L'Alcôve — Restaurant in Bayeux

I felt compelled to write this review because of the glowing ratings and positive reviews this restaurant has received, but my experience was far from impressive. I can only assume there’s been a change in the chef or kitchen staff, as the food was a major letdown. Every dish suffered from a serious lack of balance, and it felt like a disservice to what could have been high-quality ingredients. For example, the asparagus was overcooked and drowned in an overwhelmingly heavy lemon-vinegar sauce that completely masked its natural flavor. Similarly, the meat was poorly cooked and smothered in an excessive amount of tangy sauce, making it nearly inedible. It’s hard to understand how a restaurant with such high ratings could serve dishes this carelessly prepared. The atmosphere and service were decent, but the food is the heart of any dining experience, and this fell short. I hope they address these issues,m. If not, the Bib Gourmand evaluation needs to be...

Very limited menu choices but what they lack in selection they make up for in quality and uniqueness of flavors. This is one of the few food destinations we have found in the Normandy region of France but truly a gem in the area. You must make time for this if you are here for a few nights. And the service was outstanding and far exceeds the European standard even for nice restaurants.

The only negative thing we experienced was the tables just outside the doors on the sidewalk were occupied by three sets of smokers who lit one cigarette after another during their entire meal, and thus ours, and the smell of some permeated the entire restaurant. For nonsmoking Americans who are not used to enduring that constant smell it was definitely a...

Superb! Am currently on a tour of Normandy and this is probably the best food I’ve had so far. Normally don’t get the full course menu, but I decided to go with the entree + plat + fromage + dessert. Good choice, haha.

For my first course I got the salad with mussels and razor clams which was surprisingly light. There was a toasted breadstick topping which contrasted nicely with the freshness of the clams and mussels (unfortunately forgot to take a picture).

The other 3 courses were the fish of the day, baked camembert, and mousse. My favorite was the Camembert! It was smoked and then wrapped in pastry paper, and came served over a salad of arugula and diced apples. Absolutely...