Although my family and I prefer going to the river during the summertime, we do go to the beach sometimes. Our go-to beach is in Vendres, next to Port Chichoulet. Partly because its restaurant- Chichoulet Plage- is one of our favourites. A restaurant that serves home-cooked food and faces the Mediterranean sea is golden. And when it is just a stone’s throw away from home, we have a winner!
Easy breezy
Chichoulet Plage is the type of restaurant that the French call a ‘paillote’. These temporary constructions sell food and drinks and pop up along the coast during the summer months. The one at Vendres Plage has an easy-breezy style, with fishnet barriers held up by driftwood covering the terrace. The menu offers tapas-style starters, filling salads, meat classics and of course freshly caught fish that daily inspires the chef.
Seaside
To start our seaside lunch, we began with a ‘fisherman’s plate’, which had something for everybody. Then the twins ordered the children’s menu (10 euros) and had a mini version of the burger Oldest and Chéri ordered. According to all of them it was a proper burger, served ‘saignant’ (rare) as they all prefer it. I had to try something new and went for the ‘muge’, a mullet that came with mashed potatoes and some seasonal vegetables. I had to be quick taking the pictures to go with this post, as the kids wanted to attack their burger. A good sign, as it meant that the food was too good to wait for.
Sweetness
The dessert options on the menu offered precisely what we adore. The twins picked an icecream, and Oldest joined them. Chéri spotted the tiramisu prepared with speculoos and was happy. And I couldn’t resist the café gourmand, which had six little bites of sweetness. You will find Chichoulet Plage on the left from Vendres’ marina, where the Aude river flows into the Med. Life is simple in this paradisiacal spot!