Cafe Rouge in central Nottingham

Treated myself to some lunch today at Cafe Rouge and decided to try out their Prix Fixe Menu and went for the mackerel pate as a starter and the Salade Chinoise for the main dish. The service was good and I didn't have to wait too long for the dishes to arrive. The pate was pleasantly crunchy and fishy and the bread pieces a bit minimal representing three small slices. I asked for some more bread ('encore' dit Oliver!) and two extra pieces duly arrived. The half pint of beer sufficed to add to my relaxed luncheon until the main dish reached my table.

It wasn't overly busy this lunchtime and I was entertained by a two thirty year-old ladies attending a young boy in a high chair at their table. I guess the boy was one of their sons and was about three years old. We had a bit of crying and fuss as they tried to re-arrange him in his chair. Bend those little legs! Bend those little legs! 'Hmmm attendez les frites! Manger mon petit' The boy was having great fun by cascading sugar tubes on the floor and later on grabbed a full mit of soggy mushed up chips and launched them similarly downwards. The two ladies spent a large proportion of their mealtime watching and coxing this little lad and then crawled about picking up the discarded sugars and frites. Oof, les enfants terribles!

Distractions aside, my main dish arrived and whilst tucking in to it was asked on two separate occasions whether I was enjoying the food. 'Oui merci'. On request, I was told that the sauce on my Salade Chinoise was white wine, balsamic vinegar and I think the waiter said halal french dressing. Or maybe not.

All in all, good value for money and whilst listening in on a conversation including the manager and two new arrivals who he clearly knew, the new to menu 'rabbit dish' was good.



Ah mon Dieu! The manager's pet rabbit has been done in and is presently stewing in pruneaux de Agen et legumes de jour!

Things I like about dining at Cafe Rouge: OK this may be a chain cafe but they do seem to do their best to give an 'authentic' French experience with staff accommodating attempts at customers' endeavours to speak French without embarrassment, and also with the French background sounds ambiance re: Edith Piaf's songs to more modern day chansons. I also still like the eclectic furniture and lamps and child-like bistro designs on the wall.