My dear luncheon companions, your faithful Doctor Lunch returns! After a quiet interlude, I emerge, fork aloft, with my dashing comrade Fortescue—known to close confidants as Godfrey Jillings, a man of such savvy and good looks that Vendôme’s Loir River seemed to ripple in applause. For forty years, we’ve savored life’s grandest tables, and today’s exquisite lunch at Le Moulin du Loir in Vendôme heralds the reopening of my luncheon diary. Join us for a tale of Dover sole, a cheese trolley of Gallic splendor, and a Loire Valley afternoon worthy of a Rabelaisian sonnet.Vendôme, a Loire Valley treasure with medieval allure, drew us to Le Moulin du Loir, a restaurant lauded on TripAdvisor for its warm sophistication. Nestled by the river’s gentle flow, its stone walls and wooden beams hum with rustic charm, while the terrace whispers of summer’s ease. Fortescue, ever the arbiter of elegance, bestowed a rare nod on the waiter’s crisp apron—a gesture once denied a Soho sommelier over a dubious cravat.My main course, a Dover sole, was a poem in piscine form. Its flesh parted like a bard’s verses, kissed by a buttery sauce that sang of Brittany’s tides. Fortescue, lost in a coq au vin so soulful it could’ve founded a château, declared it “a dish to hush empires.” Yet the true ovation went to the cheese trolley, a groaning altar of French ecstasy. Goats’ cheese, tart and creamy, sparred with Fourme d’Ambert’s blue-veined audacity, while Reblochon’s nutty embrace silenced even Fortescue’s orations—a feat, indeed. Paired with a flinty Sancerre, these gems danced to the Loire’s tune.The ambiance was divine. Sunlight waltzed on our table, the Loir’s murmurs spun tales of troubadours, and Fortescue’s yarns of our 1980s London capers charmed nearby diners. Service was deft, attentive yet discreet, letting us bask in our four-decade bond. The bill, a mere €67 for two (three courses, wine), was a triumph of value, echoing TripAdvisor’s acclaim for Le Moulin’s affordability.Doctor’s Diagnosis: 8.9/10. Le Moulin du Loir is a Vendôme jewel, where cheese trolleys reign and Dover sole enchants. Fortescue and I shall return, our palates primed for further quests. Dear readers, expect more as we revive the luncheon diary at doctorlunch.co.uk. Follow our exploits on X (@DoctorLunchUK) and share your own finds. As Fortescue quipped, “Life’s too short for lackluster lunches.”
Categories: Fortescue, France, French, Worth a visit
Doctor Lunch 
excellent stuff Doctor..