Le Bouche à Oreille
The Good tables, the Bad and the ones to avoid

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French Version
Le Lavandou (83)
Hotel Les Roches Mathias Dandine
1 avenue des trois Dauphins Aiguebelle
83980 - Le Lavandou
Phone : 04.94.71.15.53
Web site : mathiasdandine.fr/
Refined cooking

Heaven is the word. Even if I don't believe in heaven. So let's say rare. To continue in the celestial register: I don't believe in Father Christmas either! It's just that in this kind of place, dishes practically never cost what the contents are worth, but usually the price that general costs amount to. Including the dishes. It's difficult to do otherwise if you want the place to stay open. Even though I am modestly eating in the annexe to the "bistrot des Roches", the bill will not be as comforting as the food! Starters from 12 € to 25 € (half-portions are possible), dishes from 25 € to 28 € and desserts from 8 € to 10 €. Cheaper than downstairs where there is even a Michelin guide star on show. "Not everything is a question of money" say those who have some. Today for us, it will be a joke. To serve and clear the tables, the otherwise perfect waiter permanently goes from the dining room to the downstairs kitchen. Let's say 150 metres with crockery and the lot. Sometimes, when laid back in your chairs dozing off whilst watching the sea, a horrid sounding telephone blasts out at him and deafens you in to the process. So he dashes off to get the dishes. Can you imagine the marathon? The man must have Schwarzenegger's thighs. Unless they change waiters every day. Maybe it's the bad one that gets to serve. In the staff room in the morning, for a reunion to talk about the previous days work. Everyone standing to attention: "you, you made a mistake at gastronomic table 14 last night, so you're up to the bistrot today!" Punishment! So! No tantalizer despite having a dish straight away. There are no small savings. Especially at 25 € a dish: "gibelotte de lapin, risotto de blé" (rabbit stew, wheat risotto). Served in a pretence, small white ceramic casserole dish as if it had been cooked in it. The sauce is delicious, but the wheat is under done and sticky with strings thanks to the cheese. Seeing the price of rabbit, wheat and grated cheese, even when well prepared, 25 € makes your purse shiver. Speculators: invest in rodents! Sell them to restaurants, there's a future! 15/20. The "café gourmand" (greedy coffee) is no more expensive than in some clumsy places, 8 €. The coffee is average, but the "crème brûlée à la pistache" (pistachio crème brûlée) is delicious with, on top, a scoop of chocolate ganache, 15/20. The "duo de chocolat" does well with 14,5/20. A digressive "baba au rhum". Usually the rum in a "baba au rhum" is the cherry on the top. Here, no taste of rum, nor the characteristic flavour. An unknown alcohol, with a vague plant taste, rather like verbena. Disorientating. 12/20. But Nicolas Sarkozy, Rachida Dati and Martin Bouygues (godfather to the presidents son) came here at the end of 2007. Ah...

Welcome : 16/20
Attendance : 16/20
Quality/Price : 11/20
Setting : 15,5/20
Bread : 16/20
Coffee : 14/20
Toilettes : 16/20
Chef : Mathias Dandine

Restaurant menus 85 € and 125 €. Bistrot: full menu. Magnificent terrace. Sea view.