Judith Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Indeed NormanH, But we weren't coming from Beziers, there was no signpost, even though we knew the road we needed from Puisseguier which was our route to it .. the town was not well signposted, we ended up somewhere else on our first try and it was very well hidden, though when we did find it, finding out whether they were indeed open, or active was impossible. I might add that the map you give shows where it is, is does not tell you that the road is not as it seems on that map. And there was a new road which I had never seen before. Both of us can navigate perfectly well, and drive to the UK and back as well with fewer problems than finding Le Petit Beret. Another time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisette Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 We toured France quite a few times in the early 80s and were bowled over by the sheer number and quality of restos just about anywhere in France. Back then, they opened in the evening and at the same price! Then, when we moved here, I was ’adopted’ by a French family (agriculteurs) and got to experience everyday country cooking and conserving. Georgette taught me a lot. Much home-produced pork and fowl, veggies either in the form of the ubiquitous soup or sterilised, bottled and re-hashed but rarely fresh and lightly cooked 🙂 The family didn’ t eat out much because by then, restos were too often expensive with far less tasty, well-cooked food than they got at home. We found some excellent restos here back in 2007 but they’ve since closed or been replaced by over-priced, pretentious tourist traps looking for a Michelin star. Thing is, young working French are pretty much like young, working Brits....not many are interested in spending hours in the kitchen producing traditional meals. So if the demand is there for ready meals and fast food, the supply will be forthcoming, and how! Pizza is my bête noire. Not even French and every time one of the few little, genuine, remaining restos folds, it reopens as a Pizza joint a few weeks later 😞 Best not to get into the discussion of French beef again lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 This week's menu in a local café gives a pretty good idea of what I think of as French FOOD, as opposed to the diet of what is largely NON-French muck described in a previous post.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Very nice Norman, and strikingly similar to the board outside a restaurant I know in a local town that has a reputation for serving 'real French food'. Fortunately few of it's clientele are up at 6:30 when the Brakes van delivers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 1 hour ago, NormanH said: This week's menu in a local café gives a pretty good idea of what I think of as French FOOD, as opposed to the diet of what is largely NON-French muck described in a previous post.. Where are prices please ? Not much on the menu for a 80% vegetarian like me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I think in these traditional restos, the price will be the same for all dishes, that is the price of the "formule". Also easy to order if you just say I'll have the formule. Sometimes wine is extra but sometimes not. Cofee, however, is nearly always extra but typically only 1€ if taken after you have paid for a meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 12 hours ago, alittlebitfrench said: Where are prices please ? Not much on the menu for a 80% vegetarian like me. 12 hours ago, alittlebitfrench said: Where are prices please ? Not much on the menu for a 80% vegetarian like me. 15€... each day there is just the one dish. My point is that it shows Traditional French FOOD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 13 hours ago, DaveLister said: Very nice Norman, and strikingly similar to the board outside a restaurant I know in a local town that has a reputation for serving 'real French food'. Fortunately few of it's clientele are up at 6:30 when the Brakes van delivers. In that Café the kitchen is open to view and you can speak to Sandrine as she is cooking. I am sure it is home cooked food. Don't assume that Brakes and other suppliers delivering means that they are serving meals completely pre-prepared by those firms, although that is a possibility. Sometimes the restaurateur is buying in ingredients or things such as Ice-cream https://www.krill.fr/trouver-votre-distributeur/sobraques-distribution/ D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 "Not much on the menu for a 80% vegetarian like me. " How about this then? Another place where I can watch the preparation through the window into the kitchen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Actually Norman you've reminded me of something. Many years ago there was a weekday lifestyle programme on French TV that ended with the preparation of a celebrated regional dish of the day. After a couple of weeks it was clear that 99% of these dishes were just variations on the meat/fish stew. We used to call it the 'gloop' segment. Despite being a carnivore I would choose the second restaurant over the first ( although if I were god I would ban any Frenchman from touching a Caesar Salad🤯 ). It's telling though, I think, that at least four of the options are not French in origin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 (edited) 1 hour ago, NormanH said: "Not much on the menu for a 80% vegetarian like me. " How about this then? Another place where I can watch the preparation through the window into the kitchen That menu is for tourists with tourist prices to match. No one pays that unless you are holiday. That is not everyday French food. For a family of five the bill will come over 120 euros in that restaurant. Likewise with any crêperie. Mc Dos….35 euros I reckon. Kabab….probably the same. We ate at a local cafe in Kyle of Lochalsh (family of 5) in November and the bill came to 45 pounds. You could not fault the food or the portions. It was delicious. Too much in fact. We ate a proper posh hotel meal (family of 5) in a glam hotel in Scotland where the food was just exceptional. It was exceptional. And the people there were so polite and nothing was a problem. 