French Restaurant and Cafe Christmas and New Year Hours

Closed: 25th, 26th, 27th Dec.
Open: 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st Dec.
Closed: 1st, 2nd Jan.
Open from 5pm: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Jan.
Open Normal Hours from 7th Jan.

Licensed Restaurant.
French Restaurant Auckland

Private Room Upstairs

Seating inside for 40, Upstairs function room for 40 and outside for 10 people.

Wanting a great night out in Auckland City with your friends?

Check out the Auckland’s Big Little City Occasion Finder and why not start your evening for dinner at our French Restaurant before you go to a night club, live music, concert, theatre, stay in a hotel, watch a movie or book our function room for a party with friends!

Bastille Day Saturday 14th July 2012

It’s time to celebrate all things France on Bastille Day in Auckland, falling on Saturday 14th July 2011. Aucklander’s can indulge in French food and wine at exclusive restaurants and make it a French winter at special events.

When

• On and around Auckland Saturday 14th July 2012

Where

• Le garde-manger French Restaurant
• Freemans Bay Community Centre
• Venues across Auckland

A taste of France on Bastille Day

Choose from a selection of gourmet French restaurants for something special on Bastille Day, serving up traditional French cuisine in Auckland. With so many venues to choose from there’s every reason to head out for a night of fine dining.

Toast the occasion

Nothing says France more than a refreshing glass of vin rouge or vin blanc, and you can sample a glass or two at a huge selection of bars in Auckland. Come over all French and uncork a bottle or two, the perfect way to see in Bastille Day 2011.

An historic occasion

Bastille Day is the French national holiday celebrated annually on the 14th July in commemoration of the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The event is steeped in history and has become firmly established as the definitive symbol of French nationhood. All are welcome to join in the celebrations, marking a 222nd anniversary in 2011.

With the cold winter days now here, why not come in to your favourite Queen Street French Restaurant?

We have a special set menu priced at $37.50 per person. Ideal for groups of 4 people or more.

And yes its the Real McCoy “Raclette” from France!

With this French Restaurant menu you wont have room for an entrée or even a desert! You will get a full plate of raclette cheese, selection of meats (charcuterie) and a potatoes and salad buffet.

Feel like a French Restaurant? Book Now: Visit our Online Booking Form click here.

Le Garde Manger French Restaurant

Ph (09) 362 0655

466 Queen Street, Auckland City, We are situated opposite Myers Park

What is Raclette?

Raclette is both a type of cheese and a Swiss dish based on heating the cheese and scraping off (racler) the melted part. In French, the word for the cheese is masculine, le raclette, whereas the word for the dish is feminine, la raclette.

Raclette is also a dish indigenous to parts of Switzerland. The Raclette cheese round is heated, either in front of a fire or by a special machine, then scraped onto diners’ plates; the term raclette derives from the French word racler, meaning “to scrape”. Traditionally, it is accompanied by small firm potatoes (Bintje, Charlotte or Raclette varieties), gherkins, pickled onions, and dried meat, such as jambon cru/cuit and viande des Grisons.

“Raclette” comes from the French racler, “to scrape,” a reference to the fact that the melted cheese must be scraped from the unmelted part of the cheese onto the plate. Traditionally the melting happens or happened in front of an open fire with the big piece of cheese facing the heat. One then regularly scrapes off the melting side.

In the Swiss canton of Valais, raclette is typically served with tea or other warm beverages. Another popular option is to serve raclette with white wine, such as the traditional Savoy wine or Fendant, but Riesling and Pinot Gris are also common. Local tradition cautions that other drinks – water for example – will cause the cheese to harden in the stomach, leading to indigestion.

Raclette was mentioned in medieval writings[citation needed] as a particularly nutritious meal consumed by peasants in mountainous Switzerland and France (Savoy region). It was then known in the German-speaking part of Switzerland as Bratchäs, or “roasted cheese.”

Traditionally, the Swiss cow herders used to take the cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from the pastures up in the mountains. In the evenings around the campfire, they would place the cheese next to the fire and, when it had reached the perfect softness, scrape it on top of some bread.

A modern electric Raclette grill and various accompanying foods

A modern way of serving raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles, to heat slices of raclette cheese in. Generally the grill is surmounted by a hot plate or griddle.

