L'Homme de Bois — Restaurant in Lisieux

Do not go there! Rude and aggressive, told my boyfriend he would meet him outside……!!!! Horrible horrible horrible experience. If I could give it zero stars I would. This is one of the if not the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had. From the moment we walked in they were extremely unpleasant. Took forever to get the waiter to take our order, we told him we unfortunately couldn’t speak French and if there was a menu in English, he said no and walked off, did not even offer to help. I ordered the lamb shank, it came out hot on the outside and very cold/uncooked in the inside so we sent it back, it came back 2 mins later like it had just been in the microwave and was practically inedible. At the end we asked if it could be taken off, he waiter brought the manager and he slammed the receipt on the table asking what the problem was, we explained and asked for it to be taken off the bill, trying to talk to him calmly, he was literally laughing at me in my face telling me to learn how to speak French, and he mentioned this 3 times, told my boyfriend he would meet him outside which meant for a fight, he was swearing at my boyfriend in French. The manager was horrid, he behaviour was extremely rude, aggressive and arrogant towards us and I can’t believe anyone would be allowed to talk to a customer like that, especially when he was not provoked in anyway. Avoid this place at all costs. It looks like there is a common theme at this place, do not expect a...

Really disappointing meal here…3 stars is generous. First the service was bad. Starting with getting our pre dinner drink orders wrong. Ok fine, I’ll drink it anyways.

Appetizers were fine.

The wine we ordered, a Pinot Gris, was like sugar water. Just a horrible wine. Something my grandma would order in the US because she doesn’t know any better. A couple next to us ordered the same wine and then ordered a bottle to replace it. We barely touched our glasses. Why do you have such a horrible example of Pinot Gris on your menu?

Our entrees were awful. My wife had skate. Which should be a lovely rich fish, but it was dry and tasteless. I got the tripe. A dish that I get all over Europe, Mexico and the US. It was inedible. It was not properly cleaned. I couldn’t eat more than one bite. It smelled so bad I put it all back in the pot it came in so the smell wouldn’t bother the other tables. Nothing wrong with a bit of gaminess in tripe, but this was on a level that is unacceptable in a home kitchen or restaurant kitchen.

Lastly, my desert was burnt, and I ordered it with cream NOT ice cream. It, of course, came with ice cream.

We then sat there for almost 30 minutes waiting to get their attention so we could pay our bill. We left the exact amount in cash and walked out.

Very disappointed that this restaurant is listed in guidebooks as a good place to eat. A complete waste...

Expectations Not Realised. My wife and I visited this restaurant having been recommended to us. We did not have a booking, but a table was found for us on what looked like a very busy night. The restaurant had a very nice ambiance which gave us a feeling this could be a good place in which to dine. After a drink from the bar, we selected the €43 set menu plus a bottle of a good red wine. The first course was very good, but when it came to the main course, my selection, ‘Côte de Boeuf Grillée’ was terrible. The meat was tough and chewy, hard to swallow, with a lot of fat and gristle, virtually inedible. On the other hand, my wife’s dish of the Confit Lamb Shank was said to be very good. The deserts we chose were fine, no complaints, but not exceptional. Overall, this evening for me was spoiled by a terrible main course. My wife said that given she had no real complaints, the evening was OK, without being...