After spending a delightful morning at the beach of Leucate-Plage, Chéri and I took our kids out for lunch. Right from our towel, we rolled to the beach restaurant of Ginette to order some fine food with the sand still in our hair. At Ginette, Claude Giraud and his crew place a high priority on serving fresh products, and the fish comes straight out of the Med. Along with the view, you have a winning combination.
Paillote
Ginette on the beach at Leucate is the kind of place that is called a ‘paillote’ in the South of France. Meaning: a chill pop-up restaurant set up along the coastline during the summer season. As Michelin-starred chef Claude Giraud runs the beach restaurant Ginette and the nearby hotel restaurant La Côte Rêvée, the food for both restaurants is purchased at the same time and cooked on the spot. Therefore, at this laid-back paillote, you can be sure of having a quality meal.
Le Grand Bleu
During July and August, Ginette opens every day for lunch and dinner. Reservation is a must and can be done online. You will find several seating areas in a shabby chic decor, from long inviting tables to lounge corners. The well-organised staff directed us to some high chairs at a wine barrel table, where we had a perfect view of ‘Le Grand Bleu’. A glass of white sangria completed the happiness. There was tapas, salads and various meat and fish dishes on the lunch menu. We decided to share a platter of Iberian ham and homemade accras de morrue- salt cod fritters from the Caribbean. An uncomplicated, delicious starter that we (the kids…) finished in a flash.
Blissful
While enjoying a refreshing sea breeze, Chéri and I chose a healthy main course. Chéri had the Thai salad with tuna sashimi, and I tried the black linguine with grilled chipirones (baby squid) and prawns. Both were blissful. The kids went for a plate full of comfort food. Oldest and Daughter-Dear slightly jealously looked at Middlest’s homemade chicken strips with nachos. But their slow-cooked spareribs were a feast too. A few scoops of ice cream concluded the children’s meal, while Chéri and I ordered from the sweet menu (‘Les Douceurs’). Chéri had three enticing preparations of strawberries, and I chose the chilled tiramisu. No need to say that our after-lunch-dip was taken literally with a splash in the Big Blue!
