Prawn with avocado and apple, Château de Flaugergues, Montpellier

Folia Restaurant, Château de Flaugergues, lunch

ByQin Xie 10/09/201319/05/2020

Menu from a lunch at Folia Restaurant on the aristocratic wine estate of Château de Flaugergues, Montpellier in Languedoc-Roussillon (rough English translations bold and in brackets):

Mousseline de brocolis, crevettes roses et lamelles pomme avocat, espuma de fenouil et coriandre, vinaigrette orange réduite (Broccoli mousse, prawns, avocado and apple slices, fennel and coriander espuma, reduced orange vinaigrette)

Dessus de palette grillé, poêlée de pomme de terre aux herbes, échalote et haricot coco, espuma d’une béarnaise, salade d’herbe (Grilled beef shoulder, fried potatoes with herbs, shallots and haricot beans, béarnaise espuma, herb salad)

Tarte aux prunes (Plum tart)

Grilled beef shoulder, Château de Flaugergues, Montpellier

Plum tart, Château de Flaugergues, Montpellier

Qin Xie

Qin Xie is a London based food, wine and travel journalist and trained chef.

When not infiltrating Michelin restaurants as a kitchen tourist, she writes about food, drink and travel. Her work has appeared on Yahoo, FT, The Times and CNN.

Her first cookbook, co-authored with YS Peng at Hunan Restaurant, is out March 2014.

According to friends, her watch is always set to UTC -- ready for the next big adventure. In reality, she is happiest at the dinner table or by the sea.