (kettle in Basque language), smell of chicken being roasted and beef grilled over the fire, behind the reception table.

  

The host himself is a major draw - at times he seems to be the only employee and the face of the restaurant. He answers the phone and checks the reservation book.  He turns around and checks on the soup that is stewing. He does another spin and checks on the chicken. His deft hands start slicing the grilled beef, before throwing them on the grills again.  



Small dish of saucisson, fresh vegetables
to munch

     

Our choice for today is the house aperitif (White Armagnac, white wine and creme de cassis),  pan fried cèpes (mushrooms)for starters. Based on the server's recommendation of traditional dishes with strong flavours,  the wife chooses the Pâté (pasta) with foie gras and cèpes sauce. After some deliberation, I choose the Black Pig (from the nearby mountains - Pyrenees).  

The  cèpes were wonderfully cooked; they were soft with a earthly flavour, sprinkled with the right amount of salt. The pasta is served in an small iron pot to keep it warm while you work on the initial serving. The sauce is extremely rich with strong and distinct tastes of both the foie gras and  cèpes. At first glance, the grilled Black Pig appears non-distinctive but I was quickly won over with the first bite. It is tender and succulent. The meat is as La Tupina describes on its website - remarkable, tasty and tender. The fat also adds to the taste - it melts in your mouth.

 

Pan fried  cèpes 

 

Foie Gras,  Cèpes Pate



 

Grilled Black Pig

We are new fans of La Tupina. Unfortunately, there was no time to linger in Bordeaux for a second meal, since we had already made advance hotel bookings in Saint Emilion and Dordogne. We are glad we found this place, we will be back... 


If you visit La Tupina, remember to try the Black Pig.

La Tupina 

Address: 6 Rue de la Porte de la Monnaie, 33800 Bordeaux, France

Tel: +33 5 56 91 56 37 

Website: http://www.latupina.com/