Diligence For All

The oldest restaurant, according to Manu, is “La Diligence.” It’s located kitty-corner to Shakespeare’s Pub and easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. Manu recommended it because it has good food, it has a history, and, most of all, it offers a whiskey tasting menu. Moreover, Charlotte hadn’t been there, so it was a great suggestion for dinner.

Pictured above: the whiskey “library” at La Diligence

The restaurant offers a-la-carte as well as a set dinner menu. We opted for the latter, which began with an amuse bouche of pickled watermelon topped with cardamom foam and a small custard with roasted corn. Charlotte and I ordered glasses of champagne for our aperitif, and Manu picked a delicious local white wine. The starter was braised, caramélisée short ribs, and for the main dish Manu and I ordered fish while Charlotte ordered pork. The fish was broiled and served on a light yellow curry with gnocchi.

The last course was either dessert or cheese, so Manu and I ordered cheese, and Charlotte ordered dessert, which was light tartine. The cheese came on a rolling cart, like a dessert cart, and the server let us pick five different ones along with strawberry jam and an orange citron jam.

Check out that cheese table! 

The portions weren’t that large, but we all left feeling full. I didn’t try the whiskey tasting menu, because I had a strenuous erg workout at the boathouse earlier in the day, and I knew if I drank whiskey I’d be a wreck the next day, so I vowed to try the whiskey tasting menu next time.