Sunday 11 January 2015

French Restaurants.



French cuisine has always had a fine reputation, but sit back on your laurels for a while, and that reputation can soon disappear.

When we first came to live in France in 1972 we were simply amazed by both the high standard and low cost of eating out. We used to leave restaurants wondering how on earth they could supply food and wine of such quality for so little money.

All this has changed and finding a half decent restaurant nowadays has become almost impossible.

I've shown the above photo previously (Lady Magnon, Kimbo, et moi). It was taken just after a sensational meal at one of this area's greatest hostelries. Unfortunately it no longer exists, but Chez PoPaul at Beaumont de Périgord was one of those places that 'foodies' dream of. It had such a reputation that people would fly into the local airport, from all quarters of Europe, just for the pleasure of eating there.

Oh that such a place still existed. It's not rocket science; all one needs is plenty of good well-cooked and well-presented food, attentive staff who know what they're doing and talking about, a pleasant environment, and a bill that doesn't require an excessive mortgage. Is that so bloody difficult?

Nothing at PoPaul was beyond the scope of an experienced home-cook with the wherewithal to purchase quality ingredients; it wasn't at all a pretentious cheffy place. It was the combination of dishes (I think there were 6 or 7 courses), the variety on offer, and the ambiance, that made eating there a truly memorable experience. Their self-service charcuterie/shellfish table was unbelievable.

Nowadays everything seems to be designed for 'labour saving'. Almost entire meals come in vacuum packed plastic bags, and are simply re-heated in hot-water-baths or microwaves. The addition of a sliced tomato and a few leaves of salad is as much as the 'chef' needs to contribute.

So who is to blame? Well firstly it's the fault of the French government. Those clever people at Santé et Sécurité (elf-n-safety) banned restaurateurs from growing their own vegs, preserving their own charcuterie, or even keeping their own livestock, so, obviously, the quality was going to decline. Secondly I blame the so-called French chefs; they're basically lazy. If there's a corner to be cut, they will find it and cut it.

Regardless of all this, the French continue to tell you that their national cuisine is the best in the world; the only difference from 40 years ago is that it now comes complete with blinkers.

My reluctant advice: If you wish to eat well in a French restaurant, find one outside of France.

N.B. Having said all that, there is one restaurant nearby that we visit regularly. It serves good food with free wine, the whole place is run by women, and I'm on bisou terms with the owner. I just wish there were more like it.




16 comments:

  1. Ca me fait chier et merde et sacre bleu!!

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    1. Que faites-vous des gens parler?

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    2. I was so outraged by this apparent demise of the French restaurant I was driven to swear in French, Yael.

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  2. It is the same here Cro - good food is often badly cooked or food is badly sourced. The farmer and I usually go to the same place when we eat out at lunch time (we are going there today). It is but a short distance, - only a couple of miles - and the choice of nice large joints of meat which you can see being cut in front of you is a good start. Veg are never over cooked (always a gripe of mine) and the Yorkshire puds are immense (always a plus where the farmer is concerned). Nothing fancy at all but all well cooked and presented. It satisfies our need.

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  3. Oh, you're too tough Cro. One of the highlights of our holidays in France is the food. We think it's wonderful ! and reasonably priced too though I admit we do not frequent expensive restaurants but stick to what, in Oz, we would call cafés. My biggest complaint is that smokers make sitting outdoors very unpleasant so we are always seated inside.

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  4. We agree with you Cro, and the decline over the past 10 years in particular has been very noticeable.

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  5. A large part of Britain has now become obsessed with food and celebrity chefs, and I have heard that Britain now has more regional cheeses to choose from than France - unthinkable.

    Waiting in restaurants has always been a career in France, often handed down as a coveted job for life, but when all the old ladies died off here, the same job is seen as a fill-in between term times and paid accordingly.

    Perhaps you should move back to Britain?

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  6. what a stylish family you are!
    I agree with you about food, we call posh stuff "a plate of blobs and squiggles" and avoid it like the plague.

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  7. I'm not sure I completely agree - I still think it's easier to find good food at a reasonable price in France than in the UK...but it is getting harder. In Clermont I go with students to a small family run resto where the menu fixé is 13€ for 4 courses. It's not cordon bleu, but it's good, tasty food. You'd never find the equivalent in the UK. Our local hotel/restaurant is also good (tho more expensive). Maybe I'm less exacting than you!

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    1. It's probably more that I know what's going on behind kitchen doors. A highly regarded local restaurant, that was producing very pleasant food, was being supplied almost entirely by a ready meals company, and no-one knew (except me it seemed). All I ask for is good quality cooking, actually cooked in the actual kitchens.

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  8. Serving free wine with your meal is something I've never come across. It's usally £30 or more for a bottle of the house red.

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  9. how right you are. it is not only the restaurants but everything which is going lee way in France now.
    Nous vivons dans un état LIBERTICIDE qui s'occupe de tout. I wonder when we will have to pay tax for the air that we breathe and we have such a fool for président.
    yet concerning restaurants we find them much better when we travel in Auvergne or south west than in Normandy where we live.Best thing is to go for cheap places.
    yours
    claude vergne

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    Replies
    1. The neighbor's grass is always greener!

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  10. Kimbo looks like a young James Cromwell in that photo! You are a handsome family.

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