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This
restaurant review was undertaken on Saturday, February 20, 2009.
Situated in
the Hub, Cafe Rouge sits like a proud corner of France, boasting
happy and contented diners of all ages.
The restaurant
comprises of an outdoor seating area, which is ideal for warmer
days ahead, although on the evening of this review was
frequented by smokers. Upon entering the restaurant is one large
“L” shape in design with a wonderfully stocked bar with brown
woodwork. (Imagine the set of Allo Allo! and you are there!) The
bar serves wines, spirits and beers. The walls are adorned with
Parisian style posters, pictures with the odd bottle of wine
painted on! The lighting is subdued with each table having
candles. The lighting quality does mean that depending where you
sit, reading of the menu can be somewhat of a challenge! The
waiting staff are dressed in white shirts and blouses with ties,
dark trousers and aprons and are very smart in their
appearance. They are efficient and friendly and are only too
happy to offer assistance, and more importantly smile when they
talk to you; how refreshing in times where doom and gloom seems
to surround us all.
Cafe Rouge has
an intimate atmosphere, although on a Friday night it was what
could only be described as a lively atmosphere.
The menu, when
able to read it, is set- out in an easy manner with the main
courses divided in to their appropriate categories, e.g. fish,
meat, pasta etc. For those of us who speak little French, the
description of each course is in English!
Food
My guest chose
Fritoits de Camembert at £4.95. (A deep fried Camembert with a
redcurrant and cranberry sauce). Ample in size the slightly
bitter taste of the melted camembert was beautifully
complemented by the sweet and rather strong redcurrant and
cranberry sauce. A small salad accompanied this starter. An
ideal size starter which ignited the taste buds.
I chose the
Crev atte a l’aill at £5.50.(King Prawns in garlic with a
tomato, chilli and basil sauce with French bread). The garlic
gives this starter a bit of kick as it blends superbly with the
heat and taste of the chilli sauce. The tomatoes provide
moisture to the dish. The flavours danced on the tongue. Both
dishes were well presented.
My guest chose
Poulet Breta (Brittany) at £10.25 (strips of chicken breast,
leeks, and mushrooms sautéed with cream, herbs and white wine
with herb mash). A good sized portion that was piping hot. The
pieces of chicken were large, but in comparison to the overall
dish could have been bigger or more realistically more in
number. The creamy sauce complemented the slightly crunchy leeks
and the soft texture of the chicken. The main course was
substantial in size but did not leave my guest feeling unable to
eat anything else.
I chose the
Boeuf Bourguignon (Burgundy) at £12.75. (A classic beef
casserole, in a rich red wine lardon sauce with dauphenoise
potato.) There was no complaint with the size of the pieces of
beef in this dish. The meat was succulent and full of flavour.
The sauce was textured and more like gravy in its consistency
and fabulously enhanced the dark rich flavour of the beef.
Despite the consistency of the sauce it managed to complement
the creaminess of the dauphenoise potatoes. The crunchy and full
of flavour green beans added yet another variety in texture to
the dish. A lovely warming and flavoursome dish.
The Desserts
My guest chose
Tarte au Citron at £4.75. (A zesty lemon tart finished with
crème fraiche). A really good choice as the tanginess of the
lemon left the pallet feeling clean and fresh. The tart had a
crystallised top, with a creamy underside, on a soft pastry bed.
I chose the
Cheesecake a la vanilla at £4.75. (A rich vanilla and crème
fraiche cheesecake, with blackcurrant compote). A soft textured
creamy cheesecake slightly bitter in taste dramatically enhanced
by rich vibrant blackcurrant compote. The base was ample and
soft. |
