Au Vieux Four — Restaurant in Gourdon

I've been living in the surrounding area for two years, but I've never stopped by, mostly because from the outside it looked like a mediocre local restaurant without any appeal.

I couldn't be any more wrong.

Not only did I come across two nice stonewalled rooms upon entering, but these were well decorated, with such soft and properly distributed lights that I was immediately feeling cuddled.

We have been invited to sit on the exterior patio, which is not as great as the interior but is still enjoyable.

And then that's when our culinary adventure began.

There is the traditional "a la carte" menu as well as a range of menus to suit all pockets.

I was indeed pleased with my St. Jacques dishes, a bit less with the creme brulé.

My wife had salmon tartare, followed by pan-fried cod on a vegetable base. That was fantastic.

These guys will be seeing me...

We've had plenty of meals around the €30 mark. This was a Sunday €33 menu for 3 courses and yes, there was only a choice of 2 starters and 2 mains. I went for one and my wife the other and all the dishes were excellent, superb presentation, delicious combinations, quite clearly a chef who knows what he's doing. The other staff were very friendly and attentive and the terrace was very pleasant. Our best meal in France...

We only had the plate de jour, which was only average. Most of the customers looked like workers or day-laborers. But my (French) parents went here the day before and ordered a whole 5 course dinner and couldn't say enough good things. I believe the reviews on here are authentic, and this is the number 1 place...