Houdan: La Poularde de Houdan

Anyone visiting Versailles or Chartres might want to make a detour to pretty Houdan, just 45 minutes from Paris, for a really good lunch at La Poularde de Houdan. On a cold but sunny winter day recently, it was delightful to settle in at a table next to a crackling fire and enjoy the view through the French doors leading to the terrace and garden behind the venerable family-run restaurant. Don’t be alarmed if you see some very gaudy chickens wandering around on the lawn — they are rare Houdans, a breed that was once the claim to fame of this tranquil town in the Yvelines. Chef Sylvain Vandenameele explained that the Houdan is no longer raised commercially — he keeps the birds as pets — but his talent with fowl was still very much in evidence with an excellent bouchée à la reine, (creamed chicken in a flaky pastry case), followed by a delicious aumônière de poulette truffée, a boned, truffle-accented chicken thigh in a sublime sauce suprême (made with rich chicken stock, shallots, white wine, butter and lemon juice), which came with poached baby vegetables, a teacup of chicken bouillon and rice. Other fine choices here include lobster salad or foie gras to start, and main dishes of rabbit roasted with prunes or John Dory with basil. Civilized, friendly and delightfully old-fashioned, La Poularde is a rare bird indeed.

24 ave de la République, Houdan, 01.30.59.60.50. €45 per person without wine

Originally published in the March 2008 issue of France Today

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