The perfect summer moment for me is going to the beach at the end of the day, followed by dinner in one of the excellent beach restaurants along the coast. A new favourite is Le Grand Soleil in Gruissan at the Plage des Chalets. Who wouldn’t enjoy a fab meal with the big blue sea and the iconic chalets in the background?! Places like this make me wish that the summer would last forever (although I’m more of an autumn girl).
Plage des Chalets
Restaurant Le Grand Soleil opened in 2020 and is the latest member of the EO Family, orchestrated by travel-chef Jean-Marc Lemmery and with Paparazzo and Mamamouchi as siblings. It’s easy to get an instant holiday feeling at the Plage des Chalets, Gruissan’s deserted beach with over 1,300 wooden houses on poles- the chalets. And Le Grand Soleil perfectly catches the vibe of days gone by, when summers seemed endless on this legendary beach. Expect a proper brasserie, with a mix of bohemian chic (the interior! So pretty!) in a giant chalet. Right at the beach! The chef and her team focus on the ingredients, with the Mediterranean Sea as their playground. The combination results in beautiful bistronomic dishes.
First level
Like the other chalets, living is done on the first floor, where you will find the main dining room. High ceiling, wooden floors, elegant set tables, intimate corners, and a giant neon sign reminding you where you are: Le Grand Soleil. The exterior is divided over the first level, as well as a cosy terrace on the ground floor. This time, I was with Oldest and Middlest only. After a splash in the sea, we went to Le Grand Soleil, quickly fixing ourselves for an as sand-free dinner as possible. Although we sat outside, I had a look inside where the open kitchen was busy with chefs cooking with great precision and flair for flavour. The menu was elaborate, with a lot of options for food to share. The boys were hungry (teenagers…) so we all picked a starter, main and dessert.
Room for dessert
The staff was friendly and swift, and it didn’t take long to have the first plates in front of us. Oldest started with a big, well-filled salad, Middlest had three enormous grilled gambas, and I chose the more adventurous tartare of sea bream. Following this, the boys both went for the entrecote- rare as all French kids like it. I thought I had ordered a light dish including chipirons (baby squid) on a bed of spinach. But it was more than enough, although I finished it all as it was very good. There was hardly any room for dessert. Hardly, as we still ordered a dame blanche (Oldest), a raspberry-cream dessert with a chocolate dome (Middlest) and a lemon cheesecake. Watching the sky turn into a darker blue while chatting with my boys, it was one of those evenings with a golden lining.
