LE GINDREAU

Exceptionnel! ????

Heerlijke avond beleefd. Super gerechten en zeer gastvrije crew.

Cadre intérieur en bois magnifique.
Cuisine d'exception et inspirée Tendance agrumes.Vins locaux à améliorer pour notre goût. Service correct. Belle terrasse de charme mais vue gâchée par arbres pas taillés. Nous reviendrions.

This was meant to be a surprise anniversary dinner and, indeed, it was from the beginning to the end. I chose Le Gindreau after reading enthusiastic reviews on Pascal Bardet’s kitchen and the quality of accommodation.
The place is stunning, the apartment is nicely designed and well equipped to host two people with a pet. The hills of Lot are beautiful – the guests can enjoy spectacular view from the balcony.
Then comes the restaurant and the art of its head chef. Both the concept of making each course a set of small dishes with a common denominator (lobster, foie gras and fowl) and the execution with great attention to the smallest detail were a signature of a unique talent and creativity. A meal to fully satisfy one’s palate and eyes. On top of that, the service was very friendly and efficient. A perfect dinner? Well… almost.
The surprise came with the bill. The food was – for a restaurant “etoilé” – unusually inexpensive (EUR 108 per person). The wine, which was obviously fantastic, turned out to have a EUR 481 price tag per person. That is EUR 120 per glass. To be fair, when I was booking our stay and dinner over the phone, I was informed about a “special menu” and, most probably, the price was mentioned. Unfortunately, being a foreigner speaking very little French, I must have missed this important bit of our conversation. In retrospect, I think that this kind of “detail” should have been confirmed in writing to avoid potential misunderstanding.
Finally, a word on the sommelier. When you are serving an epic wine, it shouldn’t hurt to add a bit of a story to each glass. A few words about the wine maker, the blend, the vintage. The lady in charge of drinks was generally polite but didn’t go an extra mile to make this wine pairing dinner an exceptional event which would justify the super premium price.
Paradoxically, the epic wines left quite a bit of bitter aftertaste in the end.

Le cadre, la salle, le service et bien sur la cuisine. Tout est soigné et goûtu. Un très bon moment de passé. Merci à toute l’équipe.