L, Auberge du Village - Conty

We had prebooked this as it gave easy access to Calais and was the last night of a three week trip to France and what a treat. Booked in (at 5:30pm) and was shown to tiny room over in the annex (some parking) Its so small it would be difficult to swing the proverbial cat but it was comfortable, clean and beautifully dressed in quality linen. Over the road the food was delicious we simply had the menu de jour at 13 euro for 3 courses and couldn't go wrong. Yes it is small and quirky, but so different from the run of the mill overnight boxy hotels and well worth a visit.

We are fans of getting off the motorway and stopping at somewhere local rather than a service station. We look for something less than 10km from an exit so that our journey isn't too interrupted. This little village restaurant fits the bill perfectly. Thanks to good reviews on TripAdvisor we made the stop and it was well worth it fresh ingredients from the chef's garden and lovely home cooked food all for a three course €13 daily menu €9 for child's menu). Nice atmosphere of locals and friendly staff too complement the experience. Merci et bravo!

Our last night in France was to be an easy day's drive to Calais. Looking at the map, Conty was close to both AutoRoute and Route Natiuonal. The auberge was prettily painted with outside decking. Our room was across the street in a quiet annexe. The dinner menus were short and simple. Food was well cooked and presented and fairly priced. A short but good wine list. We both had foie gras followed by local trout in beurre blanc, then crème brulee. A bottle of Gewurztraminer went well with the food. We slept well in the small and comfortable room, all very clean and fresh. And for once we were tempted into a French breakfast, again very enjoyable.

Nice setting on the town 's main road. Very nice and fast service, if the landlady could use a lighter perfume when serving food. Offered amuse bouche pre starters were light and pleasant, including yoghurt with garlic and biscuits and a tiny taste of root salad with some crunchy, tasty injection nuts? bacon? whatever, that was good . Starters proper entrées were even better: we had a fish clafoutis slice of a fish filled dough loaf in egg and lemon sauce and a small cup of ham and bread in a hot cheese sauce that managed to feel light and tasty, delicate in our mouth and strong in our nose. Too bad that main courses were bland and dull. One of us had guinea fowl in a creamy sauce, with poorly cooked fries; the other chose what was described as a fish fricassée, turned out as spaghetti with seafood and a nondescript milky juice. Desserts croustillant au chocolat kind of a high power chocolate cheesecake and a cheese platter were OK, somewhere between main courses and starters. Next time, I will be happy to forfeit some sympathy for better food.

We stopped at Conty for lunch over a long drive from Normandy to Champagne it was about lunchtime, so it suited nothing pre planned or pre booked. The Village Inn restaurant (L"Auberge du Village looked nice from the outside, and we weren't looking for a big expensive lunch, so it was perfect. It had a great menu good variety and combinations though we weren't particularly hungry one small dish each. I had the entrée sized escargot, which is basically why I'm writing this review. It was superb! Certainly, the best I've ever eaten (I haven't had snails often it's not regularly featured on the menu at your average restaurant in Australia! . The sauce was devine and the snail meat perfect not chewy or rubbery; no grit. I would have escargot again at L'Auberge du Village anytime!