Auberge de la Mine

We were a party of three visiting on a quiet Thusday lunchtime, but what treats were in store for us! From the Mises Bouches which started our meal, the St Jacques starters, to our choices of fish , lamb and duck for the main courses,...and the exquisite deserts, our tastebuds were overwhelmed and delighted. We particularly appreciated those extra surprises which arrived at the start and the end. What a lovely meal in elegant surroundings.

Took my husband for a birthday weekday lunch. It was busy but the service was excellent. The food looked stunning and tasted just as good as it looked, The décor is lovely and we both really enjoyed the meal. Good for a special occasion.

This restaurant used to be the canteen for local miners but this is really hard to believe apart from some photos decorating the very elegant walls. We have travelled a lot and eaten in many good restaurants including a few with three stars and this...was undoubtedly the best meal we could remember ever having. We visited on a Wednesday lunchtime and it was remarkably quiet. There were deelightful amuse bouche with our aperitifs followed by the most remarkable pre starter of gazpacho made with additional lemon Our entree was foie gras covered in a creamy mushroom sauce which sounds quite weird but tasted utterly divine. The bread was great too Then we moved on to the main course of pigeon which is not a favourite of mine and I feared that we would not enjoy this we were wrong! Although this was served very pink, it was tender and delicious with a delightful samosa containing the 'innards '. We passed on the cheese and ended up with different choices of dessert so that we could try both. Finally we managed to find room for the petit four which accompanied my coffee. Our menu was 39 euros and was just perfection. If only it was nearer to home!!

Went there on a Sunday lunchtime and I was pleased to see that the place was full. The service is fantastic and the starters and puddings were wonderful. Main courses let it down I think. I had Pigeon which was a bit tough and rather...strangely presented with a bare leg as the presentation on top of the thigh meat. Rather putting off. My friend had the vegetarian dish, which was delicious apparently but needed a bit of substance maybe some pulses or something to set it off. My starter of Fois Gras with the apple jelly on top was sublime and the chocolate medley as dessert was fabulous. Not cheap, but you would not expect it to be.

There is very little actually wrong with this restaurant. The food is skilfully executed, the concept of the dishes is imaginative... it just doesn't really quite come together. Lobster ice cream on a bed of creamy green vegetal foam, with a layer of melon sorbet,...followed by filet de St Pierre on a buttery bed of vegetables with a creamy and buttery sauce? It was perfectly executed, but not exactly appetizing, and the first thing I did when I left was go for a two hour walk. You can see exactly why it gained a Michelin star, and exactly why it did not gain too. The decor seems, like many contemporary French fine dining venues, slightly 1980s. Service is excellent. The atmosphere is formal, quiet, a little glacial, and yet no-one is formally dressed. Worth stopping by, but perhaps not quite there yet.