O'SOLEIL LA BRASSERIE du SOLEIL

O'SOLEIL LA BRASSERIE du SOLEIL - 34 Quai Antonin Gros, 34340 Marseillan

Marseillan is in itself a very nice place on Bassin de Thau and to visit any of the restaurants along the port is very pleasant. If the food is nice and the price is right it is even better. La brasserie du Soleil is one of those places. We have been there quite a few times but I have not reviewed it before.
We were four people and three of us had filled and grilled mussels and myself I had their home made foie gras. We were all very happy. For main, three of us had back of cod and one of us had a skewer on beef.

My cod was absolutely perfectly cooked and served in Japanese style in a vegetable broth with lemon grass. It was beautiful. Even if this is a typical fish restaurant the meat was tender and perfectly cooked I was told. For desert I had the classic Illes flottantes, two of us had gazpacho on pineapple and one a cheese platter. I do not know if it has improved enormously or if my memory from earlier visits has faded. Now it is really good and – the full menu is 29 euros.

The service is professional and nice and we talked to the chef when we left and he gave an impression of proficiency and ambition.

After you leave you have to visit the home of the famous Noilly Prat whose plant is just across the port. They have come up with a new Extra Dry version which is even more perfect for a dry martini than the Original Dry.

WEB: https://www.facebook.com/osoleilmarseillan/
LATEST VISIT: April 2017
NUMBER OF VISITS: 4

LE VIEUX COQ

LE VIEUX COQ - 1 rue Albert Paul Allies, 34120, Pezenas

This is a small restaurant located in one corner of the little square Gambetta. The location is very nice and the food is good and at a good price. One of the reasons that we go there is that there are many chances in Pezenas to get really bad food – especially if you go to one of the “restaurants” along Place du 14 Juilliet. Take a few extra steps and go into the old town – it will pay off.

WEB:
Latest visit: September 2016
Number of visits: 2

LA MAISON DE PETIT PIERRE

LA MAISONDE PETIT PIERRE - 22, Avenue Pierre Verdier 34500 Béziers

Pierre Augé won the prestigious French Top Chef 2014 and has now won over the winners the following two years. We visited his restaurant in the summer when one can sit in the lovely garden. The food is very creative and delicious. It is an experience to go there, but still not too expensive. The atmosphere is very homey and pleasant and Little Pierre himself moves around among the guests, says a few words, shakes a few hands and is happy to pose on a picture together with the guests.

It is really an experience to visit this restaurant – but you have to reserve a table in advance.


WEB: http://www.lamaisondepetitpierre.fr/index.html
Latest visit: May 2015
Number of visits: 1

AUBERGE DE ST-MARTIN

AUBERGE DE ST-MARTIN - 11 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 34210 Beaufort

We have visited this restaurant twice. The first time we were sitting in the garden and had some grilled dishes. We were very satisfied. The second time was on mothers day 2016 and we were not quite that happy. Maybe the quality was not so high because of the occasion and the pressure it puts on staff.
The service is very nice and the venue outside is very nice in the summer.

WEB: http://www.auberge-st-martin.fr/
Latest visit: May 2016
Number of visits: 2

LA GUINGUETTE CHEZ FADY

LA GUINGUETTE CHEZ FADY - 25 Avenue de la Cadole, 34540 Balaruc-les-Bains

We visited one of the hidden restaurants in Balaruc les Bains today. With hidden I mean that yuo do not find it by accident. It is situated along the long walk by Etang de Thau with a fantastic view, but is not seen from any road nearby. They are – at it should be – specialized on sea-food and they know how to cook that. I can tell you that.

We were there with two friend. One of the ladies is in convalescence after an accident and she is in a wheel-chair. The restaurant is near where she is treated. As Balaruc is in the Sete area the specials of the place are “Setoise”, which means sea-food made with garlic, saffron and other local specialities. Me and our friend had the special fish-soup with croutons with garlic, grated cheese and “rouille”, which is aïoli with saffron. The name means rust because of the colour. It is not always you get this soup made from scratch, but this was. Fantastic! My wife had another speciality from Sete – “moule farcie” – and it was also really good. Our other friend had skewers with squid and a big plate with assorted shellfish. They actually had very good meat too.

The service is very pleasant and welcoming and the view is fantastic. The sun was shining – it was roasting hot in November and the sea-gulls were busy looking for food circling over the enormous oyster-beds outside the window.

WEB: www.laguinguette-restaurant.fr/

Latest visit: November 2015
Number of visits: 1

LE RES’THAU

LE RES’THAU – 28 quai Augustin Descournut, 34 140 Mèze

In the harbor of Mèze there are quite a few restaurants. We have been to several on the east side of the harbor and they have been quite good for lunch. This time we parked in the main parking lot and came to the west side of the harbor basin. The first restaurant is Le Res’thau and we decided to try it.

