I am not afraid to admit it, most often I am ruled by my stomach--especially when traveling. It seems, the taste of a perfect gelato can linger on my tongue for months after I have returned from Italy (stracciatella please!). Likewise, I can close my eyes years later and see clearly the vision of being someplace special and eating or drinking something as if I were right there again in that same moment (like sitting on the rooftop of this hotel drinking champage while gazing at the floodlit Acropolis). But when the combination of the two is put together, incredible tasting food and drink in an incredibly pleasing environment, I not only can close my eyes to transport myself there all the while tasting the food on my lips, I yearn to be there for real. This is how I feel about La Fromagerie in London.
If I was only permitted to eat one type of food for the rest of my life, I would instantly select cheese. I wouldn't even have to think about it. I figure it provides not only calcium, but protein, so it is a food of some sort of healthy significance. Also, it can be incredibly hard and sharp, or soft and musky, sweet or tart. And don't the French serve it at the end of a meal in order to aid in digestion? Just another plus for cheese!
If I had to choose just one place to eat my cheese, surprisingly it would not be France. I would saddle myself up to the counter at La Fromagerie and never leave. To be perfectly honest, the last time I was in London, I planned an entire shopping afternoon around my trip to La Fromagerie. I started my day at the antique stalls on Portobello Road. That is an entirely separate post in and of itself. But I walked and walked to get myself sufficiently hungry. I stopped in Persephone Books in Notting Hill and picked up a few books, which you can only find there, since most of the books they have published have been out of print for several years. I made my way through more antique shops on Church Street (buying vintage art when I travel is another passion when I am not busy eating). And finally, I made my way down Marylebone High Street. I told myself I must go down that street to pick up a gift for my husband at Links of London (a sort of guilt present for leaving him behind on this trip!); however, I knew that selecting that particular Links of London would land me around the corner from La Fromagerie. So after I had done my wifely duty, I felt sufficiently sure that I should reward myself in cheese and wine for thinking selflessly of my husband, so much so, that I would walk halfway across London to get him a ring.
Upon arriving at the Moxon Street location, I felt my heart flutter with excitement (I am not kidding about the fluttering part). You instantly see a window teeming with huge (think table sized) wheels of cheese and this chic black exterior that looks elegant and understated all at once. I was a little intimidated, and didn't want to appear a tourist (although, it was clear that my lack of British accent would give me away at some point). So much so that I couldn't even bring myself to snap a picture of the exterior. There are lovely shots of this store-front on the web-site which is linked above, so you can get the full image. I opened the door and walked right into a delightful market/cafe loaded with fresh herbs and vegetables, crusty loaves of bread, bottles of olive oils and wines and of course, more cheese than you could ever dream of. The shop consists of a tasting cafe and market, and you can purchase in the market everything necessary to make in the comforts of your own home whatever is on the menu in the cafe that day (however, I suggest you try it out in the cafe first).
I was lunching by myself, so they sat me at a window counter overlooking the street. I chose a cheese platter and the suggested white wine they had selected to accompany the cheese; and I dined as if it were my last meal on earth. I have never so thoroughly enjoyed cheese in that way. There was a creamy goat cheese that was better than anything I had ever tasted. I spread this on the bread they had given me and topped it with a few dried pieces of fruit. I also had wedge shaped slices of a mild, hard cheese, as well as something in the brie family; all of which I am embarrassed to say I could not name for you, not because they do not tell you what you are eating, but because I didn't bother to pay attention to the menu describing what was on my platter as I was way to busy enjoying every last bite. Along the ledge of the window were several copies of the owner, Patricia Michelson's, book The Cheese Room, just in case you had a doubt that the owners, do in fact, know what they are talking about. In this book she not only talks endlessly about different types of cheese, but also provides you with many recipes to incorporate the cheese described in her book into your meals. I have been searching high and low for a place just like this since I have come home and I have yet to find it. So if there are any cheese purveyors on the East Coast, I beg you, visit La Fromagerie, come back home and recreate it, and please, please, please give me a call!
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