France is a big country with significant regional differences so it is of course almost impossible to generalise about food.  In my experience however, as the quality of restaurants in the rest of Europe has risen significantly over the past 20 years or so, France has remained where it always was.  Choices, unnecessarily complicated by fixed price menus as well as a ‘carte’ (usually including the same things at a slightly higher price) seldom fail to include Terrine, Tete de Veau, Magret de Canard and everything served with limp leaves, albeit dressed with a fine vinaigrette.

There are of course exceptions and it is possible to find truly delicious food at all price points  and in this post I want to highlight a couple from my recent visit to the Indre department in Central France.  Each of these establishments offers something bit different, either in terms of the menus themselves or the style of service and I’d be happy to revisit any of them again.

Le Lissier was Hobson’s choice on a wet and cold day spent visiting Aubusson, home of the historic and famous tapestry industry.  There was nothing inviting on the outside of the restaurant and had it been a drier and warmer day we may well have searched further afield for somewhere to eat.  Inside, the place resembled a bar/cafe that we are used to in Italy more than a restaurant.

The layout was simple, the atmosphere informal.  Top of the compliments list for Le Lissier must be the relaxed and friendly welcome by a guy who turned out to be Australian.  Despite the place rapidly filling up with diners he took time to chat with us and told how a Tasmanian ended up in the middle of France while he guided us to select a very acceptable bottle of wine.  The menu included two particular specialities, Fish and Chips (and they really were proper fish and chips) and a couple of choices of Burgers as well, of course, as the ubiquitous Magret de Canard!  Everything was superbly delicious, without pretension and tasting exactly as it was meant to taste.  Chefs who can prepare such simple dishes to this standard need an award system all of their own!  If you’re ever in Aubusson you must check this place out.

From previous visits to Le Blanc I already knew that it would be difficult to find anywhere to eat and this was especially true over a public holiday (La Toussaint).  In fact so desperate was I to eat on a previous visit here that I had to make do with a kebab van in a carpark – and very nice it was too!  This time, lunch was found in what looked like a tiny little pizza place (complete with a wood-fired pizza oven) called Pizza Bella  In fact it turned out to be quite a large establishment beyond the small shop front and offered  menus that went far beyond pizzas and included tartiflette, steaks, fish, kebabs.  Service was friendly and the atmosphere warm and festive owing the large number of customers who filled the place with their conversation. We came back again for lighter meal the same evening, and not only because there weren’t many other options.

In Bourges, at a fairly smart looking place, listed on TripAdvisor as ‘fine dining’ and called Le Bourbonnoux  there was some pretty awful food which I’ll just post here for you to contemplate.  It really was very unpleasant and as I hinted above is more what I have come to expect in many French towns, sadly.

The bread and wine were quite decent and the style of the restaurant raised one’s expectations but the food left a lot to be desired .  The picture second from the right, above, is of leaks stuffed with what seemed to be nothing more than chopped egg.  The leaks were so stringy they were almost impossible to cut, the egg was tasteless and the whole thing was waterlogged.  The beige splurge down the middle of the plate was beyond either comprehension or description.  The plate on the right was the cheese dish.  Supposedly it was whipped goats cheese with parsley.  The acidity of the dish was so high it was almost impossible to eat.

By way of a complete contrast was a restaurant recommended by the owners of the Gite, The Barn at Vijon, where we stayed.  The restaurant in question was part of  Hotel called  La Bonne Auberge Although there are the usual suite of menus (a pet hate) they contain dishes, the descriptions of which excite interest and get the gastric juices flowing.  Chef Sylvain Lanusse presents clean elegant plates of modern food with enough flair to make you want to dive in!  The restaurant has gained the accolade of  a Michelin plate and is well worth a visit. And guess what? I had the most delicious Magret de Canard here which was beautifully cooked to point of being soft and full of flavour.

 

 

On the opposite side of the River Saone to the city of Macon, in the Commune of Saint-Laurent-sur-Saone, is the aptly named L’autre rive (the other bank) also with a Michelin Red Guide listing.  Its a stylish restaurant with views across the river to Macon and serves gorgeously presented, sophisticated interpretations of the best of French cuisine.  Despite this it won’t break the bank and was cheaper than many other places of indeterminate quality we came across during the 7 days in France.  The Poulet de Bresse (that Rolls Royce of products) was particularly splendid! Not for nothing has the Bresse Chicken been described as,”the queen of poultry, the poultry of kings”.