Hotel Restaurant La Musardiere — Restaurant in Les Andelys

Highly disappointing, food and service did not match the hype, not worth the $$$$

A hotel/restaurant in Giverny that advertises its restaurant as “Bistornomic”, a culinary style that combines bistro foods and dishes with gastronomic cooking methods. This is a review of the restaurant only, we did not stay at the hotel. The dining room or rooms seemed to be converted from small rooms of the original building with the small bar and kitchen behind them. There was an outside patio, too, but guests were not allowed to eat dinner outside and were required to eat inside even with good weather.

The staff were distant and infrequent. Difficult to get small requests such as lemon for the water or extra bread. In addition, our waiter found it difficult to describe menu components to us when we had questions. We asked for a serving of butter to go with the bread and they charged us 2.50 Euros for one tiny serving in an aluminum foil cup with a plastic peel off top ......... how cheap.

We had the four course chef’s menu. The first course was poached orchid root in a milky potato broth with a float of lemon/lime oil on top. Not much flavor or seasoning. The oil over powered the other parts. With that came a “fish mousse” that was more like a gravy and tasted more of veal than fish.

Second course was a raw Lions Mane mushroom carpaccio with foam. As in the first course, not much flavor or seasoning. It was beside an escargot with minced carrot and shallot filling in a crushed nut crust. Most flavor in the crust.

Third course- A seam Bream cake-flaked fish, minced carrot and parsley with boullion moistened breadcrumbs as a binder wrapped in a nori sheet. The side was turnips cooked in citrus gastrique. The plate was finished with some kumquat slices, chimichurri and a thin sauce nantua.

The fourth course was deep fried sweetbreads with shitakes and asparagus spears on a bed of chickpea masa with a light hint of chili powder, dressed with fresh pea shoots. The sweetbreads were well done, crisp outside, tender inside. The masa was interesting as the starch. The plate with the most flavor and substance.

Dessert was sticky, lightly sweet rice pudding topped with candied grapefruit peel, grapefruit sugar crackle on a pool of a caramel sauce. For some reason , a Wasa bread crisp was positioned on the bowl.

Overall a very underwhelming meal. The dishes seemed to try to impress with unique ingredients such as the lions mane which may have some herbal health according to some but left much to be imagined (or tasted) and was not transformed. The appearance of the Wasa crisp in the rice pudding seemed an afterthought for appearance. The first three courses were small, not filling, appetizers maybe, the sweetbreads...

From the first step in the door, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Our room was the Chambres Privelège, which could not have been more beautiful, overlooking the town, gorgeous hotel grounds, and nearby fields of Normandy cows. The room had a full bath with a shower with multiple heads in a deep soaking tub. There was a comfortable large bed for us, and a daybed against the wall that was presented as lovely seating. We enjoyed the in-room Nespresso machine and tea kettle, as well as the tv. The lighting was built into the walls, so as to create an ambiance that was delightful, without glare, with additional retro pendant bulbs for extra light, and there were easily accessible switches and plugs. There was a spiral staircase to get to our room, but the staff carried our luggage up without us asking, which was much appreciated. We ate dinner at the restaurant downstairs, choosing the six course fixed menu. It was in the top three meals I've eaten in my life, and I've eaten at some great Michelin starred places. The lamb shoulder and saddle had a breaded portion that was absolutely exquisite and took my breath away, and the "perfect" 64 minute egg appetizer was spectacular, as were the scallops. Breakfast the next day appeared simple... A basket of bread and chocolate cake, local fruit, coffee, local jams and raw honey, oats, etc., but all spectacularly fresh and delicious. Then our server brought us the best local apple juice I've ever tasted (my husband got orange), local yogurt, and local cheese that was too die for. It was blissfully quiet and unrushed and we could not have enjoyed it more. The hotel is right in the heart of Giverny, just a few minutes walk from Monet's house and gardens. We walked the streets in the dark at night and enjoyed the sights during the day. The hotel had beautiful grounds to relax in and ample free parking. October was a fantastic time to be there, with almost no crowd, so we could easily move around as we pleased without a wait, with gorgeous fall leaves and plenty of flowers at Monet's house and on the grounds of the hotel. The price was a steal, especially compared to a Marriott, etc., and the hotel and restaurant experience was as delightful as seeing the rest of the town. I would go back there in...

From the first step in the door, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Our room was the Chambres Privelège, which could not have been more beautiful, overlooking the town, gorgeous hotel grounds, and nearby fields of Normandy cows. The room had a full bath with a shower with multiple heads in a deep soaking tub. There was a comfortable large bed for us, and a daybed against the wall that was presented as lovely seating. We enjoyed the in-room Nespresso machine and tea kettle, as well as the tv. The lighting was built into the walls, so as to create an ambiance that was delightful, without glare, with additional retro pendant bulbs for extra light, and there were easily accessible switches and plugs. There was a spiral staircase to get to our room, but the staff carried our luggage up without us asking, which was much appreciated. We ate dinner at the restaurant downstairs, choosing the six course fixed menu. It was in the top three meals I've eaten in my life, and I've eaten at some great Michelin starred places. The lamb shoulder and saddle had a breaded portion that was absolutely exquisite and took my breath away, and the "perfect" 64 minute egg appetizer was spectacular, as were the scallops. Breakfast the next day appeared simple... A basket of bread and chocolate cake, local fruit, coffee, local jams and raw honey, oats, etc., but all spectacularly fresh and delicious. Then our server brought us the best local apple juice I've ever tasted (my husband got orange), local yogurt, and local cheese that was too die for. It was blissfully quiet and unrushed and we could not have enjoyed it more. The hotel is right in the heart of Giverny, just a few minutes walk from Monet's house and gardens. We walked the streets in the dark at night and enjoyed the sights during the day. The hotel had beautiful grounds to relax in and ample free parking. October was a fantastic time to be there, with almost no crowd, so we could easily move around as we pleased without a wait, with gorgeous fall leaves and plenty of flowers at Monet's house and on the grounds of the hotel. The price was a steal, especially compared to a Marriott, etc., and the hotel and restaurant experience was as delightful as seeing the rest of the town. I would go back there in...