Eating in France

Last night we found a decent restaurant in Le Touquet! It’s a town that has fifty or so eating places – some expensive (and mediocre), some medium price (and mediocre), and some relatively cheap (and mediocre). Small wonder that the Michelin Guide scarcely mentions any of them.

Now a decent restaurant in France should be one of two things – expensive and worth it, or cheap and worth it. The wife and I had reached the doorway and were on the point of entering the celebrated (but mediocre) fish soup restaurant Chez Perard in the rue de Metz, ready for a “Friday night is Fish Night” sort of meal which would probably have set us back 100 euros. Blocking the doorway was the inevitable singer (complete with silly hat and inevitable rendition of “Yesterday”). At that moment we both recalled the rather poor bag of prawns for which I had paid 17 euros on a recent visit to the adjoining poissonnerie, and we backed off.

Further down the street we found a more humble establishment called A Table: Brasserie Traditionelle which appeared to major on Moules Frites but with some other stuff on a blackboard. We went in and managed to manouevre ourselves into a four-seater table by the window. We both ordered exactly the same meal – a starter of Poélée d’Ecrevisses et Moules, Beurre et Ail as scrumptious as it sounds; main course of Medaillons de Lotte in a delicious sauce of tarragon and (surprisingly) red wine, served with lentils, roast tomato and a yummy mash incorporating slices of black olive; desserts of Poire Pochée, Caramel d’Endive á la Fleur de Bière et son Glace, coffee and a bottle of house Vin Rosé between us. The bill was half of what we would have paid at Chez Perard, the service was attentive and prompt, and we left with the glow of having enjoyed a really nice meal at a sensible price.

Probably next time we go there they’ll have changed hands, doubled the prices, and fired the chef (as is the French way). I hope not.