One of the most common questions future guests ask us is which local restaurants we would recommend. The French are renowned for their culinary expertise and, as they say….When in France…..
It’s not a great hardship for us to research this crucial question for you and we love to try out new restaurants, of course only because we know our guests need to know where the good ones are!
We were sad to hear recently that one of our favourite local restaurants, Table de Leo, was changing hands. The food there is excellent, a special occasion restaurant in a wonderful location. Sitting outside on the veranda beneath the imposing shade of the Abbey de Saint Avit Senieur is quite memorable. I could eat a service station sandwich here and it would taste good – so long as it came with a chilled glass of rose of course!
I’m not sure what will be next for Table de Leo but we are told it is going to be a brasserie rather than a Michelin star restaurant. But in France most of the brasseries are outstanding so we will be back to try it out soon – only because our guests need to know what to expect of course! But in the meantime, here are a few other different restaurants we’ve had to try out!
Set in the beautiful village of Lanquais just a 15-minute drive from Fontalbe, the restaurant Les Marronniers, Lanquais was recommended to us by friends who head there often and love it. I’d been given a voucher for dinner out for two for Mother’s Day from my wonderful children who know exactly how to treat me (although I don’t quite understand why Peter seemed to benefit from this too! To be fair he did offer to drive!). It was a beautiful evening and of course we would eat outside on the terrace. Beautifully scented roses adorned the entrance, and we were welcomed warmly by the waitress who offered us our choices of tables. Once we’d glanced at the menu it was easy to choose wine – a glass of petit Chablis for me to begin with and a carafe of Pecharmant, our favourite local red, to share.
We’d left Bonnie at home but immediately wished she was with us. The couple behind us had their border collie with them and the restaurant cats were lazing on the window sill watching the guests come and go. We resolved to take Bonnie a doggie bag back with us to atone! There were two set menus and as it was a special evening we chose the more expensive of the two, but at 39.90 Euros for a three course meal it was hardly going to break the bank!
I love seafood so the prawns were an easy choice for starter. They were huge so if you don’t like pulling heads and legs off your seafood these may not be for you. Peter chose Ris du Veaux – I’m leaving that in French because it’s definitely not for me, although he said they were delicious! We both opted for the duck breast which is a local speciality and is one of my favourites. We’d watched longingly as a number of plates passed by with baskets of chips on the side and much to our delight our duck came accompanied by our own little basket full of the best chips I’d tasted in a long time! Along with an asparagus mousse and a delicious sauce the main course was a big hit and the Pecharmant accompanied it really well. Cheese was going to be a stretch too far, sadly, so we declined. I couldn’t pass on dessert. I had crème brûlée, one of my all-time favourites and Peter had strawberries with a lot of whipped cream.
It was a very relaxed evening and the food was excellent. The style was more casual than Table De Leo but then you wouldn’t get chips with your duck at Table De Leo! As the evening came to an end one of the restaurant cats decided to adopt Peter. Perhaps it was the cream on his strawberries that was the attraction! So we lingered for a while longer.
We will definitely be back to Restaurant Les Marronniers.
How does the expression go, when in France do as the French? Hmmm – Beaumont has a wonderful new little Italian restaurant which we ate in on a whim one evening while we were mid pergola building and had no energy left to cook. Situated on the square it provides a simple menu of a delicious choice of pizzas and one or two specials of the day.
When we arrived, we immediately met some friends who were also there on an impromptu visit. We got chatting and I forgot to take any photos. I’m not a big pizza fan but I was really hungry and I was so glad I chose the mozzarella and pesto pizza. It was crispy and quite delicious. Peter opted for meatballs and spaghetti.
This will definitely be somewhere we visit again when we want a plate of simple, yummy Italian food.
My last recommendation for now is the wonderful restaurant on the square in Lalinde. I’ve eaten there twice now and both times I ate the same dish, and I suspect I will eat this every time I go there. It is a buzzing lunchtime restaurant. Service is slow but then there is no need to rush! Just sit and enjoy the ambience.
The menu is extensive, but my choice will always be the mussels. They cook these in a few different sauces but the roquefort sauce is the best mussel sauce I’ve ever tasted. Got a lunch time free, and a bit of time to relax? This is somewhere you must visit.
So, when you are wondering where to eat, these are just a few of our recommendations. But remember, as with all restaurants in the area, it’s a good idea to book in advance especially during the summer months.
You’re Welcome!