Recommended places for value and quality
The only establishment to have been awarded the top accolade of three Michelin stars is Auberge du Vieux Puits in Fontjoncouse in the Languedoc region in the South West of France, which brings the total of three-starred restaurants in France to 26.
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4 WoW recommendations for good value eating out – from modest to less modest! But all are good value and WoW tested.
MARGON Belle Lurette
This is a good, great value and wonderful welcome restaurant. For €12.50 you get a 3 course meal and free wine. Nice touches include real napkins and a glass for your water – nice not to have to ask as you so often have to at this priced restaurant.
Jean-Marc cooks with love and commitment and Nathalie welcomes and puts up with Jean-Marcs jokes – a great find. Good English spoken
They also do Fish and Chip evenings – splendid
Can get very busy so best to book – 04 67 24 67 70 – no credit cards
Jean-Marc & Nathalie dupuis njmdupuis@hotmail.fr
But if Margon is full..............
POUZOLLES - the bar opposite the boule court is good value too €13 for 3 courses + 1/4 pichet of wine - and normally 3 choices a course. Not as polished as Margon - paper napkins and just the one glass for water and wine BUT that said - good homecooking at a good price. They sometimes seem so busy you feel a bit "in the way" but they are actually a lovely team - if not as upfront as the Margon folks. Give it a try - you can't go wrong for the price, now can you?
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FLORENSAC Bistrot d’Alex
If you get a wee bit outraged by the mark up on wine but still want to drink good wine but at sensible prices – this is the place for you.
Wine is sold at the “shop” price with many a good bottle for under or even well under €10. Set meal is €16. May not sound exactly cheap but when you count in the wine at many other places you will be pleasantly surprised by the size of the bill. Mainly French customers – which WoW thinks is normally a good sign.
Normally lunch only. Get there early and do a tasting before you go in and eat
Get there – follow the signs to Vinipolis and drive past the ugly cave co-op to the modern tasting and eating place.
Probably best to book - : 04 67 77 03 05
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A great place to eat - WoW recommended
COLOMBIERS SUR ORB - Auberge des Gorges de Madale
Keep it to yourself – a splendid place to eat! The chef and staff of Auberge des Gorges de Madale prefer to serve friends and locals and tend not to promote their exquisite cuisine. But do not for one moment be put off – it is a stunning place to eat in the Orb valley – and while €25 does not immediately look like great value……….. The price does include an aperitif, ad lib wine, muscat and coffee plus some of the best food we have eaten in Herault.
It is just outside Colombieres sur Orb – a nifty left turn in the direction of Bedarieux and a most unpromising “arrival experience” Or from Bedarieux, just after the long right hand bend before the village and the “common” – slow down as you need to turn right (there are the remains of the old road which you turn across) - look out for the sign.
The Auberge is on the “soon to be finished” model of French décor. BUT once inside and “a table” then the experience is just special.
Not always busy but always worth check on 04 67 23 01 93 – this is an culinary experience not to be missed. If you eat no-where else this year you must try the Auberge des Gorges de Madale – an experience and at what one ad agency in the ‘60’s described – at the younger price – i.e not steep but great value.
Easy to go and on and on – but better to try it yourself – then you too can bore for France, as we are tempted to.
There is no choice so check the menu at
Menu published at aubergedesgorgesdemadale2.blogspot.com
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GOOD VALUE EATING - WoW recommended.
MONTPELLIER - a place for a simple bite -
Visit the Creperie des 2 Provinces
at 7, rue Jacques Coeur - 04 67 60 68 10.
A wide - in fact huge selection of Crepes - delicious and swift with very pleasant pichet wine. And the service is friendly with the waiter even pointing out a cheaper way to eat by using the "formule" - very helpful.
Good clean loos on the Ist floor - but note - the tap is for caterers and is operated by the knee!
Closed on Sunday - otherwise opens at 11.45 and closes at 11.30 at night - so somewhere to eat before the theatre - or after
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PS Congratulations to the city of MONTPELLIER on the stunning re-furbishement of the Comedie parking - light, bright and the floors helfully colour coded and pleasant music too.
