Brasserie a 4 Temps — Restaurant in Carcassonne

Sit inside. We were looking forward to this brasserie, it's part of the chef Franck Putelat's group of restaurants (South of the medieval city is the Restaurant la Table de Franck Putelat one of the best restaurants I've ever visited, a must, but requires a bit of saving up for). This is a more mainstream restaurant but still offers excellent quality and imaginative cooking and fairly affordable prices. Set menu is a great deal. I'd say that if you are in Carcassonne for a night or two that this would be the place to eat at least once, certainly beats 95% of the medieval city restaurants which are touristy rubbish. But, when sitting out on the terrace, which most do, we had a deal breaker problem, and this is a negative that only some will have a problem with, the French smoke, heavily, still, in 2024, we sat opposite two French women both of whom smoked at the table, one smoked while she ate, fork in one hand cigarette in the other. Another guy two tables down from us vaped, throughout his meal. It's outside so it's 'allowed' but tables are close together and this is a restaurant not a bar with occasional food so we just weren't prepared for it, eating while second hand smoke wafts across your table. So if you are not a smoker then consider sitting inside, it's AC and stylish, so you'll be happy, and you'll taste the excellent cooking, not someones...

We booked a table promptly and arrived on time. From the very welcome at the door the usherette was unfriendly. Once they seated us, no one came to attend to us, we sat and waited for 15min. We arrived early but we were told on the phone the kitchen opens at 19h so we were there at 19h. No one even came to welcome us and take our order for drinks, we just sat there, with 3 kids one of whome a baby, at a prebooked table while the waiters were just conversing behind our backs, ignoring us on purpose. We were shocked and bewilderd! Is it some kind of a game, the kids were hungry, we had even made our choice off the menu...but no. Not even a sip of water. At then end, when my son started saying: Mummy, I am starving, I stood up and collected all our stuff and we left. I may be ignorant, is it a Fench thing to ignore your customers in a reputed restaurant (we made sure to choose well, read reviews and consulted the menu). On the way out, the waiters and the usherette just stared at us, no attempt to come and ask us why we were leaving, if anything as the matter. So sad! Such a...

Such a bad experience. They are not very hygienic while cooking. I was seated just in front of the kitchen and I saw how the cook on the bar finished all the dishes using his hands all the time to touch the food. Serving with one hand and the other touching everything, including mushrooms, meat, fish... Between touching different aliments he "cleaned" his hands in a rag he had attached to his apron (I could see this rag and it was very dirty as well). It was absolutely disgusting. The kitchen in general was chaotic, this cook was shouting the rest. I saw another cook drinking water from a plastic tray (those where fruits come in). After all, food wasn't that good after seeing this situation, small size and too many sauces covering natural flavours, and super expensive for...