We ate at the restaurant both nights of our stay. The first night we were offered the prix fixe menu (the only option available as there were no a la carte options) and a beautiful bottle of Sancerre. For my starter, I decided on an asparagus dish which featured a small round of asparagus jelée, diced tomatoes and steamed asparagus. Covering this was a small heap of finely sliced red cabbage. It was suberb - very light on the palate and refreshing. For his starter, my husband ordered the pan-seared salmon, which was served on a bed of puréed asparagus, a couple of cockels, a steamed crayfish and a small mound of caviar on top. His starter was large enough that it could have been the main dish. The salmon was cooked perfectly, and all elements of the dish really added up to a wonderful taste.
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| Asparagus Starter |
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| Salmon Starter |
For the main dish, I ordered the pasta with scallops and cockels. I have never tasted pasta as good as this. The pasta was prepared very simply - only with olive oil and a light cream sauce. Intermingled with the pasta were sea beans. I had never tried them before, but I think that I will make them a regular staple of our diet! It was such an amazing dish with tastes that I had never experienced before and the scallops were cooked perfectly. My husband ordered the steak with mushroom sauce (He is a self-proclaimed "meat-a-tarian"). His steak was served with a salad dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with shaved parmesan. Additionally, he was served french-fries.
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| Pasta with Scallops and Cockels |
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| Steak with Mushroom Sauce |
Dessert was the only sore spot of the dinner. I had ordered an interesting sounding "mojito sorbet". What I ended up with was a wine glass filled with rum and sorbet. It was not very good. My husband, on the other hand, ordered the "Dame Blanche", which is a very popular dessert item in Belgium. It consisted of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a little pot of warm chocolate. His was delicious! But I should have known, as every time we go to dinner, more often than not, he orders better than I do.
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| Mojito Sorbet |
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| Dame Blanche |
The second night of our stay, we decided to eat at the same restaurant considering how wonderful the first night was. The restaurant's only option was to order the buffet. While there were some pretty neat items on the table, such as halved quail eggs laid on serrano ham, I would only rate it as mediocre. The food just didn't live up to the previous night's fare.
The one thing I really loved about the first night's dinner was the care that was brought to each plate. It was obvious that the chef had really thought out what he was going to serve. The use of seasonal ingredients was very apparent and the wine list went along very well with the offered items on the menu. I could not have asked for a better meal. Additionally, the prices were incredibly reasonable. For the prix fixe menu, which included an aperitif, starter, entrée, and dessert, the cost was only 24 Euros a person. The buffet was a bit more pricy, at 40 Euros a person, but it included alcohol.
I give this restaurant 5 out 5 stars for their Friday night service and 3 out of 5 stars for their Saturday night service.
Restaurant de L'amandier
Avenue de Bouillon 70
6800 Libramont, Belgium
0261225373
http://www.lamandier.be/index.php?id=30
Price: For 2 people eating the prix fixe menu and a good bottle of wine, expect to pay 80 Euros
Reservations: Necessary
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