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BEDARIEUX has a Chinese Restaurant at 112 Avenue Jean Jaures (face a la gare) Le Palais de Bedarieux 0467 23 75 40. Open 7/7 1200-1400 and 1900-2230. They specialise in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. There is a terrace for eating out in the summer. The food is good, but the atmosphere can be a bit lacking in the restaurant if not many eating in - they also do Take-Away (-10%) - and on the 3 times we have eaten there they were serving more take-away diners than restaurant diners. Probably a good place to go and eat if there is a group of you, then you can create your own atmosphere!
Menu Rapide €10.50. Menu Vapeur et Menu de Chef €16.50. Menu d'Amour €46 and Menu du Bonheur (6 personnes) €139.00. Portions are generous on individually ordered dishes and 4 of us (just before xmas) ordered in quantities for 3 and there was food left over!
Shirley
WoW thanks Shirley - again - how about some other readers sending in a recomendation?
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ROQUEBRUN - Shirley writes - "we can thoroughly recommend Auberge Saint-Hubert, avenue des oranges, 34460 Roquebrun. Tel - 04.67.89.50.37 - they are a 'restaurant traditionnel' with a great 'a la carte menu' but also 'plat du jour' du €19 per head. Its an hour+ drive for us from Andabre - but well worth it as the scenery is great en-route and the food is to die for!! If we lived nearer we would frequent it a lot more! The wines they serve are local and can be bought from the local Cave almost opposite the restaurant! The interior decor is superb and they also have a covered verandah for eating outdoors in warmer weather."
Shirley Morgan
"Thanks Shirley - the more good people who write in with recomendations the better this site becomes" - WoW
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PEZENAS
With so much shut over the winter and some really over-priced ones which are not...........
WoW enjoyed a pleasant meal at the Brasserie Moliere (overlooks the main parking) - menu de jour was just €11 and the place was full of locals having lunch. Pretty good pichet wine for €7 and all in all a very "authentic" experience. Feels like a French restaurant should be and - not so French - has good sized and clean loos - 2 for men and 2 for women.
Oddly it is a part of the hotel Moliere - but not on the same site.
Le Coq D'Or in place Gambetta is open too and deserves a visit - if you have been - please share your experiences with WoW.
BEZIERS
Not too many places recommended yet - it is up to WoW readers please!
But close to the Cathedral is "Chez Toi, Chez Moi" at 32 rue Vienet. Husband and wife team - he cooks and she is out front. Fine food - grills cooked on wood in front of "your very eyes". Give it a try - the meat was superb and the soup a feast in itself.
Nice and unpretentious and all for €11 for 2 courses at lunch time. Also very drinkable pichet wine. Actually the first pichet was horrid - but no qualms about sending it back and a new pichet was produced and the WoW palate was vindicated - "very acid Sir!" Isn't that a great attitude - one fears in the UK one might have been told "if Sir choses the cheap stuff Sir should expect.........."
MARSEILLAN - yet again
So many nice places on the port but for the best fare we have had for a long time - Taverne du Port
€13 for the winter menue and a nice Picpoul for €12 - and it was just lovely. (It is also a wine shop so the range is vast)
Nice simple but happy service and the Patron looks as if he is a "central casting" character - the nice Uncle.
It is best to book 04 67 01 78 78
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MARSEILLAN - La Ferme Marine - a WoW paradise if you like shellfish
To find it you have to take the small road on the Etang side of the cemetery
WoW photographer does not do justice to this groaning table of wonder!
We had a - eat as much as you like for €22 seafood bonanza! A huge table with just about everything plus some cooked dishes likes Oysters and Mussels grilled with cheese.
PLUS you sit on a terrace, or inside, with a 180 degree view of the Etang and Sete in the distance. Not cheap but just wonderful if seafood is your thing.
PLUS it is all "home grown".
Full of French people outside in October so guess it is best to book once it is too cold to eat outside or in the summer
04 67 76 14 59 - more info at www.lafermemarine.com - which also has a map - just keep on driving - it is worth it!
3rd party view - couldn't get in - you need to book - but it looked sensational and they didn't do the snooty French thing when they said they were full - we will be back for sure!
