Bloempot, Lille. French fine dining for lunch

And just like that, 2026 has arrived!

Hope you lot have had a good Christmas and new year break with your loved ones. Mine was a mixed bag, the winter blues struggle is REAL. Nonetheless, looking forward to 2026 food adventures which will be a little different this year. I want to share new food adventures with my people – friends, who have always wanted to try a tasting menu but have not. So, kicking off this sentiment is lunch at Bloempot, Lille, France. Ah, the perks of living in Europe and good transport links. You can hop on a train and in 3 hours or less, find yourself in a whole different country experiencing new cuisine., culture, love it! Here we are in Lille after catching the Eurostar (at stupid o’clock) why? because

to spend the day, whimsically, celebrating my girls’ birthday and our pearl friendship! Whilst I am seasoned at doing these, this is Mo’s first one and I enjoyed sharing this food adventure with her. All the feelings she expressed from the dishes priceless!

Let’s get into then shall we? Our meal started with roasted vegetable broth and brown butter after we had a cheeky glass of champers to toast our solar returns (mine’s in 10 days) and yes Mo, never misses an opportunity to remind me of this fact 🙄 And yet, we have remained friends for over 30 years 🤗. Right, where was I? oh yes, the roasted vegetable broth with brown butter, it was a pour over!

And the umami was on a HUNDRED! Meaty with a slightly bitter lingering taste that was immediately nullified when you tried the accompanying rutabaga gravlax, buttermilk, juniper berries, tarama and brioche. Essentially a creamy dip made from fish roe and warm brioche bread. It gave warm and savoury, woke the palate up and just right for this sunny winter day. Marinated Fish, raw turnip, ginger granita & oyster, in sorrel kombucha and tagetes was the other side of the spectrum, in that, this was a cold dish. The granitas took me back to my first time having these in the streets of Sicily (it had me in a chokehold) this time was no different. The thinly sliced sea bass in oyster sauce and a dollop of granitas on the side

could have been an epic fail considering the strong ginger taste but it wasn’t. Instead the peachiness from the La Piège 2017 – Sot de l’Ange – Loire – Sauvignon Blanc morphed this into a warm delight, so good! The pork shoulder with cornichon, chicory? AMAZING! First off it had two different sauces poured over! You might be thinking, two sauces is messy and doing the most? Err wrong! It was anything but.. (think yin yang sea, Taiwan or a halocline)

the sauces complemented each other and did not deter from the perfectly cooked shoulder, which by the way gave steak vibes?! The pickles and chicory had the right amount of crunch too, listen the chef is on IT! Pairing it with Le P’tit Barrio 2022? D I V I N E! The wine was just delicious, easy to drink on it’s own but so magical when sipped with a cut of the pork shoulder and the sauces! The richness of the pork, sauces, pickles and chicory?🔥😘 Hay-smoked beetroot, watercress, horseradish was also a phenomenal course. There is just something about vegetables smoked over dried grass and this beetroot was no exception! Roasted beetroot at Bloempot is on steroids – the aroma was earthy, the sweetness intensified! Paired with Grassot 2021 Domaine de l’Iséra? like I said STEROIDS!

Then came the Pigeon with salsify, radicchio and pigeon jus. Roast Pigeon that was tender and savoury from the Jus. The Raddichio and salsify was a balance of bitter and sea (the Raddichio is a root vegetable with oyster-like flavour),

This course really took your palate on a journey from texture, crunch and tanginess, and the icing on the cake? Served by the chef! Talk about personal touch! Okay, Bloempot, I see you 👏🏽😊. You lot know I love me some cheese right? and blue cheese is my favourite! When I say I was not ready for this sunflower tartlet, I was not readddyyyy! It was a pastry filled with sunflower seed puree, endives (slightly bitter crunchy leaves) on a bed of blue cheese and OMG! Plus it was served with a Brasserie Bierbuuk, Vienna Lager, a craft beer, like what do you meaaaannn?

The soft, smooth maltiness with moderate bitterness and hint of toasty was jut what the cheese needed to go from humble cheese to bad-ass cheese! It was so good! Also one time for the glasses? details? It is always in the details okay? Bloempot stay showing out and I am here for it! Now that I think about it, Bloempot is the only other restaurant bar Sikwa that had courses paired with other forms of alcohol, I do love me a menu that is filled with pleasant surprises! Palate cleanser was next-pear sorbet and poached pear

which had to be eaten together. . It was both sweet and refreshing. Pudding was mushroom ice cream, salted caramel, spelt. Did not know mushroom ice cream was a thing or that it would be so yummy? Like the mushroom were bits in the ice creamthat poppsed? And the kicker? It was paired with Brasserie Bierbuuk- English Porter, yep another craft beer!