Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Godenya Hong Kong
      Godenya Hong Kong (revisited)
    • The Chairman Hong Kong
      The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star)
    • Hanu Wan Chai Hong Kong
      Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai
    • Always Joy Hong Kong
      Always Joy Hong Kong
    • Michael Chiarelli Ottimo Yountville California
      Bottega + Ottimo Yountville
    • Ciccio Yountville California
      Ciccio Yountville
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
      Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
    • Cole’s Chop House Napa California
      Cole's Chop House Napa California
    • Compline Restaurant Napa California
      Compline Restaurant + Wine Shop Napa
    • Napa, California
      Thomas Keller's La Calenda: A Tribute {Now Closed}
    • Ad Hoc Thomas Keller Brunch Yountville California
      Thomas Keller Ad Hoc + Addendum + Bouchon Bakery
    • Mandalay San Francisco
      Mandalay San Francisco (Burmese Food)
    Home » World Travel » Europe » France

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages

    Published: Jun 15, 2016 by Jennifer Che

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages
    This is the eighteenth post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series and the last post about Bordeaux! Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

    This is the story of a "two-course" dinner that exploded to feel more like a full-blown multi-course tasting menu by the end.

    We had spent a whole day visiting wineries just an hour outside of Bordeaux. My friends had done all the research for this portion of the trip, booking an elegant dinner for just the four of us (the grandparents were watching their 3-year old daughter!).

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages
    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages is a Relais & Chateaux (4 stars) hotel that houses a two-Michelin starred restaurant (the only one in Pauillac). It's is also located right next to Chateau Lynch-Bages (only about 400 meters away, or about a 5-minute walk), so it was the perfect place for us to enjoy a nice, elegant dinner after our full day of winery hopping.

    The restaurant is only open from Wednesdays to Saturdays, March to the end of November. Since we were there right at the third week of November, we were really catching them near the end of their season. Seeing how the entire restaurant only had 2-3 tables filled the entire night, we can see how much restaurants in this area depends on summer tourism for business.
    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4761
    The menu offers several tasting menus as well as a la carte options.

    Interestingly, only the men get menus with prices on them. Bryan had to tell me that getting a la carte didn't make much sense, since the a la carte items were anywhere between €35 to €80 each, while the tasting menu, which had ten courses, cost €175 per person. You can also get the two course + dessert option (€90) or three courses + dessert (€140).

    At lunch Wednesday - Saturday, Chateau Cordeillan-Bages also offers the "Impromptu", a three-course meal including two glasses of wine plus coffee/tea for only €60 (or €45 without drinks). The selection varies daily, and is based on whatever is in season (or maybe whatever ingredients they need to use up?).

    We all decided to go for the two-course + dessert (which, you'll see, ended up being much more than just three courses!).
    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4760

    We all started out with freshly baked French bread and an assortment of butter: plain butter with salt, butter with seaweed, and butter with espelette cream.

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4763

    As a amuse bouche, we all had a fried anchovy served with a creamy butternut squash soup. The anchovy definitely had a strong "fishy" flavor, which was balanced out by the creamy, sweet soup.

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4765

    The Crispy Egg, a appetizer that consisted of a deep fried egg that still had its runny center (here's a recipe for how to make it!),  came served with smoked bacon, squash seeds, fried shallots, shallot foam, and a sweet onion and pumpkin veloute.

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages
    It was definitely very rich, but quite enjoyable.
    _DSC4764

    The St. Jacques Scallops were served with sunchokes. The execution was fine, but the scallops were cooked just a bit more than I would have preferred.

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4769

    After the appetizers came, another fifteen minutes passed before the chef came by with a complimentary bite, a course that we later discovered was part of the larger tasting menu. We think that the kitchen knew that our entrees would still take quite some time to cook, so they offered this snack to sustain us.

    It was delicious - barely poached squid came served with a pepper cream sauce and a squick ink crisp on the side. The texture of the squid was phenomenally soft. The pepper cream sauce was rich, very thick, and worked well with the entire dish. It was a lovely bite, and definitely helped sustain us, since it would be another twenty minutes before our next course arrived.

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4766

    For my entree, I had Cod with Burgundy Truffles, which came served with a decadent mushroom basil cream sauce and croutons. Of course, there was a generous shaving of Black Burgundy truffles on top. Unfortunately, the mushroom sauce was so potent, so rich, and so strong, it sort of overwhelmed the black truffle flavors. It was still a lovely dish, but I couldn't really taste the truffles.

    _DSC4778

    Bryan ordered the Squab Breast and Legs, which came served with a pumpkin cheesecake and carrots. Bryan really enjoyed the very gamey nature of the meat, which paired beautifully with the sweet pumpkin cheesecake and the pumpkin puree off to the sides. The Michelin Guide specifically recommends the squab as a dish to get at this restaurant.

    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4774
    Our friend ordered the Roast Beef Filet and Marinated Beef Brisket, cooked a la Bordelaise (Bordeaux-style), which means it is cooked with red wine, shallots, herbs, and butter. The steak came with a variety of fresh vegetables and a pomme purée (like a potato mousse).

    How beef is cooked in France #veryrare #Bages #France #birthdaytrip

    A photo posted by Jennifer (@tinyurbankitchen) on Nov 20, 2015 at 12:23pm PST

    The beef was perfectly cooked - gorgeously rare!
    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4782

    And then multiple courses of sweets started rolling in. We started with a pre-dessert of ice cream with speculos (a cookie).

     Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4784
    We then had a light meringue topped dessert that, when cracked open, revealed fruit inside.
    _DSC4790
    Finally, we ended with a selection of mignardises to end the meal.

