During the day this is a great place for coffee. You get pastries with the coffee (no, not loads)…read more Their lunch menu is rather mouthwatering, pastas, salads, pizza, panini. Scrummy. You get hungry just looking at it or smelling it. In the evening, it all becomes a bit disappointing. The flavours are a bit dull, nothing is very inspiring. However, the wine is served in large glasses so everything, in the end seems less of a let down, especially if you're not paying. They used to have a sofa near the kitchen door, but since they took it away, we hardly go there. Loos are clean!

Been here for lunch a number of times. The food is of good quality and they serve large portions…read more Very reasonably priced for what you get. Family friendly with a good childs menu.

This is one of Parkstone's little hidden gems. Most of the restaurants around the triangle are…read morepretty good but this one just seems a cut above there rest probably because it's French, they seem to do everything so well. Simple menu but with some innovative twists compliments to the chef.

I've been going to this restaurant for years, before the current owners took over. Back then it…read moreserved Kangaroo, Alligator and Ostrich - all very trendy at the time, but a bit naff now. I do remember the food being very good and one of my first experiences of proper food. Since the new owners took over, the standards have only gone up. They've kept their AA Rosette by sticking to good, locally sourced food done without too much fuss. I took my staff here for the annual post-Christmas meal. The place is favoured by older folk and the setting always reminds me of being in someone's lounge rather than a restaurant. The building is essentially just another old cottage in the village which has been converted into a restaurant, which brings it's own charm with low ceilings and exposed wood. It also comes across as fairly unpretentious. We chose from the set menu which was £25 or so for three courses. Nicely balanced menu, which is always good when you have a choice of 4 for each course - it makes decisions easy as well. The restaurant was fairly full by the time our food came, and the service was always pretty slick but relaxed enough for a Sunday lunch. Everyone enjoyed their meal, washed down with a few bottles of the house wine - a very respectable Sauvignon Blanc. In summary, a decent place. Probably slightly above the average in terms of cost for the area (especially for a village), but it's definitely worth it. Especially when you consider how many times I've paid that much and had a very average meal.

Exquisite food! Decor a little dated but it didn't deter. A truly special experience!read more

This is our first meal in Great Britain and I must confess that wanted to give this place 5 stars…read more But the critic in me whispered "its only new place, in a new country, ran by some very nice people...dont be seduced." So because the voice is many times correct, i decided to give this glorious little cafe in Bournmouth 4.5 Stars over all. So we were not too hungry but stopped in because I wanted a coffee. Krista had the French Onion Soup, (they had no problem preparing it to her specifications), and Tart Flambée. I had Salmon Rillets with pickled fennel. Everything was perfect. The service was spot on. The toilet was clean, the bartender was attentive. Even the conversation of the party next to us was intelligent and thoughtful. Everyone was extremely polite. Its a bit pricey when your on a budget. So expect to pay a bit more. By the way. The coffee was amazing.

Not ideally located but great place to eat, excellent for any occasion being breakfast, lunch,…read moredinner or a late night meal. Warm and cozy theme with ambient lighting and a quiet atmosphere, good value. Very clean and neatly dressed establishment with great service. Car parking can be found across the way thats validated.

This is our favorite Restaurant amazing food served by James, such a relaxing atmosphere perfect…read morefor all occasions

This restaurant with rooms is in a country location near Poole. It is run by Chef Patron James…read moreCoward, who was formerly with Petit Blanc and Manoir au Quat' Saisons. January sees an irresistable bargain lunch menu (three courses for £15). The special offer was working too, as the place was nearly full on a January weekday. The choice is more extensive than most 'sale' menus (five dishes per course). Our party enjoyed starters of field mushroom and oregano soup, avocado and smoked chicken rillette, and poached egg on toasted brioche with smoked salmon. We moved on to mains of pan fried local sardines with new potatoes and mustard sauce; braised beef topside with mushrooms and horseradish mash; and grilled gilt head bream with fennel, sugar snap and coriander sauce. These were washed down with excellent fruity wine from Dorset's largest vineyard, at nearby Horton. Gluten free bread was rustled up on request for one of our party with a wheat intolerance. Puds ran to winter fruit pavlova (sadly not a real pavlova, but fruit on a disk of meringue); fresh fruit in gingersnap baskets with pistachio ice cream; and poached pear. The food was very competent, but lacked the intensity of flavour that would take this restaurant into Michelin territory - one day we will try the menu gourmand. The high number of diners stretched the kitchen, and our meal took three and a half hours - fine for us chatting away, but maybe not the ideal business lunch venue. Certainly worth a visit, not least because the Bournemouth and Poole conurbation is not blessed with many fine dining opportunities.

