Coucou !
After
a busy few weeks I’ve finally found the time to blog again.
Since I last wrote, my post on finding student accommodation in France has been featured on the
Third Year Abroad website (www.thirdyearabroad.com) which I am absolutely thrilled about! For those of you who don’t know, the TYA
website is a fantastic resource for students considering, embarking on or returning
from their year abroad. It contains essential advice about placement hunting, funding,
accommodation and much more. If that applies to you I’d highly recommend taking a look at it!
In my last post (which you can read here) I started
counting down my top 10 places to eat in la ville rose.
So without further ado, let’s resume the countdown - here
are my top 5 favourite restaurants in Toulouse.
5. Le salon d’Eugénie
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| Photo credit http://www.toulouscope.fr/salon-de-the/le-salon-d-eugenie.html |
Value for money: 16/20
Atmosphere: 17/20
French factor: 18/20
My French language tandem took me to Le salon d’Eugénie as
it’s one of her favourite café/restaurants. The décor was typically French with
lots of little tables for two packed into one room. The place was full
of locals – always a good sign!
As this is more of a café, the menu was lighter than the
other restaurants I’ve been to in Toulouse. For my main course I chose
air-dried ham and a local blue cheese on sourdough bread with a side salad – a
wise choice! It was the first time I’d tried blue cheese (silly I know, but the
colour has never appealed to me) and I was surprised at how much I liked it!
My friend had to get back to university for 2pm but we lost
track of time and only realised she would be late if we stayed after ordering
dessert! Luckily the staff were really accommodating and packaged our puddings
into little pâtisserie boxes – they
even gave us our expressos to take
out.
A really charming place for a lighter lunch, afternoon tea
or an ice-cream in the summer, located right in the heart of Toulouse
just off Capitole square, this place is well worth a visit!
4. Café du Midi
Value for money: 17/20
Atmosphere: 18/20
French factor: 20/20
Another favourite of my language tandem. Dating back to
1875, the Café du Midi is a Toulousain
institution. The style is that of a traditional brasserie: a no-frills eatery serving fresh, tasty French
favourites at reasonable prices.
I ordered the French classic of Steak Frites, a good sized steak accompanied with a generous
portion of French fries and side salad. For dessert I ordered profiteroles,
what I got was a gigantic helping of vanilla cream, lots of chocolate sauce and of course
masses of profiteroles – I don’t think I even managed to eat half of it!
The brasserie was
quite empty on the day we visited which apparently was unusual. Had it been
busier I think the atmosphere might well have been improved.
I recommend a visit to the Café du Midi – it’s fascinating
to imagine how many people have eaten there over the years!
3. La Faim des Haricots, centre ville branch
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| Photo credit https://gourmandisesetplaisirspluriels.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/restaurant-vegetarien-la-faim-des-haricots-toulouse/ |
Value for money: 20/20
Atmosphere: 16/20
French factor: 15/20
This restaurant is listed as one of the top 10 vegetarian
restaurants in France according to The
Guardian. From visiting several times, I can confirm it is
deserving of this accolade.
La Faim des Haricots is a welcome break from traditional
French dining. It offers exclusively vegetarian dishes in an ‘all you can eat’
style (buffet à volonté). There
really is something for everyone, from typical French café staples such as quiches
to more unusual options such as vegetarian chilli with couscous and Thai green
vegetable curry with rice. Each day
there are five courses to choose from: salad, savoury tarts, soup, the dish of
the day and a selection of especially yummy desserts and ice-creams. The number
of courses you can choose depends on the formule
you select; I’d recommend the menu ‘Midi’
(lunch menu) which consisted of two dishes, a small carafe of wine, cider or a non-alcoholic beverage and an expresso for 14,50 € which was extremely
good value.
My only qualm about the restaurant is that if you are seated in the basement you have to carry your food downstairs from the ground floor buffet, which can prove a slightly precarious experience!
There was a good mix of locals and tourists in the restaurant, and each time I visited it was very busy – I would recommend booking in advance!
There was a good mix of locals and tourists in the restaurant, and each time I visited it was very busy – I would recommend booking in advance!
2. Au Bon Servant
Value for money: 17/20
Atmosphere: 19/20
French factor: 20/20
My foodie friend was right when she told me this is a must visit restaurant!
Au Bon Servant offers a modern take on traditional French
cuisine in a relaxed and intimate bistro setting where you can watch the chef
prepare each dish.
On both my visits the restaurant was lively with the sound
of French conversation, suggesting the place is a firm favourite amongst the
locals. Each time there was a different head chef who added his own flair to the
signature dessert of a light and fluffy olive oil sponge cake and sweet cherry
tomatoes accompanied by a delicately perfumed orange blossom mousse. However,
my favourite dish has to be the tasty beef belly with creamy polenta, tangy pickled
Asian vegetables and a salty, rich mushroom sauce – not a dish I will be
forgetting in a hurry!
Although Au Bon Servant was the most expensive restaurant I
visited during my time in Toulouse (the lunchtime formule was around 24 € for three courses, or 19 € for two, without
wine or coffee), the quality and ambiance means it was definitely worth the
extra few euros.
1. Le Bistoquet
Value for money: 20/20
Atmosphere: 19/20
French factor: 19/20
Another unmissable restaurant recommended by the same foodie friend, Le Bistroquet was absolutely stuffed full
of locals when I made a lunchtime visit with my French language tandem. The plat du jour was a gigantic piece of
tender slow-cooked pork (I forget what cut it was but I don’t think I’ve eaten
it before (or perhaps I have eaten it, but not cooked so expertly!)), served
with spiced lentils and a green salad. Like many French restaurants there was
an ever-replenishing basket of fresh sliced baguette
to accompany the meal, plus a small choice of good quality wine either by the
glass or by the bottle.
The food may sound simple but it was done extremely well. My
language tandem and I were so full up we didn’t need anything else except an espresso
to finish off the meal! We only ate one course, meaning that the price was very
reasonable, too.
I really regret not going back to Le Bistroquet for a few
more meals – definitely one of my priorities next time I find
myself in Toulouse!
Ciao !
