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Judging from the people qued out the door of this small bakery most days of the week, you have to think that this place puts something special in their products.

The head baker, Emmanuel Boucher learned his trade from his great-uncle. He adapts his breads (prepared with organic flour) with chorizo, olives, tomato and spinach-ricotta. They have on offer full country loaves, paninis, goumet pizza and ofcourse the good old baguette!

If you’ve lived in France long enough you probably have developed this high sense of bread appreciation, if you’re just popping through I suggest you get along and see how what all the fuss is about!

La Fabrique Pains et Bricoles‎
47 Rue du Pas Saint-Georges,
33000 Bordeaux
Ph: 05 56 44 84 26‎

Hours: Monday to Saturday: 8am – 8.30pm; Sunday: CLOSED

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Choose your poison:

• Double Spirits = 4 Euros
• Cocktails = 5 Euros
• Glass of Wine = 2 Euros

The Black Velvet crew are even giving you the chance to win prices… oh yeah!

Where: Black Velvet Bar, 9 rue du Chai des Farine, Bordeaux
When: Tuesday 20th April

http://www.blackvelvetbar.fr/
Facebook

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This Saturday 29th May, the city of Lormont will hold the annual Féte de l’Alose to celebrate this small aqua little criter. The festival is in aid of bringing awarness to the rescue plan relating to the Alose’s survival and migration which was launched at the beginning of 2008. By decree, professional fisherman will be the only people allowed to fish eel and the Alose just until May 31. The season opens to the public after this..

To celebrate the return of this silvery fish mirgrating up this part of the Garonne, the local council will be putting on a bit of a party in the streets of Lormont.

Program

17:30: Start of events, make-up for children, variety of music all the evening
18:30: Performance of the Steel Band de Bassens, world music (percussion)
19:00: Envisaged arrival of the regatta
19:30: Dinner Time!
20:00: Country demonstration by the Foyer Populaire de Lormont

Large tables will be set up facing the river, offering a magic view while tucking into some grilled fish!


When: 29th May, 2010 @ 5:30pm
Where: Place Aristide Briand, (old) Lormont

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“Housed in a former women’s prison built in the 16th century, The Frog & Rosbif is the only pub in Bordeaux brewing its own beers. Hops and malt are shipped in from England and brewed in the middle of this magnificent stone building.”

This Friday night will be a reason to celebrate as the Frog is turning ten! As per their usual custom of dress up parties, this one is going to be themed as a ‘Jail House Rock’ night (i.e: dress like a prisoner, Elvis, OJ Simpson, etc).

When: Friday, 4th June 2010 @ 5.30pm
Where: The Frog & Rosbif, 23 Rue Ausone, 33000 Bordeaux
Cost: Free entry, buy your own beer and food

www.frogpubs.com
Facebook event

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The Bordeaux Fete le vin takes place over 4 days in June and runs in alterance with the Fete du fleuve (river). The festival has been in exsistance since 1998 and is the perfect day out for lovers of wine, food and culture.

The event accomodated nearly 300,000 visitors last year that came from all over France and Europe.

Thanks to a Tasting Pass, visitors will be able to discover a diverse range of wines from Bordeaux and the Aquitaine region. There will be 57 appellations of Bordeaux and 23 appellations of Aquitaine on offer to discover. Also, there are plenty of possibilies to taste the regional culinary specialities.

Tasting Pass sell between €15 (1 person) & €20 (shared between 2 people) includes:

• 12 tasting vouchers
• a glass and glass holder
• several privilege tickets

The Vineyard pass is also on offer and there will be several excursions every day on various themes during the Festival.

The Vineyard pass sell between 50 and 90€ includes:

• air conditioned coach transport
• English-speaking tour guide
• a visit to three different wine estates or heritage sites, with wine tasting
• Lunch

There will be concerts, street performances and fireworks over the 4 days and is one of the largest events on the Bordelaise’s calendar.

