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Le Guide Gastronomique |
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NB: These are very personal,
subjective and unreliable opinions. |
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A red box means a place has had consistently good reports
from previous guests. |
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Local |
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Le Domaine de Loustalviel
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You can’t get more local than your own dining table.
Chantal, the caretaker, is a first-class cook; everyone who has had one of
her meals speaks highly of it. She prefers to do soup-to-nuts, rather than
just the main course. Give her a couple of days notice so that she can buy
well in the market. Don’t expect Michelin star stuff, but do expect something
very French and very tasty. It's, the ideal solution when you want a really
good meal and can’t be bothered to go out, or to peel the potatoes yourself. |
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Belpech
Le Vixiege
04 68 60 62 03 |
We get very
variable reports about this place. Sometimes very positive indeed; sometimes
very lukewarm. It’s always pretty basic, and nobody has ever said it’s
expensive (reckon well under 30€ a head). Probably worth going for a beer one
day to see if it’s looking promising this week. |
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Mazères
05 61 69 45 22 |
It was originally
the municipal bath and wash-house; but, at 25-35€ a head, they won’t take you
to the cleaners. We think it’s great, and we’ve had only positive reports.
The food is excellent, with ample choice for the adventurous and the less
adventurous, the staff are friendly and helpful, and
the setting is super with a terrace over the eponymous river by an ancient
bridge, floodlit at night. Worth booking. |
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Mazères
Le
Paradis du Pape 05.61.69.39.40 |
Glorious
gardens set on the banks of the Hers river. There are some touches of
innovation in the otherwise fairly standard regional menu. Service is
friendly, and the chef is cheery, bonhomous and
enormous. Brilliant for
a Sunday lunch or on a balmy summer’s evening; you should certainly book
(around 30€ – 40€ per head). |
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Mazères
La Ferme ô Délices |
We’ve had a
big celebratory lunch here for 12 people, and we’ve had an out-of-season
intimate dîner-à-deux; we think it’s wonderful.
They produce all the ingredients
organically on their on-site farm The young chef has trained at big-name
restaurants, and is clearly out to get a Michelin star, and he’s an
innovator, as you can tell from a menu which includes roast pork in a
chocolate sauce (Yes, really! – and it tastes a million times better than it
sounds). Don’t go all noble and miss out on the desserts. They are worth the
guilt. Must book. 30€ – 40€ per head. |
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Montgéard La Ferme de Champreux
05 61 81 33 13 |
A great place
for a French-style family Sunday lunch. Bourgeois cooking, but to a high
standard, and reasonably priced, say €35 – €40 per head. Dylan Glover
reports: “Unobtrusive and efficient service, coupled with a solid house red
and a superb Magret de Canard, make
for a very relaxed gastronomic excursion. The garish “Miami Vice”-style neon
exterior belies an intimate and pleasant terrace with lakeside views. Varied prix
fixe menu ranges from €16 to €35; extra expense is rewarded with rich,
memorable encounters with the flavours and textures of the Aude (including a
hidden fish course for the €30 menu!)” |
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Fanjeaux
La Table Cathare
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Not the most
exciting gastronomic event in the world, but quite pleasant, with well
prepared, standard regional dishes at acceptable prices (probably under €25
per head) in an entirely acceptable environment; and it is only a 15-minute
drive from base. |
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Le Roy
Gourmand
05 61 60
12 12 |
Setting,
service, carte du jour (€30) posher than you might expect from a
station restaurant (over level crossing towards centre ville,
first right). |
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Crescendo
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OK, this is
embarrassing, but the self-service restaurant in the Carrefour complex is
great value. Not a top gastronomic experience, but preferable to McDonalds,
and not much pricier. On Mondays they do “All you can eat Mussels and Frites”
for 9€95. |
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Le
Cantegril
05 61
68 11 26 |
Best choice
for an honest square meal in the main |
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La
Flambée
05 61
68 16 59 |
Just off the
main square (in the street alongside the Casino
supermarket), and one step up-market from the Cantegril.
More original food, with a clearly Catalan influence, and a lot more garlic.
Friendly, efficient service in a pleasant setting. €27 a head. |
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Chez Llobet
05 61 69 44 34 |
M Llobet used to run L’Auberge
du Pays (qv), and has now opened this wine
bar/brasserie just off the main square,
opposite the cathedral. Varied and unusual menu, well prepared; prices higher
(€35 per head) but still worth it – especially if you’ll enjoy his clever
wine list. Must book. |
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Hôtel le Commerce
05 61
68 10 29 |
A family-run
one-time coaching in. Everyone who has eaten here speaks highly of it as a
safe, reliable, moderately priced place for a good meal in a pleasant atmosphere.