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NEFFIES L’Escampette
This is the kind of informal bar/restaurant which every village needs-and few seem to have. Set in the heart of Neffies with a cosy, though rather “tired”, dining room and a wide terrace overlooking the vines, it offers a warm welcome and jolly atmosphere throughout the year.
The menu offers many traditional French dishes, some of which are not often seen these days . All are well seasoned and the chef has a real talent with sauces. At my last visit, the whimpers of delight from my husband and our friend as they tasted their food were reminiscent of the famous scene from “When Harry Met Sally”!
The lunchtime “formule” is simple and offers good value at 12€. There is no fixed price menu in the evening, but eating a la carte is reasonable and costs very little more than most set menus. A demi- litre pichet of wine costs 4.50€ and a glass is 1.50€.
Trish Walker
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BEDARIEUX
L'Ateler,22 rue sur le Puits, Bédarieux(in one of the little side streets near the church leading from the market square) Tel: 0467 23 86 02
A review of a restaurant in Bédarieux? Surely not. Bédarieux is not known as a centre of gastronomy but a young couple, Ludovic and Gwenaelle Calvo, have recently opened a new restaurant in the town which certainly" vaut le détour". The décor is contemporary which might not be to everyone's taste, but it is immaculate and bright and air-conditioned , so although small(25 couverts) it is very pleasant even on the hottest days of summer.
At lunchtime there is a set menu at €13.50 for an entrée and main course or main course and dessert, or €17 for all three,very good value given the excellence of the food.
In the evening a three course dinner @ €24 with a choice from two items for each course provides Ludovic with the opportunity to display the range and quality of his cooking. Everything is beautifully presented with great attention to detail, and Ludovic's charming and attractive wife Gwenaelle looks after the front of house.
So if you are looking for something different in an area not exactly teeming with good restaurants, try L'Atelier.
The restaurant is open in the summer for lunch from Monday to Saturday and from Wednesday to Saturday for dinner.
In winter from Monday to Saturday for lunch and Friday and Saturday evenings.
Patrick - our man in the valley D'Orb
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Places with a view - though not cheap but great views and food
SETE
Les Demoiselles Dupuy - 4 Quai Maximin - almost IN the fish market.
Authentic, on the quay and wonderful seafood - a WoW favourite and recommended by Martin Bez of Gallery Sud fame. Benefits by not being on the main and noisey road in the port.
Listed by Gault Millau guide 2009 - it benefits from a goodish wine list and pichets - Rose pretty good @ €8 for 50cls
"Best Tuna ever" opines WoW Tuna expert and seafood is raised by the Patron and his family in Bouziques - plats €15.50 - €19 but only fish is served here.
There could be more restaurants than fishing boats in Sete - so it is hard to choose but we don't think you can go wrong here.
Looks authentic too
One shock - the loo has HOT water - on the other hand the cold tap doesn't work - you can't win them all! 04 67 74 03 46
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OLARGUES - try the Fleurs d'Olargues - sitting over looking the old town with the bridge and river in the foreground - great spot and super welcome from the Danish family who run it - well recommended - and the loos are Danish best too!
Pont Diable is the backdrop and the pretty town of Olargues perched above it
Enjoy your food under the shade of the trees. Speak Danish, French and English
04 67 97 27 04
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VAILHAN - another great view from the Presbytere. Over the lake nestled into the Church. Just another example of clever Maires - this is owned by the tiny hamlet and let to a talented chef and his wife.
Dine on the terrace and see the breath-taking countryside.
Splendid food served with style - try it - though the wine WoW thought on the dear side. 04 67 24 76 49
And after you eat - stroll to the dam constructed to reduce flooding on the plain of Pezenas - not only is the lake beautiful but the dam does the job too.
However we hear reports that Madame has off days and can be quite rude - silly really. Tell WoW if you have a problem or no
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Ed sends from MAGALAS
The Excalibur seems to grow in popularity - everyone knows it and for less than 20 Euros a head including wine and coffee you can eat extremely well from a wide choice of Pizzas and Dishes. The translations are a hoot too. Hat's off to Marie and Roberto for all they do to support the village and their bar restaurant in Magalas!
He also recommends O'Bontemps - agreed it is fine but it is pricey and so a bit outside a WoW wow - if you see what we mean!
