LE CARRé D'ART(s) — Restaurant in Poitiers

We managed to get a table for two on a Saturday evening with no reservation, quite lucky I feel, as the place is quite small and it was rather busy.

We began with an amuse bouche of a herby cold tomato soup. Not a choice I would make but we both really enjoyed it, a promising start.

My wife didn't have a starter, I did. A tart made of a really good short pastry with a lovely hint of parmesan. The contents was a lovely tapennade, again gentle in taste, but oh so good. There were a few delicate shavings of carrot and some very intricate pea shoots. This was extremely enjoyable and had been produced by someone with great skills.

For the main my wife had a chicken dish in a light coloured sauce. She loved it, and proceeded to clear her plate. My main was nothing like I had expected, I should take better care to read the menu.

I had medallions of Limousin beef with foie gras. I was expecting pate for some reason but received a pile of livers. Combining the beef, the liver and the sauce was just out of this world. The real surprise was the shallot. It had been roasted in what tasted like coconut milk. It was an absolute delight. We both had a wonderful roasted vegetable mix. It was absolutely lovely.

Our server for the evening was Nor, a busy young man dressed in all white. He recommended the wine to my wife when he saw our choices and it worked like a dream. It was rather a big 15 per center. Not sure I have had a French 15er previously.

Dessert and I was so looking forward to an assiette de fromage that I was really disappointed when I was informed they do not serve one. A French restaurant and a nice one to boot that doesn't do cheese........

I needn't have been so hasty as Nor recommended the chevre with pastry. As per the rest of the meal it was top notch. There were a couple of chevre rounds built into brique ( I think) pastry. There was a small swirl of cream with pesto on top and a plate of lettuce with an intense vinaigrette, a proper eye opener.

So my sweet was equally an entrée for me, but it was great.

If you find yourself in downtown Poitiers I would highly recommend you seek this place out and treat yourselves.

You will be so glad you did.

Top marks across the...

Good cuisine and service in general. However I am rating this as a vegan.

This restaurant only has vegetarian options (includes eggs and dairy), but vegetarian dishes can usually be adapted to plant-based in such small restaurants, so I decided to give it a go anyway. After insisting and having the waiter coming back and forth to the kitchen, he ensured me everything was fine to eat with a smile... But I am certain that at least the dessert (contained a very buttery crumble) was not vegan. So it made me question the rest of my meal, I am not sure that half my food was plant-based in the end, even though I tried my best to explain to the waiter what I could not eat.

It is disappointing to see that I had to reach out to the waiter every time I had a doubt instead of them coming to me with an explanation and reassurance on what adjustments was made to the dishes to fit my diet. I would have preferred them to be honest with me and say they couldn't adapt rather than being this disregarding/not bothered about it.

Be careful if you go eat there as a plant-based/vegan, or even as a...

Overall I think I may have ordered the wrong thing on the wrong day.

Presentation of the food is excellent, everything coming from the kitchen looked amazing. Portions are generous, food comes quickly. Other tables were very much enjoying their food. Perfect bread. I misunderstood from the server that wine was not available by the glass. The entree was subtle, too subtle, just a dash of salt would have made a world of difference. The garnish to make up for this worked but the base itself would have benefited immensely from any added depth. The main was dry and overcooked, despite me arriving relatively early in the first service, this was a disappointment in such a well presented dish. The accoutrements lacked, like the entree, in the excitement they intended to evoke. Dessert-fromage blanc- ended up being more of an ambrosia, tropical fruits suspended in whipped cream, minus the marshmallows. Otherwise very cute restaurant with a local clientele, would give it another chance with...