La Fringale - Piatti

El Changuito

➤ 40 av du General Joseph Santraille, 66160 Le Boulou, France

Piatti • Cafés • Pizza • Mexicain • Fruits De Mer

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"As promised, we stopped at el changuito on the way to go to the gp catalunya motorcycle, this time with the son and his friend. I'm sorry, why are you going somewhere else? the place to go! It's good, the kitchen is family, just like the atmosphere. After the apéro, we chose tapas, there is a choice (patatas bravas mushrooms beignets aubergines beignets zucchini: our top 4, anchovies, peppers, tortilla, chicken croquettes, bread with ham serrano) and desserts, all for cheap. And we're like home. marie remembered our passage two years ago, we killed each other and kissed as old friends, that good woman is great!Why do we live so far? hello to the troupe and wedding bises."

Restaurant Le Cabaret

➤ Mas Des Trompettes Hautes, 66740, Montesquieu-des-Albères, France

Piatti • Café • Cafés • Poisson • Français

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"Antoine’s restaurant compares to none other, it is a unique establishment. He cooks, you eat, there is no menu except his own. All diners are expected to arrive for a certain time, and the stage is set for his performance. Ably assisted by his family, the dishes are well prepared and fresh; but ensure you confirm any allergy concerns beforehand, choice of menu is the Chef’s! We enjoyed the experience twice with other couples over a couple of weeks, both a lot of fun, but the menu was much the same each visit, but both times were memorable for our hosts as much as for our fellow guests; and of course for the food and drink! Four courses with shellfish, tomatoes mozzarella, squid sausage rice squid ink sauce, followed by spoonfuls of crème Catalan. Accompanied by an excellent rose wine (again, one of Antoine’s choice! , and bottled water. All are of excellent quality and reasonably priced, as is the coffee. Antoine is an excellent host, the atmosphere, decorative elements and music all add up to an interesting experience. Definitely recommended!"

Le Néoulous

➤ Route de Ceret | Hotel restaurant le Neoulous, 66160 Le Boulou, France

Piatti • Thé • Cafés • Pizza • Français

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"Some years ago my wife and I stumbled across a restaurant on the outskirts of Le Boulou, France while on our way to the Spanish Costa Brava. It was memorable for a few reasons: the pleasantly rustic ambience, a free (although not very tasty) vegetable soup to start the meal and an excellent chocolate moelleux for dessert. We also recall having had fish that matched the soup in terms of taste. Nevertheless, on our way to the Spanish Costa Brava on 1 May 2019 we decided we wanted to try the restaurant again. Unfortunately, we could not recall either the restaurant's name or precise location. We drove around for a while in vain trying to find it and had less than an hour remaining in the French lunch period that many French restaurants abide by quite strictly. Next to a roundabout just before entering/after exiting Le Boulou is the Hotel/Restaurant Le Néoulous. A quick check of reviews on Tripadvisor did not provide much promise of a good meal, but given the hour, we needed to decide to take our chances or continue into Spain, where the lunch period runs to 4 pm and, in some restaurants, even later. We knew of one restaurant, in particular, not far from our destination that is a favorite of ours for grilled ribs (see my review of Can Dolc (in San Feliu de Boada) on Tripadvisor). However, it was Wednesday when that restaurant is closed. So, we decided to take our chances at Le Néoulous. While Le Néoulous' location next to a roundabout between the autoroute exit and Le Boulou proper is neither seaside nor bucolic, Le Néoulous has the ambience of a seaside or countryside pension, with a décor that does not seem to have changed for decades. There was a set lunch consisting of salad bar, main dish, dessert and wine for less than 14 Euros. However, the basic descriptions of the fish and meat main dishes provided by the waitress were not inspiring. Also, a speciality of grilled seafood (according to the a la carte menu) was visible on another table and looked promising. So, we declined the set menu and opted to share a salad to start and the seafood platter. I had checked out the salad bar and the greens selection was not in the same time warp as the restaurant's décor. However, the base of the a la carte salad served to us was iceberg lettuce, a not fond memory from my distant youth. The few accompanying items included some sardines and small pieces of boiled potato with skin still on. Drizzled over everthing were a brownish goo of unknown origin and balsamic vinegar, a favorite of chefs, but not of mine. Overall, if not the worst salad we have ever had, it was certainly in the running. Oh, how pleased we were when the seafood platter arrived. It looked great (see photo) and had a matching taste deriving from the freshness of the seafood and the garlic and olive oil in which it had been cooked. Some of the shellfish had already cooled down and I thought the squid was a bit over done (although my wife liked it). However, notwithstanding its minor flaws, the platter more than made up for the disappointing salad. We were too full to choose from the large selection of desserts so I canot report on that course. As we departed Le Boulou, my wife and I agreed that overall our decision to stop for lunch at Le Néoulous was a good one."

La Via Domitia

➤ 37 Place De La Victoire, Le Boulou I-66160, France

Piatti • Pizza • Kebab • Cafés • Mexicain

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"New direction. The map is reduced, but fresh and local products prepared as in a starred restaurant.We have the experience of Bras,Lameloise,Pick,La Tour d'Argent....This address deserves the detour."

Auberge du Chene

➤ Auberge du Chene Route d Espagne, 66480 Maureillas-las-Illas, France

Piatti • Kebab • Cafés • Chinois • Fruits De Mer

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"The Auberge is on the T junction from the national road from Perpignan to Genoa, just after Les Thermes and about 5 miles before Pertus and the Spanish border.Easy parking around the place.The restaurant/bar is full of 'bits' odd chairs. sofas, vacuum cleaners, flasks, old nic nacs everywhere. A highly individual restaurant, with a couple of indoor rooms and the main room which is more like an extensive terrace, where there is a small stage for the regular music bands.My brother and I plus respective wives went for supper. A small board of bread and toast with garlic cloves, pureed green olives, and a curry puree were presented when we sat down, and we choose a couple of grilled cod, an entrecote and a gambas. I broke the habit of a life time and had the cod.The auberge is known for its fish, normally grilled, or available with sauces. The cod can also be served gratin with potatoes and done in the oven. However the plain grilled , with a parsley/olive oil dressing on the side was really nice, even though I am not a fish person.My wife had 5 massive gambas (excellent) and brother had the steak, and he reported that it was 'fit for service'. His wife had the other cod, also grilled.Now we come to the quirky bit. The meals are 'Platos Combinados' and come with a mixed salad complete with a jumbo radish, a slice of manchego, cold cauliflower, a mixed red onion/red pepper combination, half a baked potato and a slice of pineapple - which was part of my 5 a month.This was was followed by the usual tartes tatin and ice cream, a glass with a couple of boules, and a chocolate molleux which was up to snuff.The meal was washed down with a 1L pichet of red wine possible pressed earlier in the day at a quite remarkable price of 2€ and a glass of rosé. All in all it was an experience and throughly enjoyable. Definitely worth stopping at if you are passing and especially enjoy fish.The owner and staff are very friendly and match the decor! All a bit quirky and great."