L'atelier Restaurant - Saint-Cyprien

mwana · Post by **mwana** » Mon 01 Jun 2009 19:14

4 of us went here last night. The owner is Laurent, who used to be the maitre d' of La Balette for the last (at least 4 year), and who is lovely. The old sommelier is also at his new restaurant and so is the 2nd chef who is now obviously head chef.

Anyway, obviously the menus are much more simple, but very tasty. 2 of our group had half a dozen oysters, delicious, Mark had the anchois de collioure on a bed of lovely couscous (and he doesn't even like couscous), he and I thought it was great and I had the oysters and coquillages with an oyster emulsion (I had a version of this the night before at La Balette), it was heavenly. Mains, 2 beautifully cooked veal fillets and myself and my friend had the masicada, which was a cooked shellfish platter, again couldn't fault it. We didn't had pudding but had a meli mato with some manchego and pine nuts, very good. The total bill was around 300 euros for 4, including 2 lots of aperatifs for 4 people, 2 bottles of wine and Irish coffees/ amarettos for 3, so I reckon its about 50 euros a head if you didn't drink like my friends!!

Anyway, its on the Quai Rimbaud, beautiful setting and lovely service, and I hope they do really well. I will be going back thats for sure.

Mwana

mrob343 · Post by **mrob343** » Mon 01 Jun 2009 23:31

mwana wrote:4 of us went here last night. The owner is Laurent, who used to be the maitre d' of La Balette for the last (at least 4 year), and who is lovely. The old sommelier is also at his new restaurant and so is the 2nd chef who is now obviously head chef.

Anyway, obviously the menus are much more simple, but very tasty. 2 of our group had half a dozen oysters, delicious, Mark had the anchois de collioure on a bed of lovely couscous (and he doesn't even like couscous), he and I thought it was great and I had the oysters and coquillages with an oyster emulsion (I had a version of this the night before at La Balette), it was heavenly. Mains, 2 beautifully cooked veal fillets and myself and my friend had the masicada, which was a cooked shellfish platter, again couldn't fault it. We didn't had pudding but had a meli mato with some manchego and pine nuts, very good. The total bill was around 300 euros for 4, including 2 lots of aperatifs for 4 people, 2 bottles of wine and Irish coffees/ amarettos for 3, so I reckon its about 50 euros a head if you didn't drink like my friends!!

Anyway, its on the Quai Rimbaud, beautiful setting and lovely service, and I hope they do really well. I will be going back thats for sure.

Mwana

I'll start saving up, Mwana.

300.00 € ?

Cheers Rob

mwana · Post by **mwana** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 07:01

Yep it cost us 300 euros, it would have been alot cheaper if less alcohol had been consumed (the champagne for a start, not to mention the after dinner drinks), we'd taken a set menu only had 2 bottles of wine, left the family behind, but it was a celebration so we splashed out. You get what you pay for and if I can cook it at home then its not worth the money, this meal I wouldn't have been able to do (bar the oysters) so for me it was worth it. I'm sure I mentioned the fact it would probably be way less if you, but I stupidly didn't note the prices of the set menus, else I would have put them down here, and not put up how much we paid with all the extras.

Mwana

john · Post by **john** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 08:28

mwana wrote:Anyway, its on the Quai Rimbaud, beautiful setting and lovely service, and I hope they do really well.

Mwana

It ought to be at that price,Mwana ! Whether they do well will depend on how flush this years crop of visitors are feeling. In the current economic environment,I'm not so sure!

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 08:59

Thanks for the write-up, Mwana. I think some people will only read it as "Blah blah blah 300€ blah blah" which is a shame because I know you're written up several restaurants that are on the expensive side but not been as complementary as for l'Atelier. So I assume you thought it was good value for money, even if half the bill was on drinks.

Perhaps I should ask them if they do BYO

Serge · Post by **Serge** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 09:10

I bet they don't get any riff raff in there ...........................

polremy · Post by **polremy** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 09:47

Serge wrote:I bet they don't get any riff raff in there ...........................

or bling

mwana · Post by **mwana** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 09:53

Serge wrote:I bet they don't get any riff raff in there ...........................

They get me!!!

I do appreciate it wasn't cheap, but it was lovely and whilst we do go out occasionally to the petit grille in Ceret, or to the lake in St Jean I do love a good meal, good service and great atmosphere, which is what we got. I also hope they do do well, especially given the current economic climate, I hope that for everyone that has a business at the moment, because its tough. If it had been rubbish though I wouldn't have bothered writing a review, but I knew it wouldn't be! And thanks Santiago, you know me too well, it is true we did drink our quota for the week!!

Mwana

john · Post by **john** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 11:45

Santiago wrote:Thanks for the write-up, Mwana. I think some people will only read it as "Blah blah blah 300€ blah blah" :

As someone who writes restaurant reviews myself,I agree with you,Santiago,that it's interesting to hear of Mwana's experience. But I feel you are being overly dismissive in the above comment. Most people I know (inc myself) are quite simply not in the position to afford over 75€ a head for a meal,however good or otherwise it is. So it is not a question of "some people only reading the 300€ bit". You are perhaps in the happy circumstance of this being within your budget,but,it is quite simply ,out of most people's price league.

Serge is much better than I at expressing things in jocular terms,but I presume that is what HE is getting at,as well.

mwana · Post by **mwana** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 11:51

But I think I stated that we paid 300 euros because of booze, rather than cost of food. Otherwise I think it would have been around 50 euros, less with a set menu. I should have put what it would have cost had we not drunk so much, so now the restaurant looks much more expensive than it is, and no-one will go there and it will be all my fault! I will ring them up and find out the cost of their set menus and pop it on. They haven't got a website yet.

Mwana

Marguerite & Steve · Post by **Marguerite & Steve** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 12:50

I apprecaite the write up on these restaurants, as I don't mind paying if you get value for money, and it is a nice change to eat in fine restaurants, it is something Steve & I enjoy, and will pay for special occasions etc.

john · Post by **john** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 13:19

Quite so Marguerite. There is a place for reviews of all kinds of restaurants here. As I say,there'll be some which are too expensive for most of us,but it's nice to hear about them,especially to cater for those whose pockets are deeper.

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 15:32

But, John, your only response was about the price of the meal.

I'm in M&S's camp. I very rarely go out for dinner in a restaurant, perhaps once every 2 months, but when I do, I'd be happy to pay 50€ if it is worth it. After all the babysitter has cost me 30€ so there's not much point going for a pizza!

Maybe those of us who can't afford L'Atelier should thank Mwana for saving us the embarrassment of turning up with insufficient resources.

john · Post by **john** » Tue 02 Jun 2009 16:33

Santiago wrote:But, John, your only response was about the price of the meal.

s.

Well ,never having been there,I'm hardly in a position to comment on anything else,Santiago!

Personal taste,I suppose,but I'd rather go out a little more often than 2 mths,and spend a little less than 50€ a head each time. There again,I've not got babysitters to worry about.....

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