As a poor university student in Nantes, France, I often looked longingly
through the 10ft glass panels of La Cigale (4 Place Graslin, tel. 00 33 2 51
84 94 94), a magnificently tiled 19th-century brasserie. By day it is as it
was over 150 years ago, a refined salon de thé, and by night a
captivating seafood restaurant, where one is seated in gilt antique chairs,
under golden arches and painted mural walls and ceilings. Multi-lingual,
impeccably polite (and reassuringly French in their haughtiness!) staff
bedecked in tails serve traditional oyster towers and steaming fish,
complimented by the excellent local dry Muscat wine. And the best part? Two
courses, wine, and a rich coffee to round off for the student friendly price
of 50 euros! Rachael Kealy, Limerick, Ireland
You all know where the Dordogne is - but just cross the boundary into the Lot
from Perigord Noir and find the most wonderful restaurant combined with an
art gallery! You will need a lot of time for the meal; Sunday lunch is seven
courses of beautifully cooked food - including soup, two fish courses,
wonderful cheeses, salad, pastries, desserts - accompanied by the most
perfect wine, chosen by the chef! It is superb and such good value for
money. It's the Musee Henri Giron (46300 Le Vigan, tel. 05 65 41 33 78) in
Le Vigan, a short distance from Gourdon (the one in the Lot, not in the
South of France). It's only open on Friday evenings and Sunday lunch. Enid
Allen, Surrey
An absolute must if you find yourself in the Chamonix Valley in summer or
winter is Le Vieille Luge in Les Houches. Nestled among the trees above the
village, this traditional barn is home to the most wonderful restaurant we
have ever stumbled across whilst skiing. Access is off-piste through the
trees but once there Claude and his wife Julia will warmly welcome you and
serve you the most fantastic food. It was blissfully quiet and the aroma
from the kitchen whetted our appetite. We enjoyed a succulent beef stew
accompanied by the speciality of the area farcon, with a nice red
wine. Farcon is made from layered potatoes, bacon, prunes, raisins and
spices and cooked in a rabolire, sliced when cold and reheated in a
little butter - delicious! Our meal was followed by a melt-in-the-mouth
fruit tart, fresh coffee and a glass of Claude's special liqueur - superb! Angela
Robertson, Fife
Travelling down the A16 from Calais? Turn off at junction 24 and head towards
St Valery sur Somme, a quiet and unique medieval fishing village on the
Somme estuary. Opposite the village square is the St Valery Bistro, where
they serve succulent, thick, white fish, fit to die for, along with a huge
selection of reasonably priced meals. Try the local dish of ficelle de
picard (pancake with ham and mushrooms, smothered in cheese and baked
in the oven), or the moules served with or without sauce. Friendly staff
make you feel welcome and remember your face from year to year. So forget
about eating on the ferry or at services, St Valery is only a short distance
from Calais and is so easy to find. Just try not to tell everyone! Barbara
Igoe, West Yorkshire
My favourite restaurant in France is Chateau De Jau near Tuchan – a pink
chateau and winery with an outdoor restaurant under a 300-year-old mulberry
tree (classified as a French national monument). The tables are arranged
under the vast overhanging branches of the tree overlooking a small lake
full of very large carp. The difference here is that the food is matched to
their own produced wine rather than the wine being matched to the food. Over
two delightful hours, eight bottles of wine ranging from aperitifs through
white, red and finally desert are brought to the table to complement six
courses of locally sourced fresh produce. There is no wine list nor is there
a menu, the food and wine just keep coming. The best bit? Only 28 euros! Stephen
Mee, Perth, Scotland
Of all the places we have eaten in France, nothing has yet topped L'Oranger on
the outskirts of Lucon (55 Route de la Roche). This restaurant with rooms is
a real oasis; located in the unassuming outskirts of the Vendeen town, this
Moroccan inspired restaurant is set around a small but perfectly formed
north African style garden. The food is equally impressive, with fresh local
produce used to create subtle but stylish cooking - we had a homemade paté,
fresh seafood, and cinnamon duck, all in an unpretentious and welcoming
atmosphere with friendly staff. With prices around £20 a head for a
three-course meal, this restaurant is a find. I was in two minds about
whether to share with others! Ellen Vernon, Devon
Les Ardrets (30 Rue de Boeuf Lyon, tel. 047838 2430) is situated in Lyon's
historic old town. This atmospheric family run restaurant provided my wife
and I with one of the most memorable and delicious meals we have ever eaten
(eclipsing The Sharrow Bay and the McCoys restaurant in Cleveland). Go for