When: 24-27 June, 2010
Where: Place des Quinconces & Quays
Cost: Free to look or €15 tasting pass

www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com

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But what about where to go for a wee dram of whisky?

Look no further than the whisky and wine specialists at ‘Cave Art et Vins’ located in the heart of Bordeaux at Place du Palais (at the the foot of the majestic Port de Cailhau).

http://www.art-et-vins.com/

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The last time the Bordeaux Wine Festival graced the quays was in 2010, with the River Festival taking it’s place last year.

This year promotes the usual Bordelaise regions, with tasting pavilions of Saint-Emilion , Fronsac , Pomerol, Médoc & Graves, Blancs secs & Rosés de Bordeaux, Bordeaux – Bordeaux Supérieur, Côtes de Bordeaux, Sweet Bordeaux, Vins d’Aquitaine, les grandes marques des maisons de négoce.

There are also workshops that inform and educate the general public about the finer appreciation of the local drop.

Not to be outdone by recent years, the organisers have also planned several outdoor concerts (notably Lou Reed) and every evening once the sun has set, a sound and light show (fireworks included).

The fireworks generally kick off after the sun has gone down (usually around 11:30pm) and this year each night a different country will be represnted through the use of colours.

Thursday 28 June : U.S.A
Friday 29 June : Australia
Saturday 30 June : Spain
Sunday 1 July : France

The tasting pavilions line the quay, and you can purchase a wine tasting pass online (or from other outlets in the city).

The TASTING pass includes:

• 13 tasting tickets
• 1 glass and glass holder
• 1 tramway ticket and “Privilege” tickets

VALIDITY: every day from Thursday to Sunday

PRICE:
Advance Purchase = 15 €
On site = 18 €

Other Points of Sale:

Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux
12, cours du XXX juillet
Every day of the week
Tel.: +33 (0) 556 006 620 – Fax: +33 (0) 556 006 601
otb@bordeaux-tourisme.com
 
Comité Départemental du Tourisme de la Gironde
21, cours de l’Intendance
from Monday to Saturday
Tel.: +33 (0) 556 526 140 – Fax: +33 (0) 556 810 999
 tourisme@gironde.com    
   


Surrounding Areas (Greater Bordeaux)

• CARREFOUR : Mérignac, Bègles, Lormont
• CARREFOUR MARKET : Bordeaux Ste Catherine, Bordeaux Cauderan Ferry
• GEANT – Pessac, Villenave d’Ornon, Saint-André de Cubzac
• FNAC de Bordeaux et Bordeaux Lac

WHEN: 28th June -1st July, 2012
WHERE: Bordeaux Quays
COST: Free to look, €15 to taste!

www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com

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Photo – Anne-Sophie Annese

This is how Expat Ben came up with the idea in opening West Coast Gourmet Burgers!

“After many years living and travelling abroad,  I fell in love with the south west and settled in Bordeaux.
Frustrated by the lack of proper burgers, I decided to sell burgers like the ones I tasted on my travels, not a 20€ extravaganza that you can’t even lift, just the best quality meat, a proper bun, fresh home made ingredients.”

West Coast Gourmet Burgers is situated in the heart of Bordeaux, close to the Place Saint Pierre, and offers pure race Limousin beef, proper buns, back bacon and real English cheddar among other things! They also also do a BYO drinks policy (almost unheard of in France!) for those who want to bring a nice bottle along, with a 7€ corkage fee. Check out their menu.

If your in a hurry, their take away service is now up and running!!

NOW HIRING: They are currently looking to expand their team and are looking for an Anglo Saxon Chef! Minimum cooking experience is desired however training will be provided. If your interested in applying you can contact them here.

Address: 31 rue du Cancéra, 33000 Bordeaux

More info:  
www.westcoastburgers.fr
www.facebook.com/westcoastburgers
www.twitter.com/benwestcoast

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Pretty Bordeaux

Hello tout le monde. ça va?

