It’s always exciting to hear about new restaurants that are getting rave reviews. I read about this cosy little place in a few blogs and immediately made up my mind to check the food out. One thing to note is that the macarons are really as good as everyone says they are!

Nathalie is not a trained chef, but rather a talented Frenchwoman who knows her way around the kitchen. The caliber of her dishes show years of experience coupled with a sense of culinary intuition and passion. The menu changes monthly to showcase her range of delightful creations and everything is made fresh in house.

The décor here is very industrial with a lot of greys and steel. The inside houses high tables with bar stools and cool hanging features such as a whisk chandelier. Macarons seem to be a prominent theme here with the service staff donning a print of macarons on their aprons.

Once we’ve placed our orders a little basket of mini baguette rolls are set down on our table. They are fresh and absolutely delicious with the homemade salted butter. We also ordered a few of their drink concoctions, a vegetable cocktail, fresh pineapple juice and a virgin apple mojito. The vegetable cocktail is bright purple and I can see immediately that it’s a mix of beetroot and once I tasted it I also detect celery and maybe a hint of carrot. It’s refreshing and I love knowing that it’s good for me too! I didn’t get a taste of the mojito but it looked good sparkling with flecks of bright green mint floating around.

For appetizers we decided to go with the beef Carpaccio and the eggplant three ways. The beef is a lovely bright red and it is topped with a gorgeous salad of shaved fennel and Parmesan and edible flowers. Almost too pretty to eat. The beef is melt in the mouth tender and the greens give it freshness.

The eggplant dish is really interesting as it is prepared in three ways showcasing this earthy vegetable at its best. The first is chopped eggplant mixed with sundried tomato on a slice of toast with a thin piece of tuna sashimi on top. This is tangy and full of flavour. The second preparation is out of this world with an eggplant sorbet. At first bite it’s a little confusing as you’d expect a sorbet to be sweet but after a few more tastes you warm up to the idea and it’s really very good. The third is a jelly topped with a mousse, both containing eggplant. This was my favourite with the bouncy jelly and the earthy creamy mousse.

"Perfectly executed macarons"

We decided on the roasted vegetable tagliatelle, squid stuffed with oxtail, and duck confit for the main dishes. The star of the meal is the fresh pasta that is light and slippery surrounded by creamy foam and filled with chunks of roasted peppers. It's light and feels as though we are eating clouds with hints of roasted veggies. The duck confit is a close second with tender pieced of duck paired with a warm orange sauce and juicy segments…absolutely heavenly. Unfortunately the squid stuffed with oxtail is a bit of a hit and miss. While the squid is tender and delightful, the oxtail is a bit too dry and gamey.

To end our meal on a sweet note we opted for the trio of desserts: a chocolate tart, rhubarb crumble, and choice of macaron. The mini chocolate tart is very chocolatey and rich in contrast to the rhubarb crumble which is tart and light. I chose a blackcurrant macaron, which is perfectly executed. I have only ever had bad macarons in the past and it is an eye opener to have a good one. Lightly crisp on the outside yet fudgey and gooey on the inside without being overly sugary. There is an entire macaron counter to choose from at NGS so I recommend you go try them right away. Consider it to be an educational trip to learn what good macarons are meant to taste like. Have it with an NGScinno a cappuccino made with frothy vanilla milk, a dash of cocoa powder, and macaron crumbs. Delish!

In addition to being able to eat at her restaurant, Nathalie also offers cooking classes at her on site studio. There are classes teaching you how to make traditional French breads, whimsical appetizers to impress your guests with, and even more traditional French dishes such as beef bourguignon. These are held at various times so that anyone can find a convenient time slot to try it out. For class details log on to Nathalie's site.


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