Many people go out for lunch during the week, nothing odd there. Maybe they have an expensive repast like something that you’ve seen on masterchef or maybe it’s a burger from some well known outlet with the Golden Arches.
Well here in France they do Le Menu. I’m sure I remember it in the past being ten francs now it’s risen to the dizzying heights of €13.50 and that seems to be a standard price wherever you go, but hang on €13.50 that’s about £11 and for that you can expect a three course meal with wine and sometimes coffee as well.
Let’s talk turkey here, we have recently been to the most extraordinary restaurant yet for Le Menu. Run by Methuselah’s dad and his wife at the standard speed of slow the whole thing seemed to carry on and on and …. you get the picture.
Being obviously not the French working man I think we were toward the rear of the service but we sat at one of the trestles and drank the red or rose depending on our whim whilst the soup turine arrived and from which we could help ourselves, that and the copious supplies of bread. Not bothered for seconds of the soup I opted for another glass or so of the wine ( don’t expect anything with a label) and very nice too.
We moved on, the charcuterie course rolled up – a big plate with pates and cured meats – help yourself so we did, but how much can you really get through, another glass and a beaker of water please.
Surely we should be onto the mains? Nope. Salad course next. A plethora of salad options arrives and to be honest it would be rude not to sample the delights although you might by now start to wonder how anything gets done in the afternoon, maybe it doesn’t, maybe the accident figures for the afternoons in rural France at least are awful?
The main course. Steak frites as much as you can get through, I think it’s steak but for anyone thinking they’re going to get an option on it’s cooking think again but once again it’s a platter and help yourself time. I have to say that this steak frites thing is quite common in Le Menu, although at our local restaurant I confess I saw our roofer start with the escargot with beer, move through the entire lunch with a bottle of red and as we left he was drinking crème de menthe at the bar.
Meanwhile back at Methuselah’s place we’re through the mains – oh my god there’s a cheese board, and I do like a nibble at the cheese. Looking round the hubbub has died down and a lot of the talk that was drowning out the TV news is now similarly drowned, not many left, presumably they’re back on tractors in the fields or the like.
Madame has arrived and we’re done with the cheese and the coffee orders are in but what’s this she’s back with a plastic tub – choose your ice cream time I’ve gone for the bounty option.
After the coffee and since we seem the only ones still here it’s time to pay and head off to find a settee and a darkened room.
We hadn’t got the right change so Methuselah got €15 from each of us and a conversation in a Girondese accent that was barely understandable, c’est la vie.
Long live Le Menu, long live methuselah and the art of ignoring EU regulations.
Ruby&Ruch 