Fiddling while Rome burns …

… aka stimulating the economy, and enjoying it.
So we dined at Becasse, the duo-hatted, restaurant of the year (2007) last night.
The place was full (but because it’s ever so posh there was carpet and draperies on the walls, so although full not at all noisy). We selected the degustation option, with recommended wines, plus a glass of bubbles (because it was a celebration after all), NOT the most economical of options, any way you look at it.
We were not the only diners spending so freely. There was a table of 8 that went the degustation option as well (I could hear the kitchen sighing with relief over that). There were others, selecting fine wines and 3, 4 courses.
Observing this led me to ask Mr Brown, “is this the end of the empire? Are the barbarians at the gates? Are we fiddling while the Emerald City burns?” To which he replied, “Nope”. Oh, good then.
The Meal? Fantabulous, really most excellently excellent. The amuse bouche was a frothy, cauliflower concoction, an uber –posh creamy cauliflower soup, much like my own, only nowhere near as decadent or we’d have died of fatty degeneration of the heart long ago. The amuse bouche is such a tease, isn't it? A mouthful and poof, gone but you’re all tantalized. (And don’t you just love the word bouche? Which gets me thinking of embouchure, I had a mighty fine embouchure back in the flute-tootling days).
Anyway, each delicious morsel (fish and other sea harvestings featured strongly, my favourite, the Salmon Confit) was nicely matched to a lovely wine (though Mr Brown did not like the Riesling, he rarely does), perfectly cooked, amazing flavours, too many to go into.
The best bit (and this is from a mouse that prefers savoury over sweet) was the dainty dumpling of basil ice-cream at the end. I’ve been hassling the bebe basil plants all morning, grow you little bastards, GROW, I need enough to make my own bright green, basil infused, creamy ice treat.