Rail Europe

To truly appreciate the gourmet experience that is the city of Bordeaux, spend a day preparing, cooking and eating the finest French cuisine. With its world-famous wines and refined cuisine, the Bordeaux region is a major gastronomic center. There are so many local delicacies that it would be impossible to savor everything in a single day -- but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.

Morning

Founded in 1825, Le Chapon Fin was one of the first restaurants to receive three Michelin stars and its chef Nicolas Frion will pass on some of his cooking secrets during a half-day cooking class. The class promises to teach even the novice chef how to create infinite flavor combinations and manage every detail of the haute cuisine experience. Choose from a seasonal menu of classic Bordelaise dishes including estuary fish (shad, eel, maigre, plaice and other local fish), original recipes for foie gras and shellfish (Lobster, langoustines and Mediterranean prawns). Prepare an entire menu -- starter, main course and dessert, with fresh local seasonal produce and then have the opportunity to eat your delicious meal for lunch.

Afternoon

Fromagerie Jean d’Alos is located across the street from Chapon Le Fin, so why not duck in after lunch and experience one of the finest cheese shops in France, possibly the world. Bordeaux’s most famous cheese monger features a cheese-aging cellar filled with hundreds of cheeses of every shape, size, taste, texture and aroma -- cow, sheep and goat’s. With a selection this wide, you are bound to walk out with a pound or two of France’s finest.

No gourmet day in Bordeaux would be complete without a visit to Baillardran, the king of canelé, the famous Bordeaux cake. The canelé is a small fluted cake that is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and it comes in three sizes -- La bouchée, Le lunch and Le canelé traditionnel.

Details

Le Chapon Fin Cookery School (www.chapon-fin.com/home.html)
5 rue Montesquieu 33000 Bordeaux
Tel: +33/5-5690-91 92
Courses are held in French every Wednesday and Saturday from 8:30 am to 12:00pm. Courses are scheduled in English upon request
Price: €95 per person

Fromagerie Jean D'Alos
4 rue Montesquieu, 33000 Bordeaux
Tel. +33/5-5644-2966
Open Monday 3:30pm-7:15pm, Tuesday to Saturday 8:30am to 12:45pm & 3:30pm to 7:15pm

Baillardran
263 rue Judaique, 33000 Bordeaux
Tel. +33/5-5699-1375
Canelés traditionnels in a box of 10: €16

Journey Time: 3hr20
Frequency: 21
Departure Station: Paris Montparnasse
Arrival Station: Bordeaux
Prices From: 74 (Economy) to 374 (Premier / Comfort Flexi)
(prices subject to change)

Uselful Links:

• www.chapon-fin.com/home.html

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