It was more than a little appropriate that on the 10th anniversary of the passing of the incomparable David Bowie that we found ourselves at Major Tom, the recently refurbished and relaunched cafe, bistrot and salon de The in the nearby village La Chapelle aux Lys.
We had heard good things about Major Tom and were not disappointed by what we found. The exterior decor is certainly striking and well executed. Inside the establishment had been thoughtfully designed and finished.
The abstract images of famous musicians were a nice touch, the Starman was in good company with images of Prince, Nick Cave and rather bizarrely Lemmy from Motörhead, apparently the chefs favourite artist. That gave me the chance to tell my story of how my Best Man had spent an evening playing Space Invaders with Mr Kilminster at Dingwalls, Camden in the early 1980’s not knowing who he was.
We enjoyed a very pleasant drink accompanied by a plancher of cheeses, cold meats and lovely bread. Josie returned the following day for lunch with friends and reports that the menu was excellent.
Major Tom has the tagline of “le cafe des Astres” not because Rock Stars are regular patrons but because the village of La Chapelle aux Lys is known as the village of the stars. The village has its own planetarium and there are astronomy related attractions around the village as well as a walking route that has markers along the route providing information on the night sky. The village holds an annual astronomy related festival in the summer, more of which closer to the time.
Major Tom is a welcome addition to the locality and looks sure to be popular with locals and visitors alike. We have no reservations in giving Major Tom our seal of approval.
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