French Food (1 Viewer)

[Pikey Pete]

I've travelled France over a number of years and IMO French food is the worst in Europe and who knows maybe even the world.

My last foray was with French friends in Brittany and as I always do I ask them what the local favourite dish is and can we go to a local restaurant and sample some.

Savoury Crepe's was the answer so off we went. Awful, dry tasteless and expensive.
So all you Francophiles prove me wrong and tell where I can get some real food in France and what should I ask for ? ( no snacks please, proper meals )

I also have a friend who ran a Hotel in the Limosin who told me that the French locals went mad over British food especially the Sunday roast and Yorkies. She also said that French food was either mush or dry with a sauce dumped on it and wouldn't serve it in the restaurant.

Pete:Cool:

PS also IMO German food is the best in Europe but that's for another thread

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I think that it's where you go and what you get......

We have had some awful food in France but also some really decent stuff (usually when someone else is paying...).

To be honest - we think that the best food in Europe is in Belgium. A decent restuarant in somewhere like Ghent give the best "French" cooking without the price premium. However, some pasta in Genoa would argue with that, or something simple like raclette in Switzerland would also disagree.As with all things it is very subjective - one man's meat is another mans poison and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder - to use a few cliches.

Food? - love it! But who can beat really good bubble and squeak?

 

[Pikey Pete]

I think that it's where you go and what you get......

We have had some awful food in France but also some really decent stuff (usually when someone else is paying...).

To be honest - we think that the best food in Europe is in Belgium. A decent restuarant in somewhere like Ghent give the best "French" cooking without the price premium. However, some pasta in Genoa would argue with that, or something simple like raclette in Switzerland would also disagree.As with all things it is very subjective - one man's meat is another mans poison and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder - to use a few cliches.

Food? - love it! But who can beat really good bubble and squeak?

Don't get me wrong I like France very much but not the food and sometimes not the people. So what did you eat that was French in Belgium, so I can look out for it.
I like to eat out but when in France I've learned to do my own cooking so thats why I want to know what to ask for and where to get it.
Pete:Cool:

 

[yodeli]

Hello!

What is IMO food?
Hope there's not any in my kitchen...seems awfull


Frankie

 

[Pikey Pete]

Hello!

What is IMO food?
Hope there's not any in my kitchen...seems awfull


Frankie

IMO = In my opinion.

Don't I just love you Frankie, you are never too frightened to ask.
Maybe I should come and sample some of your cooking:thumb:

Pete:Cool:

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[weymard]

I've travelled France over a number of years and IMO French food is the worst in Europe and who knows maybe even the world................................................................

good joke man

 

[Pikey Pete]

good joke man

I'm so pleased you think it's funny. I notice that of 40+ views on this thread nobody including you can answer my question except for someone who recomended going to Belgium for decent French cuisine.
I have brought the subject up with people from other nations including Scandinavia, Germany, Holland, Italy, Belgium, etc and I still don't know the answer.
Please enlighten me I'm always willing to learn.

Pete:Cool:

 

[ginge61]

always enjoyed the food in the routiers truck stops and was back and two across france for a good few years a good feed and a bottle of van rouge you dont get it over here :thumb:

 

[Belgian]

I think that it's where you go and what you get......

We have had some awful food in France but also some really decent stuff (usually when someone else is paying...).

To be honest - we think that the best food in Europe is in Belgium. A decent restuarant in somewhere like Ghent give the best "French" cooking without the price premium. ?

I will not boast about it. But probably the food in Belgium is better than in France, athough it is names 'french Cuisine' it has nothing to do with France. (they even stole 'french ' fries from us :Sad
Don't venture those French restaurants with their "nouvelle cuisine". You'll get an artwork on your dish, but scarcely anything to eat, you'll get a deep hole in your wallet, and have to run to the nearest Mc D to have your belly filled.
Altough, I like "fruits de mer" or "escargots", "potée d'Auvergne", "choucroute à l'Alsace"
or......:Blush:

 

[Braunston]

Hi, apxc15

I must say the more I think about it i tend to agree, I certainly wouldn't say it was the worst by a long way, but i have yet to find anything very special about it, I like Moules & Frites but that's only for a change i certainly wouldn't eat them/it all the time and as for the other meals I have had they appear to be no better than i have found in a number of other countries including the UK.

