Le Cafe du Marche

April 2011

Always authentic french country atmosphere, but with that typical french arrogant service which is so annoying but not bad.

Food this time was good but not outstanding- venison not aged enough. again (this seems to be happening all too often these days) the portions were on the small side

This place is just great. Its everything French food should be – homely, unpretentious, well cooked, well presented and served well. Coete de bouef for 2, Duck Confit, Chicken Tajine is all very very good and served with a simple salad or fresh vegtables.
From the look of the new website it also looks like they now offer a very good priced set menu. It is in my opinion the best French place to eat in town and for a relaxed but also elegant setting this is the place to go.

Just looking at their web site, it looks like we ate in the café section, although I didn’t know that there were different sections. Something you’d think they’d ask when you book.

The menu is in French, so for those of us lacking our French O-level it makes ordering a little tricky. Fortunately with my fake Allo Allo style French accent I bluffed my way through.

For starters I had Jambon cru, figues et gorgonzola, which sounded much more exciting in French than it looked on the plate, but as ham and cheese go, it was quite good. For main I had one of the specials, cod in a prawn and seafood sauce/ broth. A passion fruit sabayon finish me off. All in all very good food, and pretty reasonable at £33.85 for the 3 courses.

This is one of my all time favourite restaurants. Every time I've visited, it's been a lovely experience all round. Everything about it, from the rustic charm of the interior and the cobbled street leading up to it, to the lighting and gentle piano playing in the background, makes an evening feel special. The côte de boeuf is consistently good and always cooked exactly as requested, and the accompanying potato dishes and vegetables or salad of the day are always of optimum freshness and quality, and cooked or dressed to perfection. Other dishes I have eaten there, including the fish soup, chick pea salad and fish of the day have been good, if not excellent. They have a fantastic and extensive wine list, and the sommelier recommends well. The waiting staff are always pleasant and helpful, and I like the nack they seem to have of judging when you need attending to and when you want to be left alone. I also like the way they care to state that they do not use GM ingredients on their menu. I could nit-pick about the food being a little too salty for my taste or about the service on the odd occasion, but essentially it's a trusty place that never lets me down.

Service is very erratic and sometimes typically French. I am not a fan of the set dinner menu, which I think is too limited and not very good value. Lunch offers a better experience.