I discovered the restaurant L’Ancienne École in Palau-del-Vidre a while ago. This warm and authentic restaurant resides in a former school, hence the name. We went there “en famille” to finish off our holiday in style, and had a wonderful time, enjoying traditional dishes with a modern twist. Even the kids had beautiful meals, which made them forget about the inevitable ‘steak haché frites’, which most restaurants normally serve.
Festive
As it was our festive night out, Chéri and I ordered a heavenly bubbling kir made with chestnut liqueur. We also got a starter, while the kids were served their mains. I eyed our daughter’s plate, who ordered the same main as I did, and it looked very good. Same with our starters: a fresh salmon tartare for Chéri and I had a very rich salad of endives, pear, smoked duck breast and loads of other seasonal flavours. The beautiful presentation of the dishes impressed all of us!
Interesting textures
The kids played cards, while we continued our feast. Chéri had noticed a venison steak on the menu of the day, which was served with a delicious matching pear and blackcurrant sauce. At the same time as his dish arrived, my grilled salmon came, served with lentils and other interesting looking textures which I couldn’t quite define. It didn’t matter, as all the flavours paired perfectly well together.
Café gourmand
By this time, the kids were done playing cards, and we all had a little room left for dessert. Ice cream for the little ones and Chéri and I couldn’t choose, so we both ordered the café gourmand. The best option if you ask me, as L’Ancienne École makes a really good one, including small bites of each and every dessert on their menu. Too bad we don’t live close by, we’ll have to save this address for our holidays in the Pyrénées-Orientales department.