Review: Thumbs up for Café Rouge
We are very fortunate to live just outside Exeter, a city which now boasts a vast array of assorted eateries, bars and restaurants and we endeavour to dine out with our two boys at least once a month and have done this since the boys were small as I did with my parents introducing them to new flavours and learning to behave impeccably when dining out amongst the ‘grown-ups’. We have a favourite selection of restaurants we tend to frequent and were excited about the prospect of trying somewhere new.
The boys were particularly keen when I said that they would have to review their visit to Café Rouge and the food and approached the whole experience with enthusiasm and excitement. To be totally honest, it had never crossed my mind before to take them to Cafe Rouge as I wasn’t aware there was a children’s menu in the offering.
We arrived at 6.30pm eager to try somewhere new. We were greeted warmly by Nina who turned out to be our waitress for the evening and very pleasant she was too. As the delegated driver for the evening I had to resist the temptation for a glass of wine and ordered a soft drink but was persuaded by Nina to try a Citron Pressé as a refreshing alternative – a good choice indeed. A very tart citrus cordial appeared with a jug of water and a separate sweetener so you could make your drink up to suit your personal tastes. The boys ordered a Chocolate Milk each from the menu. The newly designed ‘Menu Pour Les Enfants’ is great and has been well thought out.
My youngest, a budding Van Gogh, loves the opportunity to colour and draw and was particularly pleased when the colouring crayons and menu arrived – a novel alternative with interchangeable crayons cleverly stacked on top of each other so you can select the colour required without the need for pencils and crayons rolling all over the table! On the menu is a word-search, a large Parisian street scene to colour in, some French vocabulary to learn and a mock postcard where budding little food critics could make notes about their dining experience.
And so, more importantly to the menu itself. It was encouraging not to see the usual Chicken Nuggets, Fish Fingers and Margherita Pizza not on the menu – popular as they are, most places today seem to think that this is the only food children today will eat. The menu made selecting a dish difficult with a selection of dishes like Poulet Ooh La La! – sautéed chicken breast with new potatoes, peas and sweetcorn, Salmon Fishcake with Frites, Petit Croque – a Classic Cheese and Ham Toastie served with Frites.
There were also Grilled Sausages with fresh mashed potato served with gravy, peas and sweetcorn and Le Burger – an Aberdeen Angus 4oz Beef Burger with Tomato and Lettuce and served with Frites and Pasta either with Pesto or Tomato Sauce. My eldest ordered Macaroni Cheese (a firm favourite at home with the boys!) and the youngest opted for the Burger – a real meat lover like his mother!
The children’s starter comes out automatically and is a Warm Fougasse Finger with Butter, a generous bowl of baby plum tomatoes, carrot and cucumber crudités served with an individual pot of a delicious tomato dip which tasted really fresh and as far away from Tomato Ketchup as you could get!
We have dined out at several places in Exeter recently where the children’s portions have been rather on the small side and certainly not enough to fill two growing boys up, especially the 9 year old. However, I can honestly say that the portions at Café Rouge were more than generous. There was plenty of crispy crudités to munch through. A healthy way to get some vegetables in to the children! My youngest said the tomato dip was “gorgeous, and tastes a bit like pizza topping”.
Both boys particularly enjoyed their flavoured milk and promptly ordered a strawberry one each to try on finishing the chocolate milk! They weren’t thick milkshakes which are often laden with calories, ice-cream and can fill you up before you have even started your meal. The little one added that his strawberry milk tasted like proper strawberries!
I know, we are concentrating on the children’s menu, but I would just like to add the grown ups enjoyed their starters as much as the children! I opted for the Paté which came with rustic grilled rye and caraway bread, served warm and a fabulously fruity chutney.
Daddy ordered the Duck Croquettes, pea shoots and frisée with orange & chilli marmalade. I had to have a little taste as I love duck and these were fabulous, crispy on the outside with a really meaty centre and the marmalade was zesty and the perfect accompaniment.
The boys were delighted when their main courses arrived. The Macaroni Cheese portion was again, very generous and I was immediately informed that it wasn’t too crispy or too cheesy – it was “just right”. The little one had a bite of his burger to audible "mmmmms". He said “it tastes like it has been on a barbecue. It’s gorgeous Mummy!”. He added the frites were crispy and not too salty. The burger was cooked to perfection and was served in a lovely soft, toasted bun with lettuce and a slice of tomato and a generous portion of finely cut fries. It made a pleasant change to see a proper, home-made steak burger on the children’s menu – and there wasn’t a morsel left on the plate!
Unfortunately, the nine-year-old was stumped by the amount of pasta in his bowl and could only manage two-thirds! Perhaps the portion size of the Pasta could be reduced a little bit! Unusually he commented that he couldn’t even squeeze in a dessert!
I opted for the Beef Bourgnignon – slow-cooked beef in red wine with smoked bacon, mushrooms, baby onions served with green beans, carrots and herb mash. This was delicious – piping hot and served in an individual little casserole dish with the mash and the vegetables on the side. The meat was incredibly tender just melting in the mouth and the amount of wine was perfect. Fortunately a spoon had been provided to enjoy every last bit of the rich gravy