Le Chat qui Rit, Reynes

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Le Chat qui Rit, Reynes

Post by Kate »

Had dinner at Le Chat qui Rit in Reynes, near Céret last night. Excellent meal, very carefully crafted by Hervé, who is a Toque 'Blanche'. Clean and roomy restaurant, maybe lacking a bit of atmosphere decor-wise, (but our friends were in such good company that they didnt notice) but would definitely recommend a visit for the great tastes.

Lunch time menu of 16€ (2 courses) or 18€ (3 courses) on weekdays, and eves and weekends 28€ for 3 courses or à la carte. I had the best chestnut and pumpkin soup I have ever tasted.Our young english waiter, Cameron, was a cutie, and is also an appentice chep at the restaurant.
Here is the chef, Hervé, giving a cooking lesson.
http://www.cotepo.fr/une-toque-chez-vou ... l-chemist/
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Post by Santiago »

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Post by Kate »

I agree to a certain extent with Hervé.
I do use TripAdvisor etc myself to check out a resto or hotel.com to check out a hotel - but am very aware that people have different expectations and standards, and also that it is a good opportunity to settle personal scores which may have nothing to do with the food. It's good to have recommendations. It keeps restaurants etc on their toes, stops them from being complacent - but they should be monitored in some way or other, (tho I've not idea how) to prevent unjustified criticism - and unjustified praise too.
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Post by martyn94 »

Er
Santiago wrote:What do we make of this?

http://www.francebleu.fr/infos/un-resta ... ue-1986472
I suppose it's not fair, but my initial reaction was that Montoyo's particular style of beard - even more than beards generally - makes him look extraordinarily pleased with himself.

Maybe he's justified in that: I don't know his work. But on the whole, I suspect that restaurateurs are discovering that they have got away with murder in the past, and that it hurts when occasionally, nowadays, they don't.

The conceit that cooks are a species of tortured artist who are wounded in their souls by unjust criticism is so much cobblers. Even now, most of them must put out a dozen imperfectly executed dishes which are passed over in silence for every good one which is slagged off.

And the idea that you should always have it out, face to face, if you are dissatisfied is unrealistic to the point of being disingenuous. Few of us want that kind of fuss, even it seemed likely to do any good, which is rarely so. Generally the best you can do is warn off prospective future customers (which I also do only very rarely: as Sam Goldwyn is alleged to have said, what did posterity ever do for me?).

That said, he has a business interest which he is entitled to defend (and get publicity while doing so) in any way that French law will accomodate. Whether Montoyo's choice of means was a good one is a matter of judgment: I will not be rushing to his door.
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Post by Santiago »

But in this case someone is accusing the restaurant of cheating and not preparing food from fresh. It's not to do with service or subjective opinion on the food. It's an accusation of what is happening in the kitchen.

I think the restaurant is right to challenge that.

That would be like someone accusing me of buying in someone else's wine.

It's actually made me more likely to visit Le Chat Qui Rit.
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Post by martyn94 »

Santiago wrote:But in this case someone is accusing the restaurant of cheating and not preparing food from fresh. It's not to do with service or subjective opinion on the food. It's an accusation of what is happening in the kitchen.

I think the restaurant is right to challenge that.

That would be like someone accusing me of buying in someone else's wine.

It's actually made me more likely to visit Le Chat Qui Rit.
I understood that. On the very limited info available, it seemed to me that litigation was excessive. But most of my comment was about the wider view in the trade (as reported by Francebleu) that adverse internet reviews by "amateurs" are illegitimate as such.

As Kate said, it is good to have reviews, and even better if we could have only the justified ones. But how do you achieve that without chilling comment altogether, and protecting vested interests? As seems to be the French manner, and the UK one too - though our libel laws are now less dire than they were. If we have to make the best of a bad choice, I think wounded restaurateurs - and vignerons too - probably have to suck up the bad reviews and focus on getting some more good ones. But of course it's not my living at stake.
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Post by Kate »

Incidentally, I ate there with friends a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very tasty and thoughtful food......if I had a criticism, it was that there were no foody smells when we went in which I always think is a good potential measure of a restaurant - but all four of us had different dishes, all good.