The food was excellent to a reasonable prize and the kids got a nice omelet with ham to the older and mussels to the youngest. I had a very good fish and my wife a nice salad. The service was very “matter-of-fact” which could be taken for boredom at first, but it was a sign of a nice dry humoristic way of addressing the customers.

So – take the extra steps from the more common east side and go all the way to the last restaurant on the west side. It is as far as 200 meters, but it is worth it.

WEB: http://www.resthau.fr/
Latest visit: August 2015
Number of visits: 1

La Maison de Petit Pierre

LA MAISON DE PETIT PIERRE - 22, avenue Pierre Verdier 34500 Béziers

Pierre Augé won the French Top Chef last year. He also won the challenge against the former champion and the challenge against this year’s Top Chef. We have tried to get a table there for quite a while and this time we were lucky. Pierre runs his restaurant together with his wife and they do a really good job. The food is creative and delicious. We let Pierre choose what we should eat and were not disappointed. Our Swedish friends that we took there were surprised that we could get such fantastic food for so little.

The restaurant is casual and the guests quite young. The service is friendly and efficient. After the meal Pierre come to every table and ask if we are satisfied. Quite a few wants to have a picture with the chef and some even ask for an autograph. A Top Chef in France can be compared to a star in football or other sport in the rest of the world.

If you want to visit the restaurant you have better reserve a table at least 6 weeks in advance.

WEB: http://www.lamaisondepetitpierre.fr/
Latest visit: May 2015
Number of visits: 1

LE TERMINUS

LE TERMINUS – Route de l’ancienne Gare, 34 310 Cruzy

The restaurant is housed in an old railway station. We visited it together with two American friend and had their Menu de la Gare, which is the most elaborated at 39 euros. We started with scallops on a mousse of artichokes and lime. The scallops were delicious, but for those who does not eat almost raw food it might be a bad choice. The lamb shoulder with roasted vegetables we had for main course was fantastic. Cooked for 12 hours at low temperature. The following cheese platter was all right and the deserts we had was really good. The service was nice and the style casuals.

The venue is quite simple in the restaurant bur there is a nice outside garden in the summer, a bar and also a venue for larger parties.

Web: http://www.restaurantleterminus.com/
Latest visit: February 2015
Number of visits: 1

RELAIS CHANTOVENT

RELAIS CHANTOVENT, 17 Grand Rue, 34210 Minerve

Minerve is a fantastic place that is a must to visit in this area. The Restaurant Relais Chantovent is a good place to have the lunch. The view from the restaurant’s terrace over the beautiful river canyon is magnificent. The food is good and the look of it even better, but at our visit there was a few buts. For starter I had trout that was supposed to be made as a gravlax. As gravlax is something of a national dish in Sweden and as I make it several times a year I am quite picky and this was not made the right way. It is supposed to be marinated for two days in a mixture of 50/50 of sugar and salt. They had overdone the salt so it was far too salty, which was a pity as the rest of the dish was very tasty, but the intense saltiness of the fish ruined the whole thing.

My main dish was a 24 hours cooked pork, which was not as tender as it should be after such long time in low temperature. The restaurant pretends to be a gourmet restaurant with traditional food. I would rather say it is a restaurant with enhanced country cooking. I say this as they serve the same garnish with all dishes if it is an expensive or cheaper menu or if it is fish or meat. On a country cooking restaurant that is all right, but not in a gourmet restaurant. It is a pity as the main ingredients was good, well cooked and tasty.

Finally the deserts were, in my taste, far too sweet and lacked more subtle dimensions than just being sweet.

Web: www.relaischantovent-minerve.fr
Latest visit: 2014
Number of visits: 2

L'ASSIETTE AU BOEUF ♥ (closed and opened in new name)

L'ASSIETTE AU BOEUF - 4 Rue de Verdun, 34000 Montpellier

Den här bilden på L'assiette Au Boeuf används med tillstånd av TripAdvisor

This restaurant is a good example of how different the taste is. We like this restaurants very much and we mostly go there every time we visit Montpellier. The reasons are many. First we like the atmosphere, which is a typical French bistro, quite large spaces decorated in an old-fashioned way. The service is friendly, professional and quick and the food is always good, but not at all expensive.

