Vaison-la-Romaine and Le Brin d'Olivier Restaurant

I convided that if you are in our corner of Provence, we think you should go to the Vaison-la-Romaine market on at least one Tuesday morning. There you will find an amazing assortment of fresh fruit, vegetables, olives, charcuterie, cheese, meats, fish and roasted meats and cooked foods to go.

While you are there, take the time to wander through the large fields of Roman ruins in the lower town and/or through the picturesque maze of tiny streets up to the castle at the top of the medieval upper town and enjoy the spectacular view out over Vaison-la-Romaine's new town.

The upper and lower towns are connected by this Roman Bridge dating to the 1st century over the Ouvèze River. One interesting thing about the Bridge is its single arch which spans 17.2 meters or 56.5 feet. It has withstood floods and except for the parapet which was rebuilt after the huge flood in 1992, the Bridge is as it was 2000 years ago.

At the end of the Roman Bridge on the medieval side, there is a large memorial to the children of Vaison-la-Romaine who died fighting for France during WWI and WWII.

Another reason we go to Vaison-la-Romaine is to eat at Le Brin d'Olivier restaurant which is located a few steps from the Roman Bridge in the lower town. We park along the Ouvèze River in the public parking lot facing the belfry tower with its 18th century wrought-iron bell cage.

For some reason, we end up most often at Le Brin d'Olivier on Sundays for lunch. The restaurant is the only one in Vaison-la-Romaine awarded a Bibb Gourmand by Michelin and included in the guide to Les Meilleures Adresses à Petit Prix, meaning you eat well for a good price.

The entrance to the restaurant through the patio into the dining room where guests are seated during warm weather.

The restaurant also has two dining rooms on the upper floor for use during cooler weather where we were seated when we went in late March. The tables in the small warm room with exposed wood beams on the ceiling were covered with white table cloths.

After looking over the menu, I chose the "Balade en Provence" menu for 29,00 Euros and Shirley went a la carte. We selected a 50 cl bottle of the 2010 Chateau de Paradis, Terre des Anges rosé, a very nice blend of Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

We were brought an amuse bouche of Suprise Crème de Tomates with Espelette along with a basket of house-baked bread.

For our first course, I chose the Oeuf poché à la crème de broccoli with a lemon sugar - poached egg with cream of broccoli soup. Shirley passed on the poached egg and had the cream of broccoli soup since she doesn't like poached eggs. The soup was delicious with a distinct lemon note.

Shirley waiting patiently for her main course to be served.

A little poodle waiting patiently too for little tidbits to fall to the floor.

For her first course, Shirley chose the Fiilet de Turbot roti sur poelle de legumes d'automne, echalotes confites - fillet of turbot roasted on autumn vegetables such as Zucchini and mushrooms in a rich mushroom broth with shallots cooked confit style.

I chose the Magret de canard roti au miel et epices sur potate douce fondante - duck breast roasted with honey and spices and served over a sweet potato puree. It was really good.

For dessert, we shared the Fondant chocolat aux eclats de noisettes, crème à la vanille de bourbon - warm runny chocolate cake with bursts of hazelnuts over a creamy vanilla bourbon sauce.

We have had consistently good meals at Le Brin d'Olivier. If you are in Vaison-la-Romaine, you should reserve a table for lunch. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Le Brin d'Olivier
4 Rue du Ventoux
84110 Vaison-la-Romaine
Tel: 04 90 28 74 79
www.restaurant-lebrindolivier.com