Rated #1 on Trip Advisor in Bayonne, A Table located at 27 quai Amiral Dubourdieun facing the river in centre-ville, is a cozy little restaurant , and I do mean little.
The whole thing, dining room open to the kitchen with just a bar delineating the two spaces – would fit inside your average dry cleaner’s. The decor is upbeat and cutesy, reminiscent of a garden teahouse – brick walls painted white, garden furniture and a chalkboard with hand-written names of desserts and hot beverages, including house made hot chocolate.
While this may not be your cup of tea for an intimate dining experience the food is top notch. The small menu is exquisitely prepared with truly the freshest ingredients. The charming hostess, eager to practice her English, will happily help you translate anything you don’t understand on the all French menu as well as accommodating those wishing to practice French.
We started with the gâteau d’artichaut, a sort of quiche with a creamy, eggy custard and big chunks of fresh artichokes – un délice, and the carpaccio of courgette (zucchini), a cold plate that is a meal in itself with a generous curried sliced chicken breast alongside fresh garden veggies and a whipped crème du jour (this night, coconut milk). Both apetizers included crispy hearts of romaine lettuce, spicy onion sprouts and thin slices of variegated daikon radish.
For mains we tasted the boudin noir – one of the meat specialties for the evening. It was everything a good blood sausage should be -rich, earthy with a touch of spice, set on a mustard cream sauce, the perfect marriage. And second the Risotto Océan
– while the seafood, shrimp and scallops served on a skewer, was brilliantly cooked, whether you will love or hate this risotto is a matter of taste. For those who delight in a cheesy rendition, this is the dish for you. Those preferring a more classic interpretation should order something else.
Portions are more than generous and we opted not to have dessert. I can, however, recommend the mint tisane (tea) –a full flavored ending to a fabulous meal.
April 8, 2012
For links to all the posts in this series see the Other Destinations page.
What kind of pricing did this restaurant have? We are visiting Bayonne in march and are looking for places to eat. Thanks!
As I recall it’s moderately priced and has a cute-casual ambiance. I don’t know how much time you have or if you are into this sort of thing, but our favorite discovery in the area, well in Spain really, was the sideria, an hour to an hour and half from Bayonne. 25 Euros a person, but tons of food and a lot of fun.