Cafe Salade de Fruits

Went to this community centre restaurant with some family tonight. When we arrived at 6pm, there were already quite a number of tables on the patio and most of the tables inside were reserved. Luckily, we also made reservations and were seated promptly.

One of us were a little late, but the server didn't really check up on us and we had to flag her down to order. Even then, she took a while. I don't think anything is computerized at all so everything you order would be written down on checks and probably written down again for the cooks.

I ordered the duck pate (Rillette de Canard) to start. It tasted nice and came with a side salad. Unfortunately, the pate was a little dry and lacking in fat. It tasted like bits of duck were packed together like a burger patty and not really creamed together like pate usually is. The salad was overly drenched in vinaigrette and was too acidic for my taste. Luckily, we had unlimited bread to go with the dish.

I ordered the frog legs (Cuisses de grenouilles) as my main dish. That butter sauce was like liquid gold, but too bad our "unlimited" bread wasn't refilled so I couldn't really enjoy it. The frogs were sautéed nicely: the meat was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. Although by the end, it was a little overwhelming and I couldn't get the garlic taste / smell off my mouth.

I also ate half of one of my cousin's rack of lamb (Carre d'agneau). It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and well seasoned. I didn't use any gravy that was served with it, but I was not lacking in seasoning at all. The lamb meat was tender and easy to tear off the bone. It came with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The vegetables might have been a little overlooked by the heat of being next to the mashed potatoes, but still nice to have with the meat.

My other cousin ordered the halibut (Fletan), and that was very well done. The halibut was tender but still had texture. The mushroom clam sauce was refreshing once you added that squeeze of lemon to it.

Another cousin ordered the mussels with fries (Moules et frites). Those fries were like a meal on its own. I'm glad it came with mayo and not ketchup. Also, despite what the English menu says, it's a choice between fries OR salad; it does not come with fries AND salad.

The mussels themselves were the star of the dinner. The server brought out a place mat for my cousin, then this big pot. Then she lifted the lid off the pot and all you got was this delicious lemon-y aroma. The mussels themselves were small, but they were so soft and creamy and the broth was very flavourful. Again, I wish they refilled the bread so that I could dip it in the broth.

Overall it was a good experience. I wasn't blown away but it's a solid restaurant with fresh ingredients. It's a little tight, cash only, but I'd recommend a try. I probably won't be returning though: I'd rather have French food from my French cooking classes.