The cheese is brought to the table sliced, accompanied by platters of boiled or steamed potatoes, other vegetables and charcuterie. These are then mixed with potatoes and topped with cheese in the small, wedge-shaped coupelles that are placed under the grill to melt and brown the cheese.

Alternatively, slices of cheese may be melted and simply poured over food on the plate. The accent in raclette dining is on relaxed and sociable eating and drinking, the meal often running to several hours. French and other European supermarkets generally stock both the grill apparatus and ready-sliced cheese and charcuterie selections, especially around Christmas. Restaurants also provide raclette evenings for parties of diners.

Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette

Le Garde Manger French Restaurant

Ph (09) 362 0655

466 Queen Street

Auckland City

We are situated opposite Myers Park

Book Now: Online Booking Form click here.

Come along to our next French wine tasting event!

“Un Diner Parfait Entre Amis” – “Enjoy A Perfect Dinner With Friends”

• FREE pre dinner drink in our newly renovated upstairs function room!
• A Divine Tasting Of 8 French Wines
• Visit all the wine regions of France
• Presented by Will Brunel-Morvan
• From Maison Vauron En Exclusivite Pour Nous Tous
• An Exquisite French Dinner
• Tea or coffee to finish
• A very enjoyable time!

• Date: Thursday, 22nd March 2012
• Time: 7.00pm
• Place: Le garde-manger French Restaurant
• Address: 466 Queen Street, Auckland
• Price: $80 Per Person (includes dinner and wine)

We are limited to 30 guests so please RSVP before 15th March.
Book Online Here!
Contact Florent Le Chef by phone 09 362 0655.

The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor’s daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It’s no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. Source: http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

To book online, click here.

Bon Appetit!
Florent Your blogger
Le garde-manger French Restaurant
Contact us by email
Bookings 09 362 0655
www.legardemanger.co.nz

Florent and the staff would like to wish you all Happy Holidays and we would like to thank you for your business and support this year.

Wishing you and your families a safe and happy Christmas and New Year! We look forward to seeing you for more yummy French cuisine in 2012!

Please call us on 09 362 0655 to check our opening hours for the holiday period.

Bon Appetit!
Florent Your blogger
Le garde-manger French Restaurant
Contact us by email
Bookings 09 362 0655
www.legardemanger.co.nz

Happy Christmas Everybody from Florent and His Team of Le garde-manger French Restaurant here in Auckland. 2011 has been a very busy year with the opening of our function and special events room!

We have had lots of fun with our first Wine Tasting of beautiful French wines presented by our friends at Maison Vauron. Our Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 was a huge success and we are almost fully booked for Christmas Work Do’s, so make sure you book now so not to miss out.

We have 3 set menus, all three course and especially good prices to help you celebrate the end of 2011 with your friends and colleagues.

Christmas Menu 1 – $50

Christmas Menu 2 – $39.50

Christmas Menu 3 – $36.50

Book Online Now, click here.

(Please note the set menus are for groups of 6 people minimum.)

Bon Appetit!
Florent Your blogger
Le garde-manger French Restaurant
Contact us by email
Bookings 09 362 0655
www.legardemanger.co.nz

AT ONE MINUTE PAST MIDNIGHT on the third Thursday of November every year, from little villages and towns north of Lyon in the Beaujolais region, over a million cases of Beaujolais Nouveau begin their journey through a sleeping France to Paris for immediate shipment to all parts of the world (New Zealand being the first country in the world, every year to enjoy a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau). Banners proclaim the good news: Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! “The New Beaujolais has arrived!”

The beautiful late summer and warm early autumn weather has created a classic Beaujolais vintage. Fresh crushed berry aromas and flavours burst from the glass. A true wine of celebration.

Be among the first in the world to try the 2011 vintage!

New Zealand has often been a favourite to win the Tournament – but that hasn’t worried France in the past. ‘Les Blues’ will look to past victories against the All Blacks, in 1999 and 2007, where they knocked out the New Zealanders and attempt to emulate those results. This is gearing up to be an explosive battle, one of the must-see matches of the pool phase. Tickets are still available from the official website, click here.

If you are in Auckland come along to Le garde-manger for an early dinner before you hit the fan trail for the fun walk to the game. Book your table today, click here.

Lets hope the AB’s go all the way for a convincing win as the last world cup was a game we all want to forget! Well, the kiwis anyway!

Bon Appetit!

Florent Your blogger

Le garde-manger Restaurant

Phone 09 362 0655