Le Darnétal — Restaurant in Montreuil-sur-Mer

A huge disappointment and the worst meal we can remember ever having in France.|For nearly 50 years ,and through three changes in ownership, this has been our go to restaurant when visiting Montreuil and thus on our first, post pandemic, visit we were anxious to see what changes the new owners had made and whether they had been able to maintain the very high standards of their predecessors.|The interior changes are considerable but that probably should have happened and we make no comment save to say if you are going to have an open kitchen then those working in it must look professional in dress and behaviour and inspire confidence in what one is about to eat. Sadly the opposite was the case with much rushing around by obviously flustered, rather grubby looking, workers operating a microwave every few minutes without seemingly knowing what was going to come out of it .|The food was indescribably awful. A crab starter utterly tasteless (was it indeed fish?) with a vegetable cooked in cheap oil. The salad which accompanied my wife's starter was similarly drab. Our main courses were likewise served with vegetables swimming in cheap oil/fat. The steak I had was of the cheapest cut pretending to be from a better part of the animal and my wife's offal was untrimmed and offered with no finesse whatsoever. Seasoning in all dishes was completely absent. To cap it all, serving supermarket sliced bread when there are so many wonderful artisan bakers in Montreuil simply showed the new owners have little intention of running other than a place where they can get away with low quality, cheap food, inexpertly cooked and hope trading off the restaurants former reputation will be enough to attract punters. |After 49 years eating at Le Darnetal we shall not return until there is another change...

I have never written a review before, bit this fabulous restaurant Estelle and her team run really deserves a mention. We liked it so much we went twice in our four nights, which is saying something when Montreuil is full of good restaurants. Cosy, comfortable and rustic, but no splinters in your fingers! A typical Brit I was a little worried about the traditional French menu of marrow, veal etc, although there were plenty of other options like Sea Bass, Tuna, and steak, all with a modern twist. Our first night we had the Cote de Boeuf (Black Angus). The chef is in view, which adds to the ambience. We had our Cote de Boeuf saignant, which is served and sliced at your table, with frites. The following evening I tried The Black Pearl (Polish) filet saignant. Having never had that before I highly recommend to any ribeye enthusiast. Small, but well marbled and so tasty. Christof had the simmentale (German) entrecote saignant. Tonight we indulged with dauphioise au gratin. Tonight we tried the desserts, I had the chocolate mousse and Christof the apple crumble. Again, absolutely superlative. Get there soon before...

Strolled by this place, seemed rather more elegant than some in the market square...around midday ....felt the ambiance from outside. Dropped in to say hello and could we book a table for 2 that evening, not a problem! ...received a lovely welcome from a gentle young lady with a smile, the new owner giving her heart to her first restaurant venture.(an hours of redecorating and fit out) At dinner, re service, nothing was too much trouble, the wine list was short but classical styles to go with the menue. They were able to adapt quickly to my partners individual requests timely and with a smile. Food flavours were good. No rush service with a calm and natural feel, we shall be back...! Good luck...with your...