
In the summer of 2018, “La Musée de la Romanité” opened its contemporary doors in Nîmes. The museum is a great asset to this ancient town, but as I arrived around lunchtime, I headed straight for the restaurant on the second floor: “La Table du 2”. Excellent choice, as chef Franck Putelat and his team spoiled me with a great lunch.
Front row
As La Table du 2 is on top of the museum, you get a spectacular view on the two-thousand-year-old Arena. I didn’t make a reservation, but if you want to sit front row on the comfortable and shady terrace, it is smart to book a table. You can eat à la carte or choose a set menu, available for both lunch and dinner. I’m getting quite French I suppose, so I went for the “Au Fil du Temps” menu at 19,50 euros, including three courses. This daily changing, lunch-only menu is served from Monday to Saturday. I started with a celery remoulade with smoked salmon and a lemon flavoured whipped cream. Light, fresh and excellent, even though I’m not a big celery fan.

Brasserie
You might know chef Franck Putelat from his two-Michelin-starred restaurant “La Table” in Carcassonne or his brasseries “À Quatre Temps” in Carcassonne and “La Brasserie du 20” in Tarbes. And now he continues his success in Nîmes. La Table du 2 is more of a brasserie, with a gastronomic touch. Led by chef Paul Schmitt, you can expect original dishes inspired by revisited classics. Like the stuffed squid Catalan style, I was served as my main dish. Very local and very tasty!

Heavenly lunch
The lunch menu included a homemade Paris Brest. Impeccably presented, it is a dollop of creamy textures and crunchy bits. After this heavenly lunch, I was ready to dive into Roman history at the Musée de la Romanité. Which was the actual reason for my visit to Nîmes in the first place…