La Parisienne serves sublime food. Starters are huge and just beyond tasty. Chunks of french bread…read moreand goats cheese, smooth and tasty pate, black pudding and scallops all make my mouth water. The wine is incredible and some kir royales really get my appetite racing. My dinner was chicken and lemongrass with gorgeous potatoes. The desserts were also a treat. My only complaint would be that the food is so incredible I was forced to overeat and felt totally stuffed afterwards! A beautiful place to eat though. Kind and generous service and a lovely, homely place to eat.

I live near the Clos du Marquis and pass it often, standing alone and exposed like 'Jamaica Inn' on…read morethe long Roman road that used to be the main London Road before the advent of the A303. It looks romantic - until one gets inside, where sadly one is met with tired decor, cramped seating and uncomfortable chairs and a menu that reads promisingly but does not live up to expectations. The short wine list is almost exclusively French and contains few names that one would instantly recognise and the few that stand out like Mersault are prohibitively expensive. We had a Beaune that was not on the list and was said to be especially good, but wasn't. However some tasty amuse guerles did appear as we scanned the short and enticing menu and selected rognons sauce diable, lamb, grouse and Dover sole. The kidneys were well prepared and the sauce pleasantly spicy, but the grouse was already deconstructed and very much less good than one recently eaten at the Boot (a nearby pub in Houghton). Tellingly the Clos' one hadn't been obtained from Robinson's, the famous local butcher, on the grounds that Robinson's were too expensive, whereas the grouse at the Boot was. Nevertheless the Boot had charged £21.50 whereas the Clos du Marquis charged £26. Furthermore the lamb was disappointing and was served in gravy covered slices reminding my French-resident restaurateur of a school dinner. Worse, the Dover sole, though large and well- cooked, had clearly been frozen. And it cost £27. One of the dishes most anticipated was crepes suzette, and again these were disappointing. Not prepared at the table as they should be and thick and chewy instead of light and a bit crispy at the edges. But the sauce was good. Altogether a disappointing meal despite a not insignificant cost of £144 for three.

I've passed this restaurant hundreds of times and only recently made a reservation to eat. We were…read morelooking for something a cut above the usual gastro-pub fare and this delivered so much more. It's a small, intimate and cosy place with between 30 & 40 covers. The menu is packed with authentic French dishes using the best seasonal British ingredients. There is a special fixed menu on Tuesdays and Wednesdays making the choice so much harder. On our first visit, we had the fois gras (sublime) followed by cassoulet and a selection of cheeses. Everything was faultless and I would have it all again in a heartbeat. The wine list is succinct and all but 2 or 3 are accessibly priced and all good. Garth shared his wines and gave us tasters so we could make good pairings. We had such wonderful food we came back twice more in less than 2 weeks. Each time we ordered different dishes and all were superb. Outstanding and our new favourite place. Expect to pay £35-40pp plus wine.

Very enjoyable meal with some surprisingly great highlights. Food had a truly French flair. Started…read morewith the mussels, which came in an incredibly creamy garlic sauce. I don't eat bread but I am sure most other people would have liked some to get all the sauce. For me, it was perfect. For a main, had the roast salmon special. Perfectly prepared, on a bed of broccoli and peas. The real highlight, though, was a side of spinach. I am not into greens but, by far, best spinach I ever had. Drenched in a garlic sauce, the garlic really jumped out. The preparation was truly Parisienne. Great meal.

Cozy atmosphere and great service. The lamb shank was amazing, tender and the sauce sooo good! The…read moreportion of fish served for dinner was maybe 2 ounces at best. Good appitizer portion but not for a main entree. My waiter from Portugal was amazing and went out of his way.

I love it here. The situation of this restaurant is great, on the seafront. The food has always…read morebeen good and the staff always friendly.

My partner and I often come into Bistrot Pierre for their lunch menu specials. The baked Brie and…read morepâté starters are very good. They do a good selection of mock tails and cocktails, and the view from the second story of the the sea front is lovely. We have had a few issues with dish timings (ie waiting on someone in our party's food for over 15 minutes) but the waitstaff are very friendly and always make it right when there are little blunders.