Restaurant Mas Renart
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John & Elaine
- Rank 4
- Posts: 137
- Joined: Sun 25 Feb 2007 15:20
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Restaurant Mas Renart
Restaurant Mas Renart
Food ****
Wine ****
Price ****
Service *****
Ambience/Location ****
Lucien is 90 years old. His ladyfriend, Michelle, is 83. They are our neighbours in Collioure and they remain as sprightly as I am now (Elaine says more so!) at about thirty years his junior!
We are mounting the French side of the Col de Banyuls in his luxuriously sedate large Mercedes following a kind invitation to lunch at one of their favourite restaurants. They are relative experts in the restaurants of the region since they eat lunch out seven days a week – as Lucien says ‘at my advanced years one is entitled to a luxury or two’!
We are en route to Restaurant Mas Renart on the road between Espolla and Mollet de Perlada. There is a large car park and like so many of these old Mas it is attractive on the outside but an absolute splendour on the inside with its stonework, beams and fireplaces – a real rustic charmer.
Just to get your mouth watering, to get to your table you have to walk past the two buffet elements of the set menus, the starters and desserts. There is a good size a la carte and four set menus. The prices run from €19 to €29 but we all settled on the Family menu at €24. The menus are €5 more on Saturdays, Sundays and weekday evenings. At €9.75, the children’s menu includes some games and a colouring kit.
It has to be said, before I get to the food, a number of things are striking about this place. The welcome, for example, was warm and friendly and we heard the senior staff speaking French, Spanish, Flemish (so presumably Dutch too!), Catalan and perfectly accent-less English. From the moment your Mother tongue is detected then that is the language used thereafter by the principal servers.
The wine waitress was offering a very good size taster of a red wine they were recommending at about €9 a bottle which we all agreed was fruity, elegant, and a good choice for its modest price. If we had decided we would rather something else, a wine list – in fact a chunky folder! – is provided which offers plenty of choices and is packed with information for the wine buff.
There is a choice of soup or about 15 to 20 dishes on the starter buffet. Lucien and I made a bee-line for the soup whilst the ladies opted straight for the buffet. The soup was a fish soup and very good indeed. But Lucien and I returned to graze the buffet sampling the smoked salmon, prawns, selection of meats and salads, egg mayonnaise, etc.
Rather tediously for this review, three of us had chosen the same dish. Oven-cooked shoulder of lamb. Elaine had chosen a Magret de Canard, oven-cooked and set on a raspberry sauce. All the dishes were accompanied by an ample selection of fresh vegetables.
Why is it the ladies always get so animated about the puds? Could be something to do with the prospect of the c-word? Ch-ch-ch-chocolate! Not being a pud person I tried a couple of things one of which was remarkably good, the second not to my taste. The others declared themselves very well pleased. The coffees arrived together with an eau de vie I have not come across before, made with fresh herbs and very agreeable indeed.
The service was extremely pleasant, efficient and timely without ever being intrusive. All in all, a definite for a return visit, great value for money, high quality and a bit of a find. Thank you Lucien and Michelle! Bon appetit!
Restaurant Mas Renart, Ctra Espolla 11, 17752 Mollet de Peralada, Girona (España).
Tel : (0034) 972 56.32.72 www.restaurantmasrenart.com Reservations are usually necessary at weekends. Opening hours and further information on the website.
Food ****
Wine ****
Price ****
Service *****
Ambience/Location ****
Lucien is 90 years old. His ladyfriend, Michelle, is 83. They are our neighbours in Collioure and they remain as sprightly as I am now (Elaine says more so!) at about thirty years his junior!
We are mounting the French side of the Col de Banyuls in his luxuriously sedate large Mercedes following a kind invitation to lunch at one of their favourite restaurants. They are relative experts in the restaurants of the region since they eat lunch out seven days a week – as Lucien says ‘at my advanced years one is entitled to a luxury or two’!
We are en route to Restaurant Mas Renart on the road between Espolla and Mollet de Perlada. There is a large car park and like so many of these old Mas it is attractive on the outside but an absolute splendour on the inside with its stonework, beams and fireplaces – a real rustic charmer.
Just to get your mouth watering, to get to your table you have to walk past the two buffet elements of the set menus, the starters and desserts. There is a good size a la carte and four set menus. The prices run from €19 to €29 but we all settled on the Family menu at €24. The menus are €5 more on Saturdays, Sundays and weekday evenings. At €9.75, the children’s menu includes some games and a colouring kit.
It has to be said, before I get to the food, a number of things are striking about this place. The welcome, for example, was warm and friendly and we heard the senior staff speaking French, Spanish, Flemish (so presumably Dutch too!), Catalan and perfectly accent-less English. From the moment your Mother tongue is detected then that is the language used thereafter by the principal servers.
The wine waitress was offering a very good size taster of a red wine they were recommending at about €9 a bottle which we all agreed was fruity, elegant, and a good choice for its modest price. If we had decided we would rather something else, a wine list – in fact a chunky folder! – is provided which offers plenty of choices and is packed with information for the wine buff.
There is a choice of soup or about 15 to 20 dishes on the starter buffet. Lucien and I made a bee-line for the soup whilst the ladies opted straight for the buffet. The soup was a fish soup and very good indeed. But Lucien and I returned to graze the buffet sampling the smoked salmon, prawns, selection of meats and salads, egg mayonnaise, etc.
Rather tediously for this review, three of us had chosen the same dish. Oven-cooked shoulder of lamb. Elaine had chosen a Magret de Canard, oven-cooked and set on a raspberry sauce. All the dishes were accompanied by an ample selection of fresh vegetables.
Why is it the ladies always get so animated about the puds? Could be something to do with the prospect of the c-word? Ch-ch-ch-chocolate! Not being a pud person I tried a couple of things one of which was remarkably good, the second not to my taste. The others declared themselves very well pleased. The coffees arrived together with an eau de vie I have not come across before, made with fresh herbs and very agreeable indeed.
The service was extremely pleasant, efficient and timely without ever being intrusive. All in all, a definite for a return visit, great value for money, high quality and a bit of a find. Thank you Lucien and Michelle! Bon appetit!
Restaurant Mas Renart, Ctra Espolla 11, 17752 Mollet de Peralada, Girona (España).
Tel : (0034) 972 56.32.72 www.restaurantmasrenart.com Reservations are usually necessary at weekends. Opening hours and further information on the website.
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Ian
- Rank 3
- Posts: 70
- Joined: Wed 03 May 2006 13:49
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