I am writing this at the weekend, which is fairly unusual, but it has made me wonder what all you other expats get up to at the weekend? What is your favourite way to relax in Bordeaux at the weekend? Or maybe you work at the weekend, so end up relaxing at other times? Are there any places or activities you would recommend to other expats new to the city? Is there something that you think people ‘have to do’ whilst they are here?

Well, to help you along, here is what I did last weekend (it was a pretty good weekend if I am honest, not the usual stay at home routine for me!)

Friday evening:

• Quick drink in the Bar a Vin at Quinconces. This is a great place for a Friday evening tipple, good value wine, helpful staff who will explain the different wine choices available or even the differences between a wine from St Emilion and the Medoc! This was accompanied by a yummy plate of blue cheese and bread… hmmm.

• Dinner at The Bistro Regent– easy and simple – steak, chips, salad, oh and of course their ‘secret sauce’. Both me and the man were tired after a week of work and more work so decided on a simple meal, without fuss or pretence – just good food and *another* glass of local wine. I also happened to notice their deal, if you print a voucher from their website and take it in during the week, you get a **FREE** bottle of champagne – sounds like a good mid-week, avoidance of cooking technique to me!

Saturday:

• Bit of a lie in – luckily without any little BritGirls/boys to worry about, I am lucky, and after a week of early starts and busy-ness, I can enjoy a nice lie in followed by a coffee and book in bed… ahhh bliss!

The bliss was swiftly followed by a trip to Rue St Catherine and the centre of town. We began Christmas shopping! Yes, this may be early, but when you need to think about sending presents, packing presents or even deciding which presents to by online or which presents to do ‘a la francaise’ we decided to start early and reduce the stress levels. We made a good start and Rue St Catherine wasn’t so busy….

I am now also quite looking forward to visiting the Christmas market on Allees de Tourny – always a nice evening wandering along the little huts and drinking some ‘vin chaud’ in the cold!

Marche de Noel – 2011

• I was then treated to a mid-shop lunch. We managed to sit outside and eat  – another reason I love living in Bordeaux, it might be the beginning of winder but we could still enjoy lunch outside (not something I would EVER experience back home in the UK!). If you haven’t been before, I can highly recommend what I think might be called ….  Cafe Gourmand for a wrap/burger/sandwich US style and nice lunch time break!I am still not certain of the place’s name as it doesn’t have a sign outside like most places – but nevertheless it was a great pitstop for lunch!

• Saturday evening was spent enjoying raclette with French friends (I provided a delicious chocolate brownie for dessert) … we were not calorie counting!! I was also very proud of myself and fellow expat fiancee – we spent the whole night talking and listening in French – we are lucky to have very patient friends! A lovely lovely evening – full of good food, wine, chat, singing and laughter!

Sunday:

• Phew what a weekend so far!! With the sun still shining, we opted for a morning walk along the quais (at high tide this has to be one of the best places to be in the sunshine!) and then a quick trip to the market on the quais for our weekly veg! Again, not much can beat being greeted by the stall holder (as a regular) and buying fresh produce for the week, and as a result, on the menu chez moi this week… squash and sweet potato soup.

The wonderful Quais Market near Chartrons.

A Sunday morning special: Wine and Oysters – not my thing but something very local and traditional!

• My scientist boyfriend then had some work to do (this is a common weekend theme I am afraid) but instead of being stuck in our flat missing the sunshine, we trotted over to the Jardin Public and had a cup of tea, wrapped up warm in ‘L’Orangerie‘ overlooking the park and got some work done! What better way to work on a Sunday than enjoying the view and the peace and quiet! Have you seen the trees there – the colours are beautiful – all reds, golds, oranges and yellows!

So my weekend seems to have contained far too much food, possibly not enough Christmas shopping, but lots of activities around Bordeaux.  It would be great to hear your weekend thoughts, activities, favourites and even suggestions – I know that sometimes the weekends are not all that fun when you are far away from friends and family, so any advice for readers out there would be greatly appreciated!

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