I also like France and the French a lot and will be visiting their country again this year so please don't think this is any kind of anti French suggestion, as I would also like someone to tell me what I should order that is specifically French that will show me why French cuisine is shown as to be up there with the best in world.

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[Jim]

I must admit I often don't have much appetite French food...

the problem is that by the time the meal is served I have eaten far too much of that gorgeous bread.

 

[colpot]

In Sept 2007 we stayed on a Camp Site in Gigny Sur Saone in Burgundy (Chateau de l'Eperviere ). In the Restauraunt there I had the best boeuf burgeneon I have ever tasted and the eouf special (poached egg in a red wine sauce) was to die for.

I am hoping to persuade Mrs Colpot to let me go back there when we visit Brugundy at the end of May this year.

The worst food I have tasted was in Tunisia

 

[yodeli]

Hi all!

This is IMO ( see i learn fast apxc15! lol) a very difficult question.

At least i could say where to go in my town (Not Balma, i don't know the town well enough, only Toulouse), and even so, the owner might have changed since my last visit.
I can't afford to go to restaurants perharps once every 2 years:Sad:
What i would do when travelling is avoid isolated restaurants because as they don't have enough customers , the foods might not be very fresh. If i think about it as a restaurant owner, i'd say this isn't very nice since it will make things even worse:Blush:
You can as well buy the Michelin restaurants guide. You can rely on their choice but you will find only a few with one or two stars, which means rather cheap to affordable (i think 5 stars is supposed to indicate "luxe"restaurants ,that's to say very very very expensive!)
The thing is that most people nowadays prefer to go to exotic restaurants rather than old french cooking ones.
So we all know where to eat a nice pizza, or have a chinese meal, or greek, canadian; turkish....etc...!
And we do french cooking at home!
So you want to eat some nice french cooking? Come home and i'll cook you a 'boeuf bourguignon, or a "navarin d'agneau" or a "blanquette de veau", or even a "ratatouille niçoise" the old fashion way!
I will give you a few good receipes (the easy ones) in french lessons.
I intended to do it anyway (BTW i'm still thinking about what you asked me Dave -ShiftZZ, i'll translate it this w.end)
I can't say you're wrong saying it's not very good! It used to be... long time ago but i'm afraid profit is now more important than good taste.... c'est la vie!!:Sad:If you visit Toulouse , i'll tell you where to go! Yannick,( my son )is experimenting all the year long new restaurants and knows exactly where to go to have a nice meal( not always french though, but i'm sure he 'll be able to find a good one)


Amicalement


Frankie

 

[Ralph-Dot]

I have to agree, French food is not to my liking, we go every year, we love the place but hardly ever eat out.

Ralph

 

[Pikey Pete]

Hi all!

This is IMO ( see i learn fast apxc15! lol) a very difficult question.

