The life of Austen

Ahh! The Cheval Blanc which used to be a veritable institution, where one could drink with lorry drivers, decorators, civil servants, directors of local companies and, in fact, anyone daring enough to come inside in the first place went. It was a true taste of simple French suburbian life. Being in a small village of 500 inhabitants(average age at least 55)it was a perfect place to set things straight, or to mock the rest of the world of their problems and see the truth in everybody's opinion(or not!). Things have, of course, changed since then. Pascal, the true "shoulder to cry on" barman who is now in Normandy, somewhere; Jean-Claude, the excellent chef who used to run it(but didn't own it) and has now become a disappointed slave of directionless leaders(still an excellent chef, though; I ask him for tips all of the time), Bruno the barman who is still there for the time being(one of the few reasons anyone still goes there) and Christine(In the photos) who is the epitomy of Jossigny life, whether she likes it or not!
Now the owner has decided to make it into a "buddha bar" style of "lounge-bar-restaurant" and has installed plasma screens, carpet, Alain Ducasse lampshades despite the need for a full renovation including a new roof(there are leaks), double glazing, complete room refurbishment and soforth and so on. It could be a success(I would have bought it had French banks not been so negative) as it has a perfect situation between Paris(the most visited city in the world) and Disney(the largest tourist attraction in Europe), hello!!!! An excellent relais-chateau with 15 rooms and a one-star michelin restaurant(there are VERY few places in the eastern suburbs of Paris to have a reasonable meal). Investors give me a call(I would give up my job as a Concierge in a foremost hotel to run it)!




Ill try and make my macaroons for the THIRD time tomorrow: I'll let you know how it goes...