Tails From Provence

We’ve been meaning to go to Le Gargantua for some time now – since we got here last October, basically.  We finally got around to it recently (it’s only up the road in Reillanne, for god’s sake!!) and put it through our (ahem!) stringent TFIL test process, bringing the YD along, too.

Hmm, seemed like good value – the Menu du Jour comes in at a tidy 13.50 for a starter and main course.

We all opted for the same starter – Tartelet de 3 fromages, or three cheese quiche.  We had been warned that there is a reason this place is called Gargantua, so the YD and I decided to share.  A wise decision – they were huge!

They were ok.  Truth be told, we’re a bit spoiled when it comes to quiche – the boulangerie in Reillanne makes the world’s best quiche.  Nothing else is ever as good.

The LSH had been told to try the côte de pork – pork chop.  It came with noodles and a nice mushroomy sauce.

It just looks like a normal, good-sized pork chop from above, doesn’t it?  Now I’ll show you how thick it was :

It was cooked all the way through but was still juicy and tender.  Yeah.  He said it was the best pork chop he’d ever had.

I was sticking with the plat du jour, which was duck confit served in gravy.  They’re mad for the duck confit over here – it’s used as a way of preserving duck.  It’s cooked slowly and then tinned or vacuum packed in its own fat.  When it’s vacuum packed, it can be kept in the fridge for ages or frozen.  I’ve a feeling this one was frozen.  It had that grey look to it.  It wasn’t a patch on the chop.

The YD is “sort-of” vegetarian (Ash says she’s not vegetarian at all, she’s just fussy, but he’s the only one who can get away with saying that). Anyway, she ordered Salade Provençal.  This was billed as salad with aubergine, tomato and courgette.  Turned out the featured veggies were done as a dip and spread on bread.  The YD is also “sort-of” coeliac, but she often eats bread and decided to go ahead and eat this anyway.

Le Gargantua is a very typical French country café, sitting on one side of the main square, looking out over the fountain and the war memorial.  We had been warned that Monsieur le Chef was a bit grumpy, but he wasn’t – he came out and chatted with patrons when he had finished cooking, even us foreigners.

Star ratings? It’s hard to rate the food – the pork chop was excellent but the rest was only just ok, so I’m being tough and only giving three stars.  Value wise, perhaps I’m being generous with four stars – there are places where you’ll get three courses plus wine plus coffee for just fifteen euros…

Star Rating (out of 5) : 

Service : ✮✮✮✮
Food : ✮✮✮
Value : ✮✮✮✮
Ambiance : ✮✮✮✮