L'Aquarelle — Restaurant in Céret

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Snacks, salads, mussels and ice-cream

Nicely sited on the quayside looking over at the Chateau Royal, with an outside terrace surrounded by transparent plastic. Like a sort of cheap greenhouse to grow tourists. :-) Well, really it's to save you from the sun, and above all from the fierce wind that can hit Collioure at any time of year.

A good range of full-plate salads (with Serrano ham, or with goat's cheese, or with anchovies, or with tuna, or with all of that) ranging in price from €11 to €14, Sept 2016 prices. A beer or glass of wine, a pudding and a coffee brought the overall bill for 4 to €90, so it's not quite as cheap as it may seem at first glance.

But reasonable.

One tip you need to know: the lavatories are hidden discreetly. They are totally separate from the bar/restaurant, being along the right hand side of the street running at right angles, the Rue Berthelot. There is a large vertical sign saying L'AQUARELLE, but with the word "toilettes" not there at all outside. (See my photo). This, presumably, is to prevent just anyone going in to use them - you need to be in the know. When you open the door you come to a little indoor courtyard where it says "Toilettes réservées aux clients de l'Aquarelle". They are Unisex, and modern...

At this time of year (March), many places are closed for the season so this place filled up. The service was less than warmly welcoming and the food was just ok. My wife's goat salad and my patatas bravas came first. The patatas were hot and flavourful! The pereide de légumes served on an iron board should have been steaming hot but the vegetables were just a little warm to cold. I don't know if it's because the water forgot about them. My wife's salad was generous but less than satisfying, to put it mildly. The watermelon cubes were definitely not fresh. When I complained, they did remove the price of the vegetable dish from the bill. There was bright fluorescent lighting and there were people standing around the bar. It sounded like the cook's transistor radio was on in the kitchen and heard over the counter. Not...

“What a wonderful restaurant! I absolutely loved the paella! You can really taste the love and care in every bite. The service was impeccable, warm and attentive, making the whole experience even more special. So different from the touristy beachside restaurants that left me disappointed. I’ll definitely be...