Adventures in Bordeaux, Les Halles De Bacalan

Halles De Bacalan

15 Quai du Maroc

33300 Bordeaux,

France

Located just outside of Bordeaux city, is Les Halles de Bacalan, a modern food hall that opened in 2017 and has quickly become a favourite amongst locals and travellers. It was a little of a foodie paradise for us and we were glad we were able to find some time before visiting Cite du Vin to visit this food hall.

We were there on the weekend and by lunch time, the place was packed. Exactly like what you would expect at a hawker here in Singapore. Pick a table, have someone wait there while the rest picked up different food around the the market. For lunch today, we decided on some plump briny oysters, as well as duck and frites and some pan fried foie gras.

The food hall was bustling

During our stay around France, we had plenty of amazing oysters, including Fines de Claire, Gillardeau, Belon and Isigny. But we can never say no to a huitrerie who was shucking oysters on the spot. The main sources of oysters in Bordeaux come from the Arachon Bay, Medoc and Ile d'Oleron. Our choice was the Charente Maritime oyster which is known for its distinctive sea taste, with a very nice balance of minerality and salinity. It was ultra plump and beautiful without any condiments.

Foie gras from around Bordeaux is a regional specialty and a major part of southwestern french cuisine. 90 % of French foie gras producers are located in the Perigord and Aquitaine regions. Bordeaux sits in the Aquitaine region and it would be incredibly hard not to notice the number of small goods shops in Bordeaux city that sell extremely high quality foie gras. Although their Perigord counterparts are more well known - the Comtesse du Barry and Maison Godard, there are some brands that are very popular locally like Lafitte Foie Gras and Labeyrie - both of which are from the Aquitane region. So when we saw one of the stalls selling pan fried foie gras, we were absolutely delighted. Foie gras on toast is such a classic French dish which is rich, silky, smooth and an absolute delight.

Would We Recommend?

We highly recommend making this stop. Especially if you are heading to Cite Du Vin. This is the perfect spot for lunch. It is social, everyone is having fun, drinking and eating great food.