For true French style, great food and a good wine list, Le Relais in Angers is hard to beat. Last week we took a non-French speaking friend for lunch. The maitre ‘d’ was charming, explained the dishes in English and reverted to French speaking to us. This may sound simple but sometimes you end up juggling languages when restaurants click that you are English and the capacity to keep everyone happy in this respect is a skill.
Entrées of fish terrine and chicken liver parfait were delicious. Classic, perfectly seasoned and delicate in both cases yet presented in a modern manner. Mains of roast wild boar fillet and steamed haddock with a creamy fish risotto were equally good. For dessert, the restaurant’s speciality – Cremet d’Angers. Smooth fromage blanc is beaten and then whipped cream and beaten egg whites gently folded in with just a hint of sugar and vanilla. The mixture is carefully spooned into moulds that are left to drain overnight and then turned out and served with a little more cream and a coulis of forest fruits and what looks like a few caramelised rice krispies. Light as a feather this simple dessert is seriously good and made all the better for me by opting for some fresh local Autumn raspberries as an addition. The restaurant has such a reputation for this dessert that you can order them to take away!
Expect to pay 30-50€ per person excluding wine or opt for the lunchtime bistro option at 28€.
Closed Sunday & Monday
For a virtual tour of the restaurant see here http://www.francevirtuelle.fr/projetvisite/lerelai/lerelai.html
9 rue de la Gare, 49100 Angers 02 41 88 42 51
