Thursday 19th February 2009, 01:17
French Onion Soup (V)... (V for 'very meaty')
Went for a belated Valentine's meal tonight at a nice eaterie nearby - The Inn on the Lake. Never been before but was reliably tipped off to its niceties. Great atmosphere, attentive staff, menu looked good, so ordered a nice-sounding French onion soup with cheesy bread for starters. Love a bit of it.
It arrived, greener than expected. And less croutony. Granted, there were bits in it, but the bits looked a bit more bacony than bread-like. I slurped, and nice as it was, it didn't smack of onions, let alone French ones. The waitress asked if everything was okay, and so, although not one to normally query, I did ask if this was definitely French onion soup. "Yes," she replied. "Our chef prepares it in an unusual style. The colour and texture is achieved by adding a little more cream than usual. But I promise you it is definitely French onion soup."
Hmm. You add cream to soup and it becomes green and full of gammon? Not sure about this. But she gave me her word it was French onion soup, so on I ate. Past the leeks, through the potatoes, into the ham, never once troubling across either onion or this cheesy bread I was promised.
Five minutes later, I'd just finished when a couple were seated at the next table by a new waiter. "Here are the specials," he said. "Only we have run out of French onion soup, I'm afraid. It's now leek, ham and potato."
Oh you massive moron. We looked over at our waitress, and saw her looking a little ashamed and now serving in the other side of the restaurant. Sure enough, this new waiter was allocated to our table too. That waitress had dug such an enormous hole by swearing blind that a blatant leek-and-ham soup was French onion that she had switched sides of the restaurant with this other guy for the shame of serving us again. How can you barefacedly look a customer in the eye and tell him that those lumps of ham he sees in his bowl is actually a very pink (and presumably vegetarian) crouton?
Anyway, that aside, good meal. I was just waiting for a lasagne to arrive for main course so I could ask her where my fish and chips was. "Oh no, that is fish and chips. The beer-batter that chef uses is very bechamel-saucy. Complements those mince-looking chips you've got there underneath..."