the 35 euro menu and sample the delights of the most flavoursome and
aromatic lamb and tender, melt in the mouth filet of beef. The "l'indesicion"
contains a sample of the best of the restaurant's starter menu and is
unmissable. The bargain is the 12 euro fixed price three course lunch
including house wine and coffee. We risked missing our plane home so that we
could once again sample the outstanding food. David Jones,
Cheshire
Last summer my husband and I visited St. Jean de Monts in the Vendee area of
France. Our favourite meal was in the Robinsons Hotel restaurant. We were
decked out with copious serviettes and bibs to eat our starter of huge
prawns flambéed with a whisky sauce. We followed it with duck and cherries
and a gorgeous dessert. Afterwards we went down to the sea front and
wandered barefoot along the sand just in time to watch the sun go down. Jacky
Cowley, Yateley
With the Plaza Athenee, Christian Dior, Chanel and Hermes only a stone's throw
away, L'Avenue is THE trendy, haute bourgeois restaurant in the
avenue Montaigne. Greeted by only the most beautiful Parisian girls -
surprisingly friendly and warm - the interior decor is striking yet chaleureux
with a plush purple velvet sweeping staircase and gold interior and a cool
bar on the second floor. The food is delicious - an understatement - and the
tartare (salmon and tuna) mouth-watering. The filet mignon is of the finest
quality and cooked to perfection - it's good enough to convert a vegetarian
- I speak from the experience! Order entre bleu et saignant for a
perfect steak served with a smooth, silky puree. Wines, oh the wines - the
Bordeaux Haute Medoc St. Julien or a Nuits St George... sit back, mingle
with the rich and beautiful, star spot, and enjoy a wonderful meal. Narisa
Wild, West London
We have travelled a lot in France but the best food we have found by far is at
Le Buffet in Isbergues. A light, airy, classy dining room, where you are
more than likely to find celebrating locals than tourists, serves wonderful
food beautifully presented. Set menus vary between Euros 30-50 and are worth
every cent. There's a nice garden you can have a pre-dinner drink in, and
there's no need to drive as there are simple but clean rooms available
upstairs. It's worth staying the night just to have Thierry, the owner, make
you his fabulous breakfast. Peter Bevan, Merthyr Tydfil
It is often said that finding a really good restaurant in France is becoming
increasingly more difficult. I disagree. We stumbled on this one, in fact we
were going to one opposite, and changed our minds because parking was
easier. If you are in Saint Emilion, you must go to Le Clos du Roy (12 rue
de la petite Fountain, tel. 05 74 41 55). We had the freshest monkfish,
beautifully cooked with an amazing sauce, served separately in a shot glass.
With wine, coffee and fantastic choice of local cheeses we received change
from 100 euros. John Bolton, West Sussex
Restaurant Chartier, Paris (rue de Montmartre) is my favourite. Ignore the
fact that you appear to be entering an old railway station and join the
inevitable long queue (it moves very quickly). Sit elbow to elbow with
Parisiens, students and tourists and soak up the amazing atmosphere and
general joie de vivre. Menus changed daily (written on sheets of
A4), bills totted up on paper tablecloth - good, basic French cooking at
probably lowest prices in Paris. Anne Dean, Lancashire
As if you needed a reason to visit the Cote d'Azur. Make for Eze, a perched
village with vertiginous views of the Mediterranean. Stroll up the medieval
lanes past temptingly chic boutiques and galleries to Auberge Le Nid d'Aigle
(1 Rue de Chateau, tel. 0039 0493 411 908). Here on a series of shady
intimate terraces a bevy of charming French ladies will serve you delicious
traditional family cooking. Lunch might offer a choice of wonderful breads
to dip into olive oil, salads, pasta, risotto, grilled fish or lamb, and
there’s even a childrens’ menu. Wash it down with carafes of quaffable
Provençal wine. Gastronomic rather than gourmet at modest prices for this
location. Brian Hunt, Dorset
You'll find the wonderfully named Oiseau sur sa Branche (tel. 0475760203) at
Saou on the edge of the Vercors. Its name is only surpassed by the end
product, the bohemian dress sense of the staff and the intriguingly worded
menu - guess the dish! Don’t worry, they are all excellent. Using local
ingredients they create heart warming dishes that will leave you wishing you
had time for a second visit to try the rest of the menu. Very family
friendly but grown up food, you'll need to book! Jerry Morton,
Surrey
Going to Burgundy? Try La Vieille Auberge in Saulieu on the N6, just down the
road from Michelin three star, Bernard Loiseau. This family-run auberge
knocks the spots off Bernard`s for high class cuisine served in a charming
atmosphere for around £25 per head (against Loiseau`s £100+ per head).