At least i could say where to go in my town (Not Balma, i don't know the town well enough, only Toulouse), and even so, the owner might have changed since my last visit.
I can't afford to go to restaurants perharps once every 2 years:Sad:
What i would do when travelling is avoid isolated restaurants because as they don't have enough customers , the foods might not be very fresh. If i think about it as a restaurant owner, i'd say this isn't very nice since it will make things even worse:Blush:
You can as well buy the Michelin restaurants guide. You can rely on their choice but you will find only a few with one or two stars, which means rather cheap to affordable (i think 5 stars is supposed to indicate "luxe"restaurants ,that's to say very very very expensive!)
The thing is that most people nowadays prefer to go to exotic restaurants rather than old french cooking ones.
So we all know where to eat a nice pizza, or have a chinese meal, or greek, canadian; turkish....etc...!
And we do french cooking at home!
So you want to eat some nice french cooking? Come home and i'll cook you a 'boeuf bourguignon, or a "navarin d'agneau" or a "blanquette de veau", or even a "ratatouille niçoise" the old fashion way!
I will give you a few good receipes (the easy ones) in french lessons.
I intended to do it anyway (BTW i'm still thinking about what you asked me Dave -ShiftZZ, i'll translate it this w.end)
I can't say you're wrong saying it's not very good! It used to be... long time ago but i'm afraid profit is now more important than good taste.... c'est la vie!!:Sad:If you visit Toulouse , i'll tell you where to go! Yannick,( my son )is experimenting all the year long new restaurants and knows exactly where to go to have a nice meal( not always french though, but i'm sure he 'll be able to find a good one)


Amicalement


Frankie

A frank and honest answer and what you say matches my experience of trying to find somewhere that serves good traditional French food.
I think we forget sometimes just how bad UK pub food was a few years ago.
The UK pub's in the main, fought back against the fast food chains, so now the pub food in the UK is among the best in the world and also reasonably priced. ( Not talking here about pub chains, though even some of them can be quite good )
If the French have stopped eating out in the evening, which also matches my experience of France, then I will have to follow their example, I guess.:Sad:

Pete:Cool:

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[yodeli]

Here again with a link that might help you

Link Removed

You can see the restaurants of each region and then click on the depatment to have the list of the restaurants of the area you go across;

If you want to have a meal with local farms produces then click on "nos regions" .
I tried with Midi-pyrenees, then clicked on "haute garonne" and i know quite a few of the proposed restaurants . It looks like good choices!

Hope it helps!


Frankie

 

[scotjimland]

In France we seldom eat out, it's too expensive and never in the UK, unless you count a fish super from a local chippy.. mmmmm ..

I do love the French produce, their veg and fresh meats are far superior to ours.. shopping in a local market is such an enjoyable experience .. Sea food in Brittany and the west coast is also great..

and of course the bread is the best .. :thumb:

 

[Stephen & Jeannie]

:thumb:

Here again with a link that might help you

Link Removed

You can see the restaurants of each region and then click on the department to have the list of the restaurants of the area you go across;

If you want to have a meal with local farms produces then click on "nos regions" .
I tried with Midi-pyrenees, then clicked on "haute garonne" and i know quite a few of the proposed restaurants . It looks like good choices!

Hope it helps!
Frankie!! what a great site ! I, unfortunately know very little French, I can order a drink in a bar and a meal in a restaurant (usually the plat de jour) and get my face slapped ! So , would it be possible for you to get that site to put an English translation gizmo ,what a help that would be ! Merci ! Stephen xxx :Blush:

Frankie

 

[Wildman]

French lessons starting on here very shortly Steve keep watching the French lessons thread, Frankie has already posted a test video. Bulk will be in chat and also use Skype so you can hear pronunciation correctly. with additional video files for download.
Enjoy your Scottish trip.

 

[Reallyretired]

I have had good and bad in France, and in UK, Spain, Germany, Belgium ....etc for that matter. I have generally found French restaurants quite good, but that may be because we tend to eat out at lunchtime rather than in the evening. As often in the UK as well the prices are lower at lunchtime and this tends to be when the locals eat out, so perhaps this has an effect on the quality of the food. It is well known (therefore probably untrue) that the French think we have no taste and will eat any old crap, many of us encourage this by not complaining if dissatisfied.
The worst food is usually found in a restuarant that offers English dishes, as they are usually clueless in how to cook them, and sometimes don't even know whats supposed to be in them. Can't understand why as all our dishes have such self explanatory names (Toad in the hole, Spotted Dick, Sussex Pond pudding) .

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