I'd give this place 3.5 stars, maybe rounded up to 4 stars since you get a good amount of food for the price, and it's not too expensive. The quality of the food can be a little bit hit or miss, but you definitely won't go home hungry. This is a casual place that would work for large groups or families, and the space is pretty big and holds a lot of people. We walked right in without having a reservation.
The 3 course prix-fixe menus are pretty inexpensive - the cheapest one is 14€ which has a slightly more limited selection of things, but still a decent selection of 5 appetizers to choose from, 5 entrees, and 5 desserts. So you should be able to find something that suits your taste. They also have a slightly more expensive menu at 20.80€ with more choices for your appetizers and entrees. The menu that I got with the soup and fish was just 14€ which is pretty inexpensive, and the menu that my husband got with the cassoulet was the 21€ one.
Appetizers:
- Gratinée à l'oignon - This is basically what American's call "French Onion Soup" - with a lot of caramelized onions, beef stock, melted cheese, and chunks of bread. It was good - not the best onion soup I've ever had, as I thought the broth was a tad salty, but I still enjoyed it.
- Panier de légumes d'ce jour (+ 1,80€) - My husband ordered this and it was literally a huge basket of raw vegetables. I think both of us were full after just eating this. It had celery, carrots, endives, broccoli - basically as many vegetables (or more) that you would get if you got a veggie party tray in the States at the supermarket. It was good, and the vegetables were fresh, but maybe this was not quite what I was expecting for an appetizer - it was a TON of vegetables.
Entrees:
- Cassoulet de la Mère Ploucs - We've eaten our fair share of cassoulets, having lived in Toulouse for the last year. It was good, but not something I'd come back here and get again. I've had better cassoulets at other restaurants.
- Fish with pesto sauce, fries, and tomatoes - The fish was good, and went well with the pesto sauce and fries, but I didn't think the fish was anything too special and found the quality of the fish to be just okay.
Desserts:
- Riz au lait - We found this dessert to be just okay, and a tad bit sweet and just a bit plain.
- Pain perdu - This was actually a generous size for a dessert, and was like American "french toast" - bread battered in egg and pan fried and then topped with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce. It was pretty good - again, nothing that I'd come back here again for seconds, but it was a good choice.
Overall, classic/traditional French food, reasonable prices, large portions, and a large restaurant with lots of seating. I wouldn't say the quality of the food was outstanding, but I would say it was accordingly priced for the quality. If you're visiting Bordeaux for the first time and need somewhere where you don't need a reservation, haven't had a lot of French food, and value quantity/price over money, then this is a good pick. read more