When I however read TripAdvisor I do not think we talk about the same place. Some like it like we do, but there are a lot of very negative reviews from mostly English guests. They complain about that the waiters do not speak proper English, the meat is bad and the beer is terrible and so on. The only advice I can give to English people who are not used to France and French food – go to some other place – you will not like this. Myself I think the meat is mostly very nice, the beer is different to the very good English beer but very good in its style. I however mostly drink wine to this kind of food. The waiters do not speak English, but on the other hand there are many people who do not speak French either.

Latest visit: Jan 2014
Number of visits: >10

AU LAVOIR

AU LAVOIR, Rue du Lavoir, 34440 Colombiers

I never stop being surprised about all these gourmet restaurants that one can find in the smallest villages in France. A few days ago we visited the restaurant Au Lavoir in Colombiers, a little village along Canal de Midi.

It was really a nice surprise. The restaurant was very nicely decorated in a subtle way. The food was excellent, with a few dishes that we don’t find in most restaurants. Of course foie gras was present in many dishes, both in starters and main courses. I had a fried fresh foie gras as this is not always present on menus. The ladies, Anna, Ann-Katrin and my wife were more traditional and had foie gras the traditional way. None of us were disappointed. Two of us had pigeon and two of us had lamb. I notices that they also had wild duck on the menu and many other things to try for next time. The cheese trolley was impressive, full of beautifully aged cheese. I myself had a delicious desert.

The only complain I have is the prize of the wine. Most restaurants here add 100% on the prize from the vine-yard, but her it was at least 200% add-on. I do not appreciate that in the middle of a wine district. The prize of the food was however correct and there was both two set menus and one choice were you could choose one, two, three or four courses from the “a la carte” selection. All four was 35 euros.

Revisited January 2015: We were five very demanding people celebrating my wife's birthday. We all agreed that it was the best meal we have got for a very long time.

Revisted January 2017: Like always a fantastic experience with excellence food and good friends

Revisited March 2018: Disappointment! We had my birthday lunch here today as it is a favorite. It has changed a lot in a year. Foie gras for starter was overcooked until it has shrunk into a little lump. The plate for the second course was so stained and greasy so we lost the appetite for it. The before fantastic desert was totally changed into something much simpler. The pieces of cheese from the trolley was cut without removing the dry part of the cheese that occur when it is left in air for a while.
Minor problems was that they did not offer us to taste the wine before poring and that their understanding for our complaints were minor. About the stained plate they said that some fingerprints were normal on a plate. We said that fingerprints do not normally stick.
They charged us a little less than normal prize despite we did not ask for it, which was good.

Web: http://www.au-lavoir.com/
Latest visit: March 2018
Number of visits: 9

LE PRE ST JEAN ♥

LE PRE ST JEAN - 18 Avenue du Marechal Leclerc, 34120 Pézenas

There are quite a few restaurants in Pézenas' Historic Centre, but the quality is uneven and it is mostly difficult to get a table during summer. A little more than 100 meters from Centre Historique on the main street we found  Restaurant Le Pré St Jean- a gourmet restaurant with reasonable prizes.

It was a very pleasant experience -  the food was excellent and the service friendly and correct. We all had fish dishes that were delicious. The interior of the restaurant is pleasant and has a more formal style than most restaurants in the Historic Centre. This will certainly be a favourite when we go to Pézenas.

Revisited January 2014: This time we had meat. Starter was with quail and main dish was guinea fowl. Both were delicious. This is turning into a real favourite restaurant.

Revisited April 2014: A simple but delicious two-course lunch this time and a glass of wine each. We both had quail for starters and I had rabbit and my wife veal as main course. It was perfect and we feel that we can give this restaurant a hart even if we have been there just three times. The only little mistake was that my wife got a little jar with cold milk with her cafe noisette.

Revisited June 2014: We  visited the restaurant with our friends from Norway. As always the food was lovely and the service perfect. We had a bottle of the fantastic rosé wine from Mas Jullien made by the famous vine-maker Olivier Jullien. The wine comes from north part of Herault and is an AOP Terrasses du Larzac. Very few restaurants serve the wine so we can 't resist it when we have the opportunity.

WEB: www.restaurant-leprestjean.fr
Latest visit: June 2014
Number of visits: 4

ÔportailÔ

ÔPORTAILÔ - 6 Place du Portail Haut - 34210 Olonzac

If you want to try something else than French food - why do not try something inspired by Turkish tastes? In the village of Olonzac you find this tiny restaurant with quite good food and a sympathetic owner who make you feel welcome. We have been there a couple of times with friends that live around the corner.

The only little problem is that the young waitress that served us looked like she would rather be some other place and absolutely refused to give us a friendly smile together with the food.

Revisited October: We were 6 people and everybody but me was very happy. My lamb-shops had very little meat on them, mostly fat. The other person who had the same got better meat. Service was very nice this time.

