Charles Barrier delivers the full French fine dining experience and excels in every area. First impressions matter and I immediately felt relaxed upon arriving at the restaurant. Our luggage was whisked away and we were transported to our table overlooking an attractive courtyard which would no doubt have been used for our aperitifs had the weather been kind.
First impressions became concrete opinions as the food and wine arrived. The menu is full of classical French dishes which have been tweaked just enough to keep them current without detracting from the joy of their historic origins. The food was complimented by a wine list which focussed on wines from the appellations surrounding Tours and featured classic producers and up-and-comers alike. The bottle of Chinon red recommended by our sommelier was extremely good.
There were a number of stella dishes. My favourite was my main of Le coeur de ris de veau, essentially a giant piece of sweetbread perfectly cooked and served with delicious fricassée of mushrooms and a veal, truffle and vin jaune sauce. The sweetbread was not just the biggest I had ever seen, but also the most tasty and in combination with its accompaniments my mouth was buzzing with the different textures and flavours.
Close behind was Charles Barrier's signature Grand Marnier soufflé desert which we had to order at the start of the meal. I have never seen a soufflé rise so high - I would love to know how they did it. However, in addition to this technical feat, the soufflé was amazingly light and the Grand Marnier flavour was partnered by a refreshing grapefruit sorbet. A great way to end a great meal - so good in fact, that we were already planning our next visit before we had left! read more