Ate out opposite the beach in Collioure on Sunday. Disgusting.....but packed. Places like the Le Chat qui Rit have to work three times as hard to attract customers. Places like this one in Collioure arent bothered about what they serve or how they serve it (waiters in grubby t shirts and torn jeans) cos there are always more mugs queueing to replace the ones which dont come back. I know that's life.....but it doesnt seem fair.
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Post by Merisin »

What a palaver! Let's face it the restaurant and wine trades all harbour a certain amount of sharp practice. I will freely admit that we don't eat out much. But what we do notice from friends and visitors is that they are disappointed with the local restaurant scene on a regular basis. If this complaint is based on what can be considered as "prepared in house" then the French restaurant trade has so many exceptions that McDonalds could almost qualify!

My OH has worked out what some of our friends spend on dining out over a year. In truth we probably spend something similar but on a cruise or inclusive holiday deal. Preferably somewhere exotic and with an outfit we trust.

We enjoy cooking and entertaining so why eat out and risk being disappointed. But each to her own.

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Post by Santiago »

Now that I work with restaurants, rather than just eat at them, I have a better understanding of the issues that may lead to a less than perfect experience and also the other side of the story to a damning review. Very few restaurants are willing to publicly question a customer's review.

That doesn't mean that I would not write a negative review but reviewers have a responsibility to tell the truth and not to speculate, even though some feel that as a non-professional customer they are entitled to say whatever they like.
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Post by martyn94 »

Santiago wrote:but reviewers have a responsibility to tell the truth and not to speculate, even though some feel that as a non-professional customer they are entitled to say whatever they like.
The world is as it is, not as we would wish it to be. I have not worked in the catering trade for a few decades, but you do not have to be Gordon Ramsay to know that things can go wrong for innocent reasons, or that some customers have unrealistic, or simply mad, expectations.

I would have thought that most readers of online reviews are well aware that some reviewers "say whatever they like", and discount them accordingly, good and bad. Maybe restaurateurs are too much stuck behind their pianos to realise that the world has changed. And mostly to their advantage: the mere fact that you can discover that their place exists, how to get there, and that it's open (on a Sunday night....) must balance out a hatful of reviews.
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Post by martyn94 »

Merisin wrote:
We enjoy cooking and entertaining so why eat out and risk being disappointed. But each to her own.

Mary
Why go to the opera when you can sing in the shower? It's a different sort of experience, and the measure of unpredictability is part of the pleasure, when you are lucky.
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Post by Santiago »

I agree with you on both posts Martyn.
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Post by lonesome paddy »

In my time here i have eaten in quite a few restaurants in various parts of the region and i have never come across one that i could heartily recommend
. Im not talking of Raymond Blanc/Gordon Ramsey level restaurants but i do believe that what i would call decent level restaurants are nowhere near as good as their counterparts in the UK & Ireland. I dont think the quality of the cooking is as good and certainly the hygiene with dogs and cats lying on worktops is a no no with me.
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Post by martyn94 »

wrote:what i would call decent level restaurants are nowhere near as good as their counterparts in the UK & Ireland. I dont think the quality of the cooking is as good and certainly the hygiene with dogs and cats lying on worktops is a no no with me.
But what on earth are "their counterparts"? For most of this part of the world, it would be a cross between Southend and Galway. If you can eat decently there for £10/€13 a pop, it's changed since I was in either place (which is admittedly a while).

As for the dogs/cats, I can't dispute yr experience because it has obviously left the deepest impression. I can't myself complain about XSive domestic animals, though most places would do well to change their chip fat more often.
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Post by Santiago »

Sorry Lonesome, that's just rubbish.

There are many good restaurants in the region. I've lived in dozens of places, including the gastronomic heavens of North Yorkshire, London, New York and New Zealand.

