Living deep in the South of France has its pros and cons. For me, the list of positive things is longer. However, I sometimes miss living close to the big city buzz and going to handsome venues. You can imagine how happy I was to find the sophisticated Le Vauban in the countryside village of Capestang of all places! This bistronomic restaurant has everything I could wish for and only a 20 minutes’ drive from Béziers.
Warm embrace
Chéri sometimes gets tired of me wanting to try a new place every time we go out for dinner. But when it’s a hit like Le Vauban, he is pretty pleased too. Once you step over the threshold of Le Vauban, the restaurant envelops you in a warm embrace, with attentive service and culinary surprises. The renovated dining room combines raw materials with industrial touches, and the cosy light subtly shines over the well-appointed interior. When the weather is good, you can sit outside on the equally comfortable patio.
Rhythm of Mother Earth
Two young women run Le Vauban: chef Charlotte works her magic ways in the kitchen, while Coralie takes care of the front of house. The menu of the day (16 to 20 euros) appears simple, with one or two options for every course, but hides some beautiful creations. It also changes regularly, keeping the rhythm of Mother Earth in mind. In the end, Chéri and I went for the more elaborate menu à la carte (35 euros for three courses). Chéri started off the evening with crunchy gambas and an Asian-style salad on the side. The minute I tasted my first spoon of the thick mushroom soup including croutons and a soft-boiled egg, I was brought back to my childhood and my mum’s cooking.
New find
For the next course, Chéri enjoyed his supreme of guinea fowl filled with hazelnuts, while I did the same with my generous cod steak coated with a homemade tapenade. We did try a bite of each other’s dish, of course, but neither of us wanted to swap. Same for the dessert, a little bit of Chéri’s butternut squash crème brûlée couldn’t tempt me to abandon my delicious snicker-style mousse. And vice versa. With very fond memories of the evening, we left Le Vauban with a new find on our list.