You’ll have a bill for around €30 a head. Service can be v e r y s l o w
when it’s busy, and it often is, so try mid-week rather than weekends. |
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Hôtel Relais
Royal
05 61
60 19 19 |
The cheapest menu is 32€ a head, and they go up to 90€, but a 16/20 score in Gault-Millau
means they can’t be all bad; so, if you want to push the boat out…. |
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Les Remparts
05 61 68
12 15
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Very good food
indeed. We’re in 30+€ a head territory here, but the atmosphere (especially
in the crypt) is quite special, the food exciting and very well prepared (if
a touch on the nouvelle side); the
wine is list interesting and not over-priced. Open 7 days a week, and we
think it’s good for a “special” meal |
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Le
Comptoir Gourmand
05 61 68 19 19 |
Up-market Deli
with restaurant. Friendly, welcoming service. Pleasant setting, Delightful
and quite original menu – especially the fish. Just across the road from the Western
Stone Gateway without the City Wall. |
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Bastide de Bousignac L’Auberge Du Pays
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Used to be
worth the journey for delightful, imaginative local bourgeois cooking with
cheery patron and excellent value. It seems to have gorn orff under new management, now that M Llobet (qv) has moved on to
better things - and Mme Llobet likewise! |
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Troye d'Ariège L'ECOLE BUISSONNIèRE 05 61 68 11 62 |
Where Kafka
meets Alice in Wonderland, this
place is best described as an over-cluttered surreal bric-à-brac
shop, with some tables shoe-horned in. But the service is warm and friendly,
the food original, very local, very home-made, very delicious and remarkably
good value. We’d expect you to escape at well under 30€ per head having had a
thoroughly enjoyable evening. |
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Camon L'Abbaye-Château de Camon 05 61 60 31 23 |
This former
16th century fortified abbaye
is now run by an English couple. All the staff speak better English than they
do French, but the food is definitely more French than English, both in style
and quality. Last time we were there, we overheard a Parisian telling mine
host that this was the best meal he’d had in the region. It’s not cheap –
probably well over 30€ a head, but it’s worth it, as much for the setting as
for the food. You must book (but at least you can speak on the phone in
English!) |
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Villeneuve d’Olmes Castrum
05 61 01 35 24 |
They moved to
new premises opposite the pharmacie in Villeneuve
d’Olmes; and everything went downhill; we have
been very disappointed with the service and the atmosphere, and, alas, not at
all surprised that they’ve lost their Michelin *, and do not now even get a Michelin mention.
It was typically €60 per head; with
a cheaper weekday lunch, which might combine well with a visit to Montségur
– but see below. |
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Montségur
05 61 01 10 24 |
At the foot of
the Montségur
“plug” it sounds as though this place earns its mention in the Michelin (no
stars) by virtue of its good traditional cuisine, as well as by virtue of its
beautiful setting and ambiance. It sounds good value. Please try and report |
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04 68 23
25 95 |
Excellent
bourgeois cooking (and, we think, the best cassoulet
in the area). Small noisy terrace on the main street of Castelnaudary.
Otherwise, somewhat lacking in atmosphere. Typically €30 per head. Must book
if you want to lunch on the terrace, especially on Sundays. |
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Le Tirou
04 68 94 15 95 |
Hidden behind
a petrol station opposite the Géant supermarket,
but, nonetheless recommended for an evening out. There’s excellent, friendly
service in the very pretty garden; food a bit flash and quite rich (€35+ per
head). Do book. |
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Saint Félix Lauragais Le Poids Public
05 61 83 00 20 |
Michelin *: excellent
food, pleasant, modern, unremarkable decor, but the most glorious view from
the terrace, which is a heavenly lunch spot for a sunny day (but you
need to specify when you book that you want to be on the terrace – which can
get very hot in the summer). Beware of their speciality amuse-gueule,
stewed cocks' combs! Service hits exactly the right note. Brilliant wine list
- and you can trust the sommelier not to rip you off. Probably 50€ + per head;
must book. |
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La Pomarède Château de la Pomarède 04 68 60 49 69 |
Michelin *: very classy
indeed, set in an old Cathar castle; takes itself
quite seriously, so the magnificently romantic setting can become something
of a ritualised sacramental experience, rather than just a great meal. Specialities include: Fraîcheur de homard et purée
d'artichaut and Nougat glacé aux olives de Lucques. Very expensive, of course, but if you can afford it,
probably worth every penny. Must book. |
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La Table
Ronde
04 68 47 38 21
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There’s a
wealth of restaurants in the modern town, and a surfeit of rip-off joints in
the old, where this one is. Mulberry shaded terrace is cool and peaceful, a
great relief from the maelstrom of the tourist streets. Food entirely
acceptable, reasonably priced, given the location. A much less awful lunch
experience than you’d expect in this tourist trap. |
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Cavanac
Le Château
de Cavanac
04 68 79
61 04 |
If you’re willing
to drive for 50 minutes each way to this village (10 km South of
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L’Églantine
04 68 31
21 95 |
Very pleasant
service. Original menu. Worth the €30 if you’re in or around Limoux,
but ne vaut pas le voyage |
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Brugairolles near Limoux
Domaine Gayda
04 68 20
78 31 |
If you like the idea of sitting on a terrace
watching a glorious sunset over vineyard-clad hills, while enjoying a first-class
meal and classy service, with wines grown and bottled on-site, then this is
worth the 45 minutes in the car, and the 40€ to 50€ per head that you’ll pay.
It’s an extremely stylish restaurant in the vineyard of Domaine Gayda.
The menu is exciting, different and very well prepared. The service is
spot-on, thoughtful, thorough, friendly (but sometimes a bit slow). Their
cheaper wines are fine, but nothing to write home about, but the more
expensive jobs won’t break the bank and are really excellent (there’s a rumour that they supply the house wine for Gordon
Ramsay’s gaffs). In short, this has become our favourite
restaurant in the region. |
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