The Roussillon is not bad at all.

You can get a very nicely made, traditional, local "formule" in almost every town in the 66 for under 15€ at lunchtime. For 20€ you can experience gastronomy that only 5% or the British population have ever tasted. If you are willing to spend London money, for 100€ you can dine like a king.

I travel to Britain and Ireland (as well as Belgium and Germany) fairly frequently and I work in the world of food and wine. People here are spoilt compared to those in London and Dublin.

The complaints I see from expats (often on this forum sadly) are the two extremes.

One one side people complain about not getting enough food on their plate. About it not containing enough expensive ingredients like lobster or sirloin steak. About it costing too much money (less than breakfast in a Wetherspoons).

On the other hand people complain about there not being enough 3-star Michelin restaurants in the region.

In the middle there probably 100 great restaurants in the Roussillon serving about 300 000 people. Birmingham ad Manchester have much less to offer their millions of inhabitants. And not one of them can offer the view or ambiance of even the most basic of the restaurants on the Canet or Torreilles beach or at Villeneuve de la Raho.

Stop moaning and get out there and dine.
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Post by Allan »

Santiago wrote:Sorry Lonesome, that's just rubbish.

There are many good restaurants in the region. I've lived in dozens of places, including the gastronomic heavens of North Yorkshire, London, New York and New Zealand.

The Roussillon is not bad at all.

You can get a very nicely made, traditional, local "formule" in almost every town in the 66 for under 15€ at lunchtime. For 20€ you can experience gastronomy that only 5% or the British population have ever tasted. If you are willing to spend London money, for 100€ you can dine like a king.

I travel to Britain and Ireland (as well as Belgium and Germany) fairly frequently and I work in the world of food and wine. People here are spoilt compared to those in London and Dublin.

The complaints I see from expats (often on this forum sadly) are the two extremes.

One one side people complain about not getting enough food on their plate. About it not containing enough expensive ingredients like lobster or sirloin steak. About it costing too much money (less than breakfast in a Wetherspoons).

On the other hand people complain about there not being enough 3-star Michelin restaurants in the region.

In the middle there probably 100 great restaurants in the Roussillon serving about 300 000 people. Birmingham ad Manchester have much less to offer their millions of inhabitants. And not one of them can offer the view or ambiance of even the most basic of the restaurants on the Canet or Torreilles beach or at Villeneuve de la Raho.

Stop moaning and get out there and dine.
Sorry Santiago, I think it is you that is talking rubbish.

Britain has extensive international cuisine, where you can find a decent restaurant in the region offering Chinese, Indian, thai or italian food. There are a stack of mediocre buffets and pizza joints but they are all very ordinary.

I've just had dinner in Leeds where there are numerous restaurants that are way better than anything in the Roussillon, the same applies to Manchester and Birmingham.


As for dining like a king in the region for €100, I'd love to know where?

Pretty well all the top chefs in the region are members of the Toques Blanches and collectively they represent only 32 restaurants, I've eaten in most of them and there are no more than a handful that I would be bothered to go back to.

As for your €15 formulas, most of them may be adequate sustenance but could never be regarded as anything special and 'gastronomy at €20' you must be inhabiting a parallel universe.

Yes there are some good restaurants in the area but they are few and far between.

I love my life in France and eat out a lot but every time it is a challenge to find a restaurant worth eating in.

I accept your point that some restaurants are in exceptional locations but that doesn't always compensate for the cuisine.
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Post by Santiago »

Allan wrote:
Santiago wrote:Sorry Lonesome, that's just rubbish.

There are many good restaurants in the region. I've lived in dozens of places, including the gastronomic heavens of North Yorkshire, London, New York and New Zealand.

The Roussillon is not bad at all.

You can get a very nicely made, traditional, local "formule" in almost every town in the 66 for under 15€ at lunchtime. For 20€ you can experience gastronomy that only 5% or the British population have ever tasted. If you are willing to spend London money, for 100€ you can dine like a king.

