Berthus — Restaurant in Bordeaux

We were really looking forward to this place. When we looked at the menu, we quickly settled on ordering everything (3 diners).

One of the reasons we booked this place months in advance was their ability to cater to gluten allergies. We asked for this accommodation with our reservation. It was disappointing to come here and find that although the starters and mains were gf, the desserts were not.

One of them, the poached apple in cider, could be altered to accommodate, but that meant all of us would be having it.

I wouldn’t have blinked if we just walked into a restaurant and took a chance. Instead, we picked this place specifically and communicated with them in advance. I was expecting something rather than nothing. We’ve gotten far better options in other restaurants that didn’t even know we were coming. The restaurant didn’t offer anything or take any accountability.

Their starters were flavorful with the marinated, smoked sword fish winning the flavor contest.

For the main, the chicken and prawns won mainly because the squid in risotto was excellent. We ordered our steak medium and it definitely came out medium rare.

The dessert was light and s good way to cleanse the palate. We’ll never know what it was meant to be, but that’s...

Fun experience overall, and would return. Also, they have decent air conditioning, which was fantastic in the 100 degree (Fahrenheit) weather. Arrived at 7 pm right when they opened, but getting seated was smooth, and within minutes I had drinks and food ordered.

We got the gazpacho, which was light and refreshing in the summer heat, and the beef tataki which was a delight to eat. It’s honestly just soy sauce, so maybe we miss Asian food lol. But it paired well with the edible flowers.

Main dish was the mignon of pork and the fish fillet. Fish fillet was hearty and the broccoli mousse was a delight to eat, but lacked in complexity - some more acidity would’ve been great.

The pork loin was a bit dry, but when eaten with the fig was delicious indeed. And wow can the French do potatoes, my favorite mashed potato experience so far.

Desserts were fun, gave deconstructed vibes. The apricots were very sour, but manageable when cut into small pieces. I enjoyed the cheesecake more, particularly the topping (on the bottom) of nuts.

All in all, a decent experience, among the better ones in Bordeaux, and a place I would come back to if I somehow found myself in...

Given the many good reviews we were disappointed with Berthus. The service was perfunctory at best right from the time we walked in the door. And the dress of the male waiters left a lot to be desired. The duck main course was served lukewarm., but the generous piece of breast was nicely rare. The pork belly was terribly over cooked and lacked the fatty richness of pork belly cooked well. The pannacotta was nothing like a proper one and was lost in a huge moat of rather liquid chocolate mousse. The two starters were pretty on the eye and were the clear highlight of the meal. The sparkling water was barely chilled as were the red wines which should have been served at room temperature. And I find it very odd that no tastes of the reds were offered but we could taste the white wines. Yes, the dining room was full by 7.30 pm and this might explain the service but I suspect quite a few guests were tourists used to eating early. The price overall was reasonable given the ingredients but I thought the wines were overpriced given no tastes were offered and the relatively...