by Richard Montague

In a bid to end all harmony, our marriage and possibly even our lives, sometimes my wife and I go for a drive together on our nation’s motorways. I won’t have to tell anyone who has done this recently how deeply unpleasant an experience it can be. That is, apart from the veritable oasis that is the M6 Toll. You cruise from motoring hell into a parallel universe in which motorways are how they should be, practically no lorries and at least two lanes free of traffic at any point. The sun comes out, my favourite songs play from the radio and my wife no longer finds any of my incredibly helpful advice irritating. It is this kind of heaven-like respite that I was searching for when we went to Ma Cuisine on Monday night.

The reason I was feeling like this is two-fold. Firstly, I have had several poor food experiences over the last couple of weeks, most notably a trip to my local supermarket where, despite searching extensively, I could not find a single piece of British fruit. This prompted a bout of internal-monologue Tourette’s, the nature of which, if it could have been heard, would have made grannies faint, children cry and undoubtedly earned me a night in the cells somewhere in West London.

On top of that, this week has been hot. And muggy. Too hot for me. I know it is sacrilege to say this in the UK, where we worship hot weather, but it is never hot for long enough to acclimatise properly so chubby blokes like me just end up uncomfortable most of the time. Anyway, no matter how difficult the weather, or how bad my recent food experiences were, nothing was going to put me off going out and trying more food, especially somewhere that advertises itself as “the home of regional French cuisine”.

The approach from Kew Gardens tube is very pleasant, it has that village feel and the restaurant is really easy to find. Sitting outside provided a lovely refreshing breeze, and, admittedly, it always feels more authentically French if you are sitting outside on the street on a table that is a bit too small amongst the smokers.

The welcome was average, we were initially unsure whether we were going to be well looked after. However, the food and drinks came in good time, I asked the waiter to match a glass of wine to each course and to his credit, he delivered two good glasses which complemented the dishes along with a good measure of humour, which made up for the slightly cold welcome.

For the starter I chose rillete of skate flavoured with sea salt and olive oil, which was subtle and beautifully presented, but a tad forgettable. The charlotte of ginger-flavoured crab served with avocado had fuller flavours, which was more to both our tastes. The glass of white (Picpoul de Pinet Domaine de Belle Mar Coteaux de Languedoc 2006) did enhance the skate, and at £4.50 was far from extortionate.

For the main I selected cassoulet. It was crammed with flavour, the Toulouse and Morteau sausages were gorgeous and the confit of duck was how it should be, with the tender meat just sliding off the bone, all wrapped together with the rustic sauce and beans. The glass of red (Marcillac Lo Sang del Pais Domaine du Cros 2006 – £5.50 per glass) was lovely, full of raspberry flavours but with enough body to stand up to the powerful tastes of the cassoulet.

On the other hand the fillet of sole stuffed with salmon mousseline with lobster ravioli that my wife ordered was very disappointing, overcooked fish wrapped around spongy, unseasoned mousse. It was insipid and out of keeping with the standard of the other dishes, but once you have served something like that the damage is done. It was partly salvaged by the mouthful of lobster ravioli, but it was a good job the cassoulet was such a good sized portion otherwise our delicate marital harmony would have again been under threat.

The dessert of crème brulee really was special; we shared one, I would recommend doing this as I have a fair appetite and I would have struggled with a whole one after a couple of courses.

On price, for what you get this is certainly good value. Starters, mains, several glasses of wine, two large espressos and a shared dessert for under £60 is a bargain in my book.

So, returning to my desire for the pleasures of the open road, Ma Cuisine is certainly a pretty ‘A’ country stretch, making for a pleasant journey. However, every now and again you end up with the odd stinking lorry which spoils the journey a bit. I will almost definitely return but it will be for a big bowl of cassoulet washed down with red wine rather than all the frills. With the strapline “home of regional French cuisine”, Ma Cuisine’s strength is clearly what it says on the tin.