WEB: http://www.oportailo.fr
LATEST VISIT: October 2013
NUMBER OF VISITS: 4

LA TABLE de JEAN

 LA TABLE de JEAN - 62, la Corniche de Neuburg, 34200 Sète

Outside Sète in direction of Agde you find La Corniche de Neuburg or just La Corniche. This is a summer village, but is slowly growing into more permanent living. You mostly do not expect to find gourmet restaurants in such areas, but Restaurant La Table de Jean is a splendid exception. It is housed in Hôtel La Conga just were the famous beach starts.

This is a very good restaurant and is almost always full of guests. We have been there several times with friends and they are all impressed by the good food and good value. The chef Guy Dagorrette has an ability to prepare the traditional food of the area in a fantastic way. Naturally sea-food is the big thing here, but do not hesitate to order meat if you prefer that. My absolute favorites are their home made Foie Gras to start with followed by their Ravioli with lobster. The service is correct – they do what they are there for but nothing more. In this place it is the food that talks and make you feel great.

This is not a restaurant you would choose from the outside look of the place. It looks quite plain and there is nothing that gives you a hint that you find a top class gourmet restaurant inside.

Revisited x-mas day 2015: Despite we reserved very early we did not get a good table - it was near the entrance. The biggest problem was that we could smell an unpleasant dour from the toilets. The food was not as it is normal days, but acceptable.

WEB: http://www.conga.fr/index.php/restaurant

LATEST VISIT: X-mas day 2015

NUMBER OF VISITS: >5

HÔTEL DE PARIS

 HÔTEL DE PARIS - 2 rue Frederic Mistral, 34200 Sète

During all time we had our summer studio in Sète we were puzzled because of Hotel de Paris in the center of Sète.  It was so odd that the hotel with the best location in Sète was so run down. It was once a beautiful art deco hotel, but now it was more or less a wreck run by an eccentric old lady. Just for curiosity we stayed there one night, but the standard was so poor we had to move. As it was cheap it was however a popular place for motorcycle tourists.

Last year when we returned to Sète, the hotel was renovated into a beautiful boutique hotel and the restaurant was fixed up to how it might have been when the hotel was at its best. The food is prepared by the chef Christophe Chiavola and was really a positive experience. When we last visited Sète we noticed that they served lunch in the renovated inside garden, which must be very nice. We did not go there this time though. We have something to look forward to next time we come to Sète.

WEB: http://www.hoteldeparis-sete.com/fr/index.php#bar-et-restaurant.php

LATEST VISIT: 2012

NUMBER OF VISITS: 1

QUAI 17, ESCALE

QUAI 17, ESCALE - 17 Quai de Tassigny, 34200 Sète

Quai 17, Escale is a gourmet restaurant in the Grand Hôtel in Sète. As there are very few gourmet restaurants in Sète this is something special. The chef Pascal Hemnet creates a combination of modern versions of traditional Mediterranean food and the modern molecular kitchen. 

At a few special occasions we have visited the restaurant and have always been very pleased with the service and the fantastic food. It was here we first came in contact with molecular cooking and found it very exciting. 

The restaurant is housed in the beautiful Grand Hotel and the view over the canals in Sète is really nice. 

WEB: http://www.legrandhotelsete.com/#/fr/restaurant/

LATEST VISIT: 2011

NUMBER OF VISITS: 3

LE MINERVOIS BEL

LE MINERVOIS BEL - 2 rue des Écoles, 34210 Olonzac

Le Minervois Bel is a new experience. We were introduced to it by Swedish friend I have learned to know through blogging about Languedoc. As they live nearby we decided to meet at the very good restaurant Le Minervois Bel in Olonzac. It is a traditional French restaurant and the food is excellent. The prize is very reasonable and the environment is pleasant and so is the service.

We had our lunch in the garden which is very nice in the summer. There was no problem whatsoever to change certain things on the set menu. This was really a pleasant experience and I am sure we will return soon again.

Revisited 2013: We came back with some other friends that live in the village. This time we sat inside, which is very pleasant in the winter. The food and service was as good as last time and as we sometimes have special demands we were pleased that it was no problem at all to do alterations from the set menu.

Revisited September 2013: As always the food was very good and the service pleasant. As this is a gourmet restaurant it is surprising that they do not let you taste the wine - just put the bottle on the table. They also place the small starters and sweets in the end on the corner of the table and let the guests distribute them. Not a serious thing, but not what you expect.
Again we had the bad luck to be in the same restaurant as an American party. We were a number of people in the restaurant - English and French -  and the noise level was very low. The Americans came in and made it totally impossible for anyone else to communicate. I do not understand why grown up people must behave as they were on a stag-party.

