Restaurant Spy - France

La Matelote, Boulevard Sainte Beuve - 62200, Boulogne-sur-mer - France

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:10:02 +0000

Address:
Boulevard Sainte Beuve - 62200 Boulogne - sur - Mer

Review:

This was our second visit to La Matelote in Boulogne, on a slightly damp Friday lunch time in early June 2008. My wife an I had not booked and even though our previous visit was nearly a year ago we were recognised and welcomed like old friends by the Maitre d’, another character from French central casting.

Situated opposite the Nausica Sealife Centre on the sea front, parking was free and plentiful -English seaside resorts please take note. The restaurant is traditional, warm, welcoming and comfortable. Teddy Bears and ceramic chickens on display show that this establishment to be completely unstuffy, contradicting the first impressions conveyed by the formal layout and very correct service.

Le Vivier, 6 rue Dominic Maisto, 13200 Arles, Provence, France

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:44:37 +0000

Address:
6 rue Dominic Maisto, 13200 Arles, Provence, France

Review:

This was near our hotel and looked really promising. The interior was quite shabby, the seats on the chairs had “gone” (not literally) and it had not been redecorated for some time, but this need not be a bad sign in a French restaurant. The food is the thing and the menu looked excellent. We went for the €25 menu: my soupe de poissons had been diluted once too often and was very watery, but came with the traditional croutons, aoli, grated cheese and garlic. L started with foi gras with lavender bread and lavender ice cream, and while it sounds a bit unlikely, it was actually the star of the meal. When did you last have ice cream and foi gras on the same plate? My main course of fish gratinée was nice enough, but it was a tiny portion, and no bread or vegetables accompanied it. L had a variety of grilled fish, well presented, but some were overcooked. My dessert - chocolat crème – tasted OK, but the presentation was complicated and didn’t really come off as the pudd slid dangerously around the plate on its way to the table, dislodging some of the fruit garnish. Of L’s plate of four cheeses, two were very salty, and he had to ask for bread as no biscuits or bread came with it.

Au Tout Petit, 4, rue d'Amphoux, 84000 Avignon, France

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:13:40 +0000

Address:
4, rue d'Amphoux, 84000 Avignon

Review:

We didn't book, and they were full when we arrived, so with regret we walked away. But the man ran after us and said come back in five minutes and we'll have a table for you. We did, and they did !

I had La Trilogie autour des champignons d’automne en poêlée, soupe et glace (cèpes) which was a pungent mushroom soup, a bowl of sauteed wild mushrooms with - I think - marjoram, and ... mushroom ice cream! It all comes together on a tray, and oddly enough, it works. L had trout with almonds, mushrooms (it's that time of year), mange tout and barley, which he really enjoyed.

La Tomate, 6, Rue Four des Flammes, 34000 Montpellier, France

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:11:21 +0000

Address:
6, Rue Four des Flammes, 34000 Montpellier, France

Review:

We tried to get into this place three years ago, at the height of the holiday season and with no reservation. Fat chance. Back in Montpellier again in early October, we took the precaution of booking, though it was probably unnecessary. It looks exactly like a restaurant in the Languedoc should - I’m a sucker for a red checked tablecloth, me. The waiter brought a bottle of chilled tap water immediately, none of that paying extra for bottled water nonsense. The back of the menu has a la carte, but the front has a range of fixed price menus. The €16.90 caught our eyes, and although there were five courses, for that price we felt confident that the portions would be small, more like a tasting menu, really. Hah!

Le Pot de Fer, 12 rue du Pot de Fer 75005 Paris, France