Le Cristallin - Vianne

A group of 29 of us went to this restaurant last Saturday. We had a wonderful time, the place was nicely decorated for Christmas, but no loud jingle bell music, thank goodness! Food was simple but tasty. It can be difficult to cater for such a big group but they looked after us very well. We booked a set meal in advance. As the owners are from Northern France the meal was with northern flavours. Maroille chees tart to start with, very tender beef stew with as many delicious home made chips as you wanted and a choice of Chocolat Moelleux (melted chocolate pudding) or Isle Flotant (pour custard with meringue) for desert. Very good quality / price

A cute little restaurant located on the town square in the delightful fortified village of Vianne on the river Baise. The interior is comfortable, though the decor is somewhat unusual in places (e.g. cat paintings). Service is very friendly, though perhaps a bit unpolished, but nevermind. The young chefs are from the north of France, so the fare is somewhat different from the local standards of duck and foie gras. We all opted for the daily menu and everything was very good and at reasonal cost. The highlight might have been the small bowl of veloute soup that came unordered before our meal....delicious. A nice touch was that chef came out at the end of our meal to ask if everything had been to our satisfaction. Outside seating is normally available, but not on a cool October evening. Point of interest, the heroine in the movie Chocolat is named Vianne because the author summered in the town and the chocolaterie in the nearby town of Nerac inspired the book.