Revisited May 2015: We had the menue of the day. It was absolutely perfect and we were sitting in the nice garden.

WEB: http://www.belminervois.com/
LATEST VISIT: 2015
NUMBER OF VISITS: 4

LE SAINT CLAIR

 LE SAINT CLAIR - Rue du Mont Saint-Clair, 34540 Balaruc-les-Bains

We have only been there once, but it was an experience. It was a birthday and we enjoyed the food enormously. The restaurant Saint Clair is a gourmet sea-food restaurant. Most people in the area say it is the best sea-food place around L’Etang de Thau. The reason why we have not returned after the first time is that we have gone to the neighbor restaurant Le Grand Large that has the same owner and is a little less expensive, but has fantastic food and very nice service.

If you are in the Sète area and really want to experience the best sea-food the region can offer – this is the place. So why go away from Sète? The reason is that because of the many tourists Sète restaurants concentrate rather on prize than quality in the summer. It is hard to get the best sea-food in "the center of sea-food" in south of France. A few kilometers away in Balaruc-les- Bains it is a different thing.

Revisited May 2013: It was quite a while since we were at this restaurant. As the first time it was a birthday we celebrated. The food was excellent as we remembered from last time, perhaps a little more elaborated this time.

The starter we all but one had was their foie gras which is something extra. It was foie gras prepared in different ways presented in a very aesthetic way. All but myself had beef for main course, which was excellent. As this is a fish restaurant I had Bourride de baudroie. It is classic dish that takes a lot of time to make at home so I took the opportunity to eat it here. It is however very filling.

Revisited September 2013: we were slightly disapointed this time. My favourite starter with foie gras was not as it normaly is. The starter with Saint Jaques was tastless. The two fish-dishes we had were good, but my wifes lamb was not at all up to standard - tough and not very nice pieces. My dessert was delicious, but the cheese plate was not at all of French standard.

WEB: http://www.restaurant-saintclair.com/accueil.html
LATEST VISIT: 2013
NUMBER OF VISITS: 2

LE JASMIN

LE JASMIN - 9 Rue Frédéric Mistral 34200 Sète‎

During the 12 years we had our summer studio in Sète we found it difficult to find really good restaurants. Most restaurants focus on one time customers during the summer and the prize tends to be more important than quality. We however found a few good places which we return to time after time.

One of our absolute favorites is the Vietnamese restaurant Le Jasmin. The food is excellent and the service could not be better. The owner makes you really feel like you were an old friend and treated you like one. If you are used to Asian food from China this is something quite different with lots of flavors and, if you choose so, quite spicy.  The restaurant is quite small so you have to reserve a table even in low season as the place is popular. Unfortunately we do not visit Sète that often nowadays, but as often as possible we return to Le Jasmin. We did visit Le Jasmin a couple of days ago with friends and we were happy to see that the quality is still as good as ever and the reception from the owner is like you we were old friends.

Revisited for friend´s birthday in 2013: As always a very pleasant experience an boring as we are we had our favorite dishes and a good chat with the owner. The restaurant was packed as always.

Revision 2015: Friends that have been client for decades report that service and food is not as good as it used to be due to new co-owner.

Visit September 2015: Back to normal again. We had a very good lunch.

Visit New Years Eve 2015: Excellent food and the service is like coming to a good friend's place.

WEB: 

LATEST VISIT: February 2017

NUMBER OF VISITS: >15

HÔTELLERIE DE BALAJAN

HÔTELLERIE DE BALAJAN - 41 Route de Montpellier  - D 612 - 34110 VIC-LA-GARDIOLE

This restaurant is one of our big secrets. It is not possible to find if you do not know about it. It is located on the very boring coast road outside Frontignan on the road to Montpellier.  You find it in the middle of an industrial area and you would pass it without even a glance if you do not have eyes like a hawk and can see all the awards from every gourmet guide in France that is put up on the front door.
The place is an old fashioned restaurant with very correct old fashioned service and absolutely fantastic old fashioned food. I am talking of the hotel and restaurant Hôtellerie de Balajan. We have been there twice and the latest time we had a birthday party with our friends. Everything you get on your plate is better than you expected. The only problem might be that you get a little to full; especially the grand cheese trolley and the grand desert in the end could be too much for anyone.
The good news in the end is that the prize is very reasonable. On top of everything one of the ladies got a loaf of their homemade bread as she said she liked it.


WEB: http://www.hotel-balajan.com/
LATEST VISIT: 2008
NUMBER OF VISITS: 2