I had just moved to this village and was looking forward to celebrating a birthday at this local…read morerestaurant that touts fresh, local, organic fare. I've spent my life around restaurants: my father was a chef and I've worked as a travel writer and food critic, and I speak fluent French and have been here for almost 20 years. I was looking forward to a typically warm Breton welcome - I had made a reservation a week in advance and informed them that my dinner companion was a vegetarian (a term they did not understand initially, thinking that meant that she ate fish). But they had been kind enough to say that they would accommodate her and we went forth with great anticipation... only to be met with the type of stereotypical snobbery I am constantly telling my Anglo friends is quite rare. I had asked for a place by the window with a view of the sea when I reserved and, upon entering the virtually empty restaurant and being shown to a table in the back, I asked for a window seat and was promptly told that they were "reserved for our special regulars" (who, for the most part, never appeared), and that I should have reserved "earlier". I was determined to have a nice birthday dinner so I accepted a seat under the ardoise that listed the wines etc. which made reading their list impossible. So, I did what I often do when I am reviewing a place: I asked the manager to provide suggestions. I said I was very hungry and was merely steered rather transparently towards their two seafood dishes which were both more expensive than the other offerings. I was in a good humor, and love seafood and since I had stressed that I was very hungry thought they would be up to the challenge. Alas, the oyster starter, which featured 4 "local oysters from Cancale" were served so smothered in a thick cream of the consistency and flavor of Heinz tartar sauce, along with indifferent grated carrots, that they were virtually unrecognisable (later on, I realized why...). My friend was given a small serving of lentil soup which was simple but good... one note, nouvelle cuisine is alive and well here, sadly and my supplemented order of scallops consisted of a mere 4 tiny (1 cm diameter) scallops which were supposed to have been prepared in saffron which was again, undetectable, along with a smear of veg purée. This might have been a passable starter but, served up as a main course to someone who was clearly not an anorexic supermodel, it was deeply disappointing. The manager said that, if the scallop dish wasn't copious enough for me, he would add a small bit of their beef dish to taste, I thought that was a thoughtful gesture... (until I got the bill). I had asked the manager to provide a wine, had mentioned the name of a vineyard I liked and had chatted about wine a bit... I asked him to make a suggestion for a light red to be paired with seafood and he showed up with a bottle (a 1915 vintage, not even estate bottled) and unceremoniously decanted it without the slightest explanation or even showing me the label (decanting such a young wine also seemed a bit silly), even though it had not been a choice. This was clumsy and presumptuous... their website waxes poetic about their wine offerings and, since I had asked for a suggestion, I expected at least a presentation, especially since my friend and I were unable to locate the wine on the ardoise. I should also mention, as other reviewers have, that the pricing here is not clearly stated anywhere onsite. My friend was given a plate of assorted veg for her main course and was just happy to be accommodated. The desserts were decent: interesting flavors (my friend had the Le Breton, and I had a Profiteroles with Citrus Cream which had a lovely, tart citrus flavor but the profiteroles were a tiny bit soggy... All this ended with the presentation of a bill for slightly over 100 euros! The website says the fixed price menus are around 30 a piece so it was rather shocking, but again, I was determined to enjoy my birthday and not make a scene. After feeling a bit off that night, I woke up with food poisoning to boot. Probably the hidden oysters since the scallops had seemed minuscule but correct, but it was a lousy way to spend my birthday weekend. I am up in the middle of the night in the midst of terrible cramps writing this so that others will not waste a special occasion here. The village creperie, Le Fleur de Sel, at least provides honest, fresh fare for a good price. So much for bringing over my friends who work for Michelin! Very sad since they have a winning location and concept.