I travel to Britain and Ireland (as well as Belgium and Germany) fairly frequently and I work in the world of food and wine. People here are spoilt compared to those in London and Dublin.

The complaints I see from expats (often on this forum sadly) are the two extremes.

One one side people complain about not getting enough food on their plate. About it not containing enough expensive ingredients like lobster or sirloin steak. About it costing too much money (less than breakfast in a Wetherspoons).

On the other hand people complain about there not being enough 3-star Michelin restaurants in the region.

In the middle there probably 100 great restaurants in the Roussillon serving about 300 000 people. Birmingham ad Manchester have much less to offer their millions of inhabitants. And not one of them can offer the view or ambiance of even the most basic of the restaurants on the Canet or Torreilles beach or at Villeneuve de la Raho.

Stop moaning and get out there and dine.
Sorry Santiago, I think it is you that is talking rubbish.

Britain has extensive international cuisine, where you can find a decent restaurant in the region offering Chinese, Indian, thai or italian food. There are a stack of mediocre buffets and pizza joints but they are all very ordinary.
Britain had to rely on international cuisine because it's own was so poor. You are also comparing Britain (population 65 Million) with Roussillon (population 452 thousand). France's colonies did not include India or Thailand. It include the Maghreb, but you conveniently ignored that cuisine :)
I've just had dinner in Leeds where there are numerous restaurants that are way better than anything in the Roussillon, the same applies to Manchester and Birmingham.


Not convinced, for the same price. Names please? Again, population and situation-wise, Perpignan should be compared with Swansea or Gloucester. You should be comparing Leeds with Lille or Bordeaux.
As for dining like a king in the region for €100, I'd love to know where?

Pretty well all the top chefs in the region are members of the Toques Blanches and collectively they represent only 32 restaurants, I've eaten in most of them and there are no more than a handful that I would be bothered to go back to.
I'd happily eat again in La Bartavelle, Auberge du Cellier, Fred's, La Rencontre, .... and I have yet to try out Galinette, Le Neptune, La Balette (don't have enough spare cash at the moment).
As for your €15 formulas, most of them may be adequate sustenance but could never be regarded as anything special and 'gastronomy at €20' you must be inhabiting a parallel universe.
Where in Britain can you get a special 3 course lunch for £12 or a gastronomic one for £16? You will be eating mass-produced, partly prepared in a pub or a chain restaurant.

My village café is better than those places. In Thuir I can go to at least 3 places off the top of my head for under 15€.
The restaurants I mentioned above all offer a 20€ lunchtime formule. I would rank each of them alongside places in Britain that charge £30.

Yes there are some good restaurants in the area but they are few and far between.

I love my life in France and eat out a lot but every time it is a challenge to find a restaurant worth eating in.

I accept your point that some restaurants are in exceptional locations but that doesn't always compensate for the cuisine.
I really think you and Lonesome are being negative and expecting far too much in terms of choice and price.
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La Gallinette

Post by Daphne »

We had the most dissapointing and unbelievably expensive meal on Sat 25th October, lunchtime. I am still stinging from the experience so won't go into detail about we had to eat and what it cost!!!! It is in a bad position, no atmosphere whatsoever and only 3 tables occupied! Anybody intending to go there I suggest that you go during the week when they probably offer a menu. We chose not to have the degustion and other than that there was no choice of menu the starter and main course were set so if you don't like vegetables and a small piece of fish on the same veg as the starter you may as well leave at that stage! We have far superior restaurants in Thuir for a fraction of the price !
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Post by malcolmcooper »

I'd happily eat again in La Bartavelle, Auberge du Cellier, Fred's, La Rencontre, .... and I have yet to try out Galinette, Le Neptune, La Balette (don't have enough spare cash at the moment).
I'd add L'Ancienne Ecole at Palau del Vidre to that list and Table de Cuisine at St Andre.
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Post by Kate »