70 pounds for that loverly experience. French food is overated and over priced. I am not paying 16 euros for a salad. For crying out loud. Edited January 16 by alittlebitfrench Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 8 minutes ago, alittlebitfrench said: We ate a proper posh hotel meal (family of 5) in a glam hotel in Scotland where the food was just exceptional. I'm sorry ALBF. I know you love all things north of the Channel but I can't believe that you were able to get 'a proper posh hotel meal' for 14 pounds a head. The ingredients alone should cost more than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 13 minutes ago, DaveLister said: I'm sorry ALBF. I know you love all things north of the Channel but I can't believe that you were able to get 'a proper posh hotel meal' for 14 pounds a head. The ingredients alone should cost more than that. Two kids meals ! Oh and I don’t eat a starter or desert. Drinks I paid for at the bar. It was around about that price. Maybe a tad more but it was not over 90 for sure. Now the funny thing is, when we went to pay the hotel bill in the morning they forgot to include the meal. They thought I paid it the night before and I could have of said…ooh yes that right I did. But being good boy I said no. They found the bill and happily paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 1 hour ago, alittlebitfrench said: I am not paying 16 euros for a salad. For crying out loud. Oh you could if you wanted to 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menthe Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 I couldn't eat either of those dishes. Just couldn't swallow tuna that isn't thoroughly cooked. Also I don't like goat's cheese. So that will be me out of Carluccio's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 They do have other dishes Mint 😁 Actually I've no recent experience of Carluccio's so I can't say how good or bad they are nowadays. I happened to be looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat at St Pancras and a branch came up. When ALBF started talking about the costs of salads I was reminded of the menu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 9 minutes ago, DaveLister said: They do have other dishes Mint 😁 somewhere to grab a bite to eat at St Pancras and a branch came up. When ALBF started talking about the costs of salads I was reminded of the menu. When we caught the night sleeper from Euston to Scotland we ate at a pub/ restaurant in the station. The food was excellent again and no way near the prices of Normans overpriced tourist restaurant in Beziers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 55 minutes ago, alittlebitfrench said: 1 hour ago, DaveLister said: When we caught the night sleeper from Euston to Scotland we ate at a pub/ restaurant in the station. The food was excellent again and no way near the prices of Normans overpriced tourist restaurant in Beziers. Well something's got to be good about Euston Station 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggers Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 I got a three course meal in a French Restaurant in Liverpool for£19.99 last week and it was excellent My three course Christmas lunch in an Italian was £25.99 still okay like everywhere there’s good and bad The prices are going up here though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 Another one…. Family of five Christmas Eve meal in a pub (of course) in a prime location in Winchester. Old pub lovery decor. Great atmosphere. Carol singers singing in the road, town hall all lit up, peeps happy. Merry xmas merry xmas merry xmas everywhere. 101 pounds. A crepe and desert in Tours any day of the week for a family of five will be a lot more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 1 hour ago, Riggers said: I got a three course meal in a French Restaurant in Liverpool for£19.99 last week and it was excellent My three course Christmas lunch in an Italian was £25.99 still okay like everywhere there’s good and bad The prices are going up here though Here is the 19.50€ menu from one of my haunts.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 50 minutes ago, alittlebitfrench said: A crepe and desert in Tours any day of the week for a family of five will be a lot more. Now ALBF, I can't let you get away with that. A cursory look at trip advisor and I've found 'Le Chaperon Rouge' in Avenue de Grammont, Tours which, amongst other things, has a children's menu for 10 euros which consists of a galette or steak hache/chips, a drink, and a crepe or an ice cream. Their most expensive galette which contains foie gras and smoked duck costs 18 euros. If your family of 5 contains three adults who all had the most expensive item on the menu you'd still have 26 euros left over for drinks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLister Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 9 minutes ago, NormanH said: Here is the 19.50€ menu from one of my haunts.. Now that does look more interesting. I'm not a fan of black garlic or chestnuts but, as I happen to have a pineapple to hand, I might try making the desert myself tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Here you go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 no idea why that photo looks so dark. It is bright and clear in the original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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