This restaurant might take a bit of a push to get you to step inside. I mean, a concrete bunker doesn’t exactly scream ‘cosy lunch’. Even though the location is fantastic, right at the tip of the ‘Môle Saint-Louis’, next to the lighthouse of the same name in Sète. But wait, give Amar Café a chance. Because once you’ve crossed that threshold, a spacious dining room bathed in light unfolds before you. And yes, with a fantastic view of the Mediterranean Sea.
Sea Views
I love taking time off work and sneaking out for a bite to eat. Checking my wish list, I spotted Amar Café, which seemed like the perfect place to kick off the weekend on a Friday. I’d made a reservation just to be sure. But when Chéri and I arrived, the friendly waiter let us choose our own table. Although the bunker revealed a lovely interior, with a spacious, modern dining room surrounded by windows offering sea views, we opted for the terrace in the end. The tramontane wind was blowing, and there was a stiff breeze. The choice was between a table in the shade, a bit more sheltered from the wind, or the last table in the sun with a bit more hustle and bustle. Chéri and I went for the sun, and what the waiter cheerfully called a ‘légère bise’, or a ‘gentle kiss of wind’.
Drifting Thoughts
It took us a while to make our choice from the appealing menu; it was so lovely to gaze out over the sea and let our thoughts drift away. We were getting a bit peckish, though, so we finally made a choice. The restaurant’s name, ‘Amar Café’, comes from the Latin ‘amare’, which means ‘to love’. Chef Santiago Sandoval cooks with Mediterranean influences and seafood flavours. During the week, there is a set menu for 28 euros (starter, main, dessert). But you can also eat à la carte (starters between 9 and 13 euros, mains between 18 and 29 euros, and desserts between 10 and 12 euros). In addition, every Friday evening outside of the high season, there is a dinner show featuring jazz, cabaret and theatre taking the centre stage. And on one Sunday a month, you can enjoy a tea dance. Plenty of entertainment here on the pier!
Full Focus
We were there for lunch, so there were no distractions from upbeat music or a stunning sunset. That meant we could focus fully on the food on our plates. And happily, the kitchen delivered the goods. Chéri chose the starter (the Samba broth with tuna and coconut milk) and the main course (fillet of mullet with seasonal vegetables) from the lunch menu. I opted for the à la carte options and started with a friture du jour, followed by a delicious vegetarian spanakopita. Then we swapped, and Chéri had the chocolate ganache with cocoa crumble from the à la carte menu. I had his lunch menu dessert, which was a rice pudding with buckwheat milk. It was all delicious, and thankfully, the flavours didn’t get blown away.