    All in all, we had a pleasant meal at Chateau Cordeillan-Bages. It felt like a good deal largely because we had only ordered a "two-course" meal but left feeling like we had enjoyed a large multi-course tasting. After all, if you really count every individual course we had, it's really an 8-course tasting (this assumes that the bread, the amuse, pre-dessert, free extra course, and mignardises all count as separate courses). Considering the real tasting menu only has 10 courses (including the same elements I listed above), this isn't that far off.
    Chateau Cordeillan-Bages_DSC4771
    In any event, the food was good, and we had a nice meal. The ambiance was a bit quiet, mostly because we were there during late fall, which is almost like being there off-season. I'm sure it would be much more lively to be there during the summer.

      *   *   *   *   *

    And that was our last dinner in Bordeaux! The next morning, our parties would separate. Our friends would stay in Bordeaux for 2-3 more days while Bryan and I hopped onto a train the next morning to Paris. Despite the awful attacks that had happened just one week earlier, we had decided to stick with our itinerary and visit the resilient city.

    I feel a sense of sorrow as I remember back to that time - the raw shock, pain, and fear we felt right after the Paris attacks. It's awful that we are going through similar emotions again, except now much closer to home. The next several posts in this series will focus on our time in Paris just one week after the attacks. In many ways, the city pushed on, fully resilient in so many ways. At the same time, it was very clear that the city had been deeply wounded and things were different. I will share more about this in upcoming posts.

    All Posts In This Series
    Around the World Birthday Extravaganza
    Alba White Truffle Fair
    Osteria Dei Sognatori - A Traditional Piedmontese Dinner
    Italy Wine Tour - Barbaresco
    Lunch at Donna Selvatica in Neive, Italy
    Dinner at a Truffle Hunter's Inn - Tra Art e Querce
    G.D.Vajra Winery
    Trattoria Della Posta in Montfort D'Alba
    Nighttime Truffle Hunting with a Dog in Alba
    Osteria della Arco - last dinner in Alba
    Stunning Images of La Morra and Barolo, Italy
    First Day In Bordeaux, France - Une Cuisine en Ville
    Chateau Haut-Brion Tour in Bordeaux France
    Restaurant Le St. James
    Touring Bordeaux Wineries - Day 1 - Left Bank
    La Tupina, Bordeaux (traditional French dinner)
    Cos d'Estournel Tour
    Touring Bordeaux - Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages

    More France

    • La Scene Theleme Paris France
      La Scène Thélème - Paris
    • Golden Poppy Dominique Crenn Paris France
      Golden Poppy Paris by Dominique Crenn
    • Restaurant Nosso Paris France
      Restaurant Nosso Paris
    • Cheri Charlot Paris - A Simple Parisien Lunch

    Recent Posts

    • Godenya Hong Kong (revisited) June 12, 2025
    • The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star) June 6, 2025
    • Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai June 2, 2025
    • Always Joy Hong Kong May 29, 2025
    • Bottega + Ottimo Yountville May 14, 2025
    • Ciccio Yountville May 11, 2025
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California May 8, 2025
    • Cole's Chop House Napa California May 5, 2025

    Trackbacks

    1. Pirouette Paris - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      August 4, 2016 at 10:37 am

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette […]

      Log in to Reply
    2. Hiking at Mount Takao (Takao-San) in Japan - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      October 4, 2016 at 8:31 am

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette Paris L’Ambroisie Paris […]

      Log in to Reply
    3. Sushi Harutaka Tokyo - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      October 15, 2016 at 11:38 am

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette Paris L’Ambroisie Paris Hiking at […]

      Log in to Reply
    4. Azabu Kadowaki (麻布) - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      October 21, 2016 at 1:25 am

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette Paris L’Ambroisie Paris Hiking at […]

      Log in to Reply
    5. Sushi Ya Tokyo (すし家) - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      October 27, 2016 at 10:22 pm

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette Paris L’Ambroisie Paris Hiking at […]

      Log in to Reply
    6. Has It Been A Year Already? Birthday Reflections - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 18, 2016 at 5:39 pm

      […] BORDEAUX, FRANCE First Day In Bordeaux, France – Une Cuisine en Ville Chateau Haut-Brion Tour in Bordeaux France Restaurant Le St. James Touring Bordeaux Wineries – Day 1 – Left Bank La Tupina, Bordeaux Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages […]

      Log in to Reply
    7. Tim Ho Wan Hong Kong (Central Station) - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 29, 2016 at 8:48 am

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette Paris L’Ambroisie Paris Hiking at […]

      Log in to Reply
    8. Din Tai Fung Hong Kong - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 3, 2017 at 11:40 am

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette Paris L’Ambroisie Paris Hiking at […]

      Log in to Reply
    9. Florilege Tokyo - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 11, 2017 at 12:41 am

      […] French dinner) Cos d’Estournel Tour Touring Bordeaux – Pauillac, Chateau Lynch-Bages Chateau Cordeillan-Bages A Different Paris Le Relais de l’Entrecote Pirouette Paris L’Ambroisie Paris Hiking at […]

      Log in to Reply
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • Boulettes Larder Ferry Building San Francisco
      Boulette Larder (Ferry Building) San Francisco
    • Bodega SF California (Vietnamese)
      Bodega SF (Modern Vietnamese)
    • Tselog Daly City California
      Tselogs (Filipino food) Daly City California
    • Mesa by José Avillez Macau
      Mesa by José Avillez Macau

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Support Tiny Urban Kitchen by making purchases on Amazon through our affiliate link:

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2024 Tiny Urban Kitchen