LE BON BOCK

Pour les touristes.

Loved the look of this place. I’m a sucker for old world style. We went a bit too early and the atmosphere was only picking up when we were leaving ie piano player and just a general increase in customers. The food is traditional French. Decent but nothing spectacular and pricey for what we got (maybe not by French standards). Service really good .

We had a reservation at 9.30 and arrived at 9.40, where the owner told us to wait just a bit and a table would become available. The customers seated at the table next to us were having a laugh at us and I only understood later they must have laughed at the fact that they already knew this place is the inspiration for programs like Kitchen Nightmares.

We did not wait "just a bit", but spent at least 20 minutes standing at the desk in the tight restaurant. Service would zip past us, another customer who wanted to pay tried to hide her frustration with a smile, another foreign couple had joined us in the queue and when we were finally seated, we had to wait for ages to even get the menu. The couple sitting next to us started mimicking the gesture of "two more minutes". We had such a good conversation that we forgot we were at this place for over an hour before we started to get really hungry and frustrated, something the owner had to notice before she offered us the menu. Then, we had to wait even more to place our order and get drinks. The owner only came up to us because we got really impatient and waved rather furiously.

The food was all right, we both really enjoyed our starters, but I doubt it was because of the quality rather than how hungry we had gotten at the time they arrived (by now it was past 11pm).
The duck tasted like chicken, was very bland and chewy, the entrecôte was great but also chewy, our garnishes were either cold (mushroom, beans) or burnt (potato). To conclude, we only got one crème brûlée while we ordered one each, which came out of a fridge and had black instead of caramelized sugar on top. Meanwhile it was past closing time and the only people left seated were us and the couple that came in after us, while everyone else was paying and getting out.

This is by far the worst restaurant experience I have had in my entire life and the worst place to have introduced my girlfriend to French gastronomy. It seems like the restaurant is understaffed, doesn't know how to manage orders nor tables, and is in dire need of better chefs that can handle the pressure. The smallest gesture to show respect for our patience would have been appreciated, but rather it seems like tourists are being laughed at by fellow French customers and the staff only cares about getting your money instead of providing quality service.
The original price tag was outrageous and I would have refused to pay for dishes that I can cook in a better and more elegant manner at home if we weren't provided with a huge discount through our app. This place is in dire need of a make-over if it wants to survive.

Je recommande ce restaurant traditionnel super bon rapport qualité prix j'ai eu le sentiment de revenir 50 ans en arrière que du bonheur, allez y sans hésiter ❤️❤️❤️

I enjoyed my dinner in a quiet, quaint place and the food was delicious. The highlight was the duck confit for me as the meat just fell apart from the bone and the sides were cooked to perfection.