Patrick (the chef) and his wife Catherine (front of house) ensure a warm
welcome and we guarentee you`ll go back! There`s something for all tastes
and a cheese trolley to die for! You can stay overnight above the restaurant
for about £40 per room - they are small and very basic but who cares. Sue
and Rob Pedley, Bromsgrove
Les Trois Salons (18 Rue du Docteur Blanchard, Uzes, tel. 04 66 22 57 34) near
Nimes offers sensational summer dining in a fountain courtyard and equally
savvy inside for winter months, all set within the beautifully restored
medieval market town. The imaginative weekly fixed menu uses local and
seasonal ingredients and the restaurant has a fabulous welcome with buzzy
clientelle. Victoria Taylor, Leics
Le Moulin de Condac (16700 Condac) in La Charente region of France is an old
restored mill where you can enjoy excellent food at a reasonable price,
looking out over the river through the stone arched windows or outside on
the wooden terrace. Daniel and Vanessa Macnamara, Essex Chez
Le Bougnat (tel. 0231 910613) at Dives-sur-Mer in Normandy serves excellent
food that is always cooked to order. It is always full of French people who
are very patient with our attempts to speak their language, and the owner
lives locally. French specialities include Riz de Veau (calf's sweetbreads)
and fried foie gras, and the Fondu au Chocolat is to die for. There are also
several interesting antiques around the rooms, and for railway enthusiasts,
there is a large guage model of a Great Western Railway train (2-6-2 Tank
Locomotive!). Kathleen Batten, Worcester
Au Jeu De Paume in the town of Millau, near the Gorge du Tarn is the perfect
setting for a romantic meal in summer or in winter. All the locals go there.
In summer you can lounge in the large garden, water trickling in the
background with the backdrop of the floodlit old mill house in which the
restaurant is based. In winter take comfort by the open fireplace or have a
drink in the lively cellar bar. The food's not bad either! And there's a set
menu for every pocket. Dawn MacDonald, Bristol
Honfleur in Normandy is ten minutes drive from Le Havre via the stunning Pont
de Normandie with its amazing views over the Seine estuary and a working
fishing port. The restaurant l, Hippocampe (meaning seahorse) on Quai St
Catherine serves the most delicous seafood. Situated about 100 metres from
where the fishing boats tie up, it is little wonder that the quality of
their ingredients is so high. Prices are reasonable and a good range of
wines start at about 12 euro a bottle. Try the sea bass - Dos de Bar de
ligne roti au beurre de Bordeaux. Cliff Norris, Lancashire
Our favourite French restaurant is the Auberge du Fel in the tiny village of
Le Fel set above the Gorges du Lot, 5km from Entraygues sur Truyere in the
Aveyron. Superb regional food is cooked by the friendly owner Mme Elizabeth
Aubespery, eaten either in the restaurant with far reaching views over the
valley or outside on the bougainvillea covered terrace. Meals at the auberge
are the highlight of our frequent visits to this lesser known, beautiful
area of France. Margaret Barrington, Warwickshire
L'Auberge de la Scierie in the small town of Aix en Othe in the Aube region of
Champagne serves the best food we have ever tasted. Eddy, the owner and
chef, has worked in some of the best restaurants in London and produces
imaginative, flavourful and beautifully-presented dishes. And if you'd
rather not drive afterwards, there are 12 bedrooms on site. Annette
and Jim Wheeler, East Sussex
I recommend Chez Alain in Issigeac, a beautiful Dordogne village just south of
Bergerac. It has a very welcoming atmosphere, fantastic food made with a
wonderful range of local ingredients, and of course great wines.
Isobel Michael, Somerset
If you are looking for the ultimate in fine dining in cool, relaxed and
stunning surroundings, then nothing tops the gorgeous Hotel Costes
restaurant on rue St Honore in central Paris. The earthy flavour of
l'escargot cooked in garlic butter will stay with me forever, and the fillet
steak was cooked to perfection. Costes successfully combines the traditions
of service with its unique, slightly blasé sway, that is just “so Paree!”
Absolutely divine. Caroline Cook, London
I would put forward the Bastide Cabezac in the Minervois (18-20 Hameau de
Cabezac). The wine is “home grown”, as Helene de Rothschild would say, and
the meal is scattered with wonderful amuses bouche and excellent service.
Formal and not the cheapest in the area, it is still a remarkable restaurant
in the middle of nowhere. Andrew Cunningham-Hughes, West Sussex
One of the many excellent restaurants that I have visited in France is Le
Viscos, at Saint Savin. It is situated on the D921 in the Pyrenees, two
miles south of Argeles-Gazost. The varied menu is presented and explained by
the chef, M. Saint-Martin. All the dishes are of local origin and cooked in
the traditional way. The dining room is delightful and has a wonderful view
over the mountains. Richard Lowes, East Sussex
