Last weekend, Chéri and I were looking for an uncomplicated dinner not too far from home. So, we decided we’d go to one of the most authentic and friendly restaurants in Béziers: Le Massilia. It’s also known as the ‘Bouchon Biterrois’, referring to the convivial restaurants in Lyon that serve traditional local cuisine.
Hot-air balloon
Le Massilia knows how to make you feel at home. When Chéri and I entered the cosily decorated restaurant, the owner welcomed us like old friends (although we don’t go there very often). As usual, we opted for the menu (26 euros excluding drinks). I spotted some interesting looking dishes on our neighbouring tables and I managed to figure out which ones they were on the menu. So, Chéri enjoyed a “Montgolfière de Gambas et sa Bisque”, which presented itself as a fish soup with gambas and a puff-pastry ‘hot-air balloon’ topping. I, on the other hand, went for the poached egg that came in a silky cream of Bleu d’Auvergne cheese.
Cosy bistro
Le Massilia’s chef, Jean-Marc Tolédano, and his team serve traditional French cuisine in a cosy bistro style. You can tell the chef is passionate about good food and wine, giving a modern twist to traditional French dishes. For main, Chéri chose the classic grilled rib steak with homemade fries, accompanied with a glass of local red wine. As I can’t resist any dish that has a dash of truffles in it, I went for the ravioli with white truffles in a lovely basil sauce. Both simple, but both spot on.
Adventureous
Last, but certainly not least, the dessert. Here also, Chéri couldn’t resist the famous French ‘profiteroles. These vanilla ice cream filled cream puffs came with a generous layer of chocolate sauce. I was a bit more adventurous and chose a mille-feuille made with a gorgeous speculoos cream and caramelised apples. Overall, the food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the company was great (as always).