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Jon sends from LUNEL
L'Authentic, 9 av Gen de Gaulle, Lunel, 04 67 83 91 12
This is good at any time, but 2-course lunch with glass of wine or beer or water for 13,50€ is exceptional. Cooking of high standard. No pichets but bottles from extensive Languedoc wine list are sensibly priced.
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Laure sends from LODEVE
« Sun House Café »,17 rue Neuve des Marchés : Samir Jaoui est arrivé de Norvège avec sa bonne humeur et son sens de l'accueil méditerranéen : il crée en 2008 son restaurant. Tapas, assiettes orientales à déguster au son des musiques du monde, en terrasse sous les drapeaux boudhistes, ou en intérieur au côté des peintures qu'il expose régulièrement sur ses murs. Vernissages avec concerts chaque mois. Tél : 06 31 56 18 67 & 04 67 88 51 18
« Soleil Bleu », 39 Grand'Rue : Sylvane offre à midi dans son salon de thé tranquille et spacieux un choix de plats du jour ou tartes/salades raffinés et l’après midi un vaste choix de thés et cafés accompagnés de délicieux gâteaux confectionnés par Pierre, son mari. Ce lieu est aussi une galerie où les créateurs métiers d’art exposent avec bonheur : terres, grès et rakus, œuvres gravées ou peintes, livres d’artistes…. Réservations tél-fax : 04 67 88 09 86
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MONTPELLIER -
Les Bains
Just behind the Opera House is an oasis of calm and delight. A clever conversion of this once public bath house has you sitting where once there were baths and overlooking a courtyard of plants where plays a lazy fountain (or they have cleaned the filter). A really good antedote to the rush and noise of Montpellier and WoW recommended.
At the other end of the scale - try the Green kiosk by the old Pathe cinema - opposite the Pavilion Populaire on Esplanade Charles De Gaulle
Meets the WoW criteria for decent pichet wine - €4.50 for 50cl of light Rose. The ideal place to have a snack before a Corum concert or between visits to the Fabre or Pav Pop. Savoury pancakes to die for at very sensible price - no feeling you are being ripped off in this leafy promenade and the sort of welcome you might like - but not get - at a 2* establishment. Worth a try
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CAP D'AGDE Restaurant "Les Halles" - Port Richelieu
45 avenue des Sergents
Looks just like a fish shop from the main road but behind is a simple a deligtful space where the fish is excellent.
As a London journalist remarked "I dont think I have ever eaten such good fish in a long time"
Worth a try - expecially if you have been to the Ephebe Musee - a couple of minutes walk away - then after eating wander and look at the boats and consider the oft told remark that 90% never seem to move.
Tél. : 04.67.26.82.93 www.leshallesauxpoissons.com
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Le GRAU D'AGDE - Adagio
- possibly one of the best meals without spending a fortune with the added benefit of a platform over the river, a view of the Med and sometimes the Pyrenees. Stylish modern feel, food and decor/plates etc. Wine a bit pricey but a place for a celebration and open all year
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BEZIERS - Les Halles
Fine idea - you go around the market and pick up the freshest of fresh food you would like to eat then take it to the bar and they cook it for you for €1 per portion.
On the other corner of the Halles is a pretty good place too - forgotten the name and ate there a long time ago so can't vouch for the quality or prices. Bit Covent Garden market style if you like that sort of thing.
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Closed now for the winter - we have left it up as a reminder - there will be spring and warmth and places to eat on the beach!
Places with a view - though not cheap but great views and food
GRAU D'AGDE - ish - actually between Rochelonge and La Guiraudette - take the turning at the Hyper U and follow the signs to Rochelonge
Les Vagues
This is the "entrance experience" and the out of focus in the distance is the Med - this is on the beach but on decking.
It has style, warmth, welcome and fabulous food with a view to die for. A sailing boat slid past in the dusk - just like a movie
Entrees from €11 - 16 - plats from €15 - 25 and wine from €16 a bottle - but this is the real thing and just the place to suggest to nice guests who offer to take you out to dinner.
A real WoW wow for this one - not open in the winter
04 67 39 08 63 or restaurantlesvagues@gmail.com
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Please send in any places you really recommend - so we can share them with our readers.
Email - hicks-france@wanadoo.fr