When you have to book several weeks in advance to make a reservation for a tiny restaurant in a small village, I’m intrigued. This is the case for garden restaurant Le Chat Perché (the perched cat) in Cazedarnes. But once your reservation is made, the day quickly comes when you can enjoy your meal in their beautiful garden. And then you understand why this place is so popular.
Blue cat
After weeks of trying, I finally succeeded in booking a table for two at Le Chat Perché. Although I tried to temper my enthusiasm, my expectations were high. It didn’t take long to find the restaurant, as an upside-down blue cat perched on a fork on a pink wall drew us in. A little peek at the menu outside made Chéri and me even more curious. And then we reached the garden, with only a few set tables on wooden decks intimately sprinkled in a green oasis. Sparkling lights, an old well, and pieces of art completed the picture. Cécile (kitchen) and Nicolas (front) take good care of their customers, whom they treat like good friends.
Petite laine
Being a garden restaurant, so outdoors, means that Cécile and Jean have to be flexible. Sometimes, they have to cancel reservations at the last minute due to weather conditions. Or the season ends sooner than foreseen, with dinners lapsing into lunches until ultimately closed. Of course, in the South of France, this happens rarely, and Chéri and I went on a beautiful late summer night. Although Nicolas advised us to bring a ‘petite laine’ (sweater) as this year’s September nights were chilly. I was glad we took his advice as we comfortably snuggled up in our warm jumpers to look at the menu. It changes every two weeks and has two to three options per course. The complete menu is 35 euros, or you can have a starter and main or a main and dessert for 30 euros.
Sauce chien
The most delicious dishes appeared on the table, capably prepared by Cécile and explained by Nicolas. We started with a generous portion of monkfish cheeks in a ‘Paimol’ espuma (no idea how to translate this, but it was divine). Next, Chéri had the boneless free-range chicken with an interesting ‘sauce chien’ (dog sauce), which referred to the type of knife used(called a ‘chien’) and not the animal… I went for the cod fillet in a rich paëlla sauce with super crunchy black rice. We also tried the two dessert options: a brioche au rhum (as a twist on the classic baba au rhum) for Chéri and a gorgeous chocolate cake for me. Le Chat Perché closes during the autumn and winter and will be back again next spring. Maybe I should keep this address to myself, as I don’t want the waiting list to become longer…
