To the four winds

For our first evening in Bonifacio Dana and I set out to find a good restaurant among the dozens arrayed along the city side of the port. Most offer three course meals with an emphasis on local Corsican cuisine. 

I'm tempted by Kissing Pigs, which is supposed to have some great charcuterie but the Lonely Planet Corsica Guide which I have as an App on my iPhone has identified one more good restaurant, Aux 4 Vents that specializes in fresh fish and had a house bouillabaisse. I'm sold. Dana later tells me that she knows how much I like Bouillabaisse and went along with a fish restaurant even though it's not her favorite type of food. I'll have to reciprocate at some point. 

Aux 4 Vents turns out to be the furthest one out on the pier and we wouldn't have gone that far if the App hadn't told us it was there. Score one for the App. 

The restaurant is very nicely done up with the back and kitchen part made to resemble a ship. Even the plates had a nautical motif and featured a deep blue color evocative of the sea. 

Of course I order their Petit Bouillabaisse Maison even though their fresh fish (which is brought over to display to guests) includes some interesting looking choices including something called a St. Pierre. 

The bouillabaisse comes in a large fish shaped bowl and features mussels, a large shrimp, a big piece of fish and a large potato. 

The large shrimp head looks daunting as it seems like it will take a lot of messy work to get to the shrimp but it's actually a little joke. The head is just for show and is very easily removed. 

The dish also comes with "garnitures" (garnishes) the application of which is its own little ritual. You take the raw garlic clove provided and rub it onto the slivers of toasted French bread. You then spread a yellow sauce that looks like mustard but is actually rouille, made with garlic and saffron, on the toast. You then sprinkle the shredded cheese (Emmenthal, it turns out) on the rouille. Finally, you dunk the finished product into the hot soup (which melts the cheese) and voila! Instant croutons. 

It's really tasty. The broth isn't too strong but it has a nice chowder taste to it. The addition of the croutons add spice and rich flavor. A pretty good balance. 

After dinner we each get a complementary digestif (post dinner liqueur) made from Myrte (Myrtle) just one of the many spices found growing all over the island within the Maquis. 

After dinner we wander back to the hotel and stop at what looks like an excellent gelateria. I order a single scoop of Basil gelato which I thought was fantastic. I'd never seen that one before. If you ever do see it somewhere I highly recommend you give it a try.