That's a shame about the Chat qui Rit Daphné. We really enjoyed our meal there, but as mentioned in the review, there was something lacking in the atmosphere.....smell, warmth.....Dunno what really cos the young waiter was lovely and the food was very good. But it was a 'menu' so the price was OK. Just shows how subjective reviews are, and that we can only take them as very basic guidelines.
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Post by daniel895 »

Kate wrote:That's a shame about the Chat qui Rit Daphné. We really enjoyed our meal there, but as mentioned in the review, there was something lacking in the atmosphere.....smell, warmth.....Dunno what really cos the young waiter was lovely and the food was very good. But it was a 'menu' so the price was OK. Just shows how subjective reviews are, and that we can only take them as very basic guidelines.

Kate, Daphne was referring to her experience at Gallinette, not Chat Qui Rit.
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Post by Kate »

Aha. Thanks Daniel. I just assumed Chat from the title. :oops:
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Post by Colin L »

Kate wrote:That's a shame about the Chat qui Rit Daphné. We really enjoyed our meal there, but as mentioned in the review, there was something lacking in the atmosphere.....smell, warmth.....Dunno what really cos the young waiter was lovely and the food was very good. But it was a 'menu' so the price was OK. Just shows how subjective reviews are, and that we can only take them as very basic guidelines.
Kate
This fixation with the loveliness of the young waiter reminds me of the lunch the ladies in my education department went out to. The organiser cheerfully admitted that her sole criterion for choosing the particular restaurant was the young French waiter. She was much more specific than you: it was the loveliness of his bum that she remembered from a previous visit. :lol:
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Post by martyn94 »

Colin L wrote:
Kate wrote:That's a shame about the Chat qui Rit Daphné. We really enjoyed our meal there, but as mentioned in the review, there was something lacking in the atmosphere.....smell, warmth.....Dunno what really cos the young waiter was lovely and the food was very good. But it was a 'menu' so the price was OK. Just shows how subjective reviews are, and that we can only take them as very basic guidelines.
Kate
This fixation with the loveliness of the young waiter reminds me of the lunch the ladies in my education department went out to. The organiser cheerfully admitted that her sole criterion for choosing the particular restaurant was the young French waiter. She was much more specific than you: it was the loveliness of his bum that she remembered from a previous visit. :lol:
It seems an eminently practical way of taking a decision that you can't in any case get right if more than, say, 4 people are involved ("I can't eat XYZ...").

In my experience, office outings seem to end up at the local pizza place by way of lowest common denominator.

The last one I organised was in the Strand. A few days later, a disturbed man cut his penis off in the middle of the restaurant in a very demonstrative way: so much for the safe alternative.

It was one of the "Zizzi" chain: I know that I should not have found that funny.
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Post by Kate »

Looooooool. Martyn, please tell me you've been drinking!!!
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Post by Colin L »

martyn94 wrote: The last one I organised was in the Strand. A few days later, a disturbed man cut his penis off in the middle of the restaurant in a very demonstrative way: so much for the safe alternative.

It was one of the "Zizzi" chain: I know that I should not have found that funny.
Just a linguistic point: is it possible to do such a thing in an undemonstrative way? :D
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Post by opas »

MDR :lol:
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Post by Allan »

opas wrote:MDR :lol:
Baffled by the meaning of MDR followed by a smiley, I looked it up in the Urban Dictionary. The result was interesting

MDR
The MDR (Munson Dry Rub) describes a sexual technique where the penis is placed between a woman's breasts and a humping motion ensues. Hence the name, this act does not include lubricant and often leaves a long red mark extending from the cleavage to the collar bone.

After giving Kristi an MDR she had to wear a turtle neck for an entire week.


Of course it could mean "mort de Rire"
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Post by opas »

:oops: :oops:

Wow,the things you learn on this site!

Mine was defiantly the latter MDR :shock:
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Post by martyn94 »

Kate wrote:Looooooool. Martyn, please tell me you've been drinking!!!
Not this time. Some things really are stranger than fiction.
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