I arrived at Toulouse's St Etienne Cathedral a little after 10.30 and the next time I looked at my watch it was 12.30, so I decided I should find somewhere to eat before everything closed for the afternoon. Yelp led me to a little place at 46 Rue Pharoah in Carmes called Le Mangevins which was described as "French BBQ". The waiter didn't speak any English but appeared to be encouraging me towards the set menu, and as the only alternative seemed to be cassoulet (which I had for lunch yesterday) I decided to give that a shot.
For appetiser I chose the fois gras (good God, how many fat geese have I killed on this holiday already) which wasn't as rich as some of the previous versions I've tried, but I think I actually prefer it made with a little subtlety like this one. It was served with a little tub of lettuce and a crusty bread roll.
Next was the Andouillette, a course sausage made from pork, intestines, onion, wine and seasoning. This was served in a shallow terrine in a yellow sauce with a huge tray of baked potatoes. The first bite was almost overwhelming, and the odour quite pungent. But after a couple of mouthfuls I actually started to like it. The trick for me was to skip the sauce and have the sausage with some potato which seemed to moderate and balance the flavour.
I ordered a glass of Fronton Rouge which, after the red I've become accustomed to of late, tasted pretty ordinary, but for 2.3 euros a glass I guess I can't really complain. The bill came to 13,3 euros in total. Overall, good value for money, good food and very fast service. The only thing I could fault it on is the rather limited menu.
The waiter's started to clean up, presumably in preparation for the afternoon siesta and the Fronton Rouge is starting to grow on me. Best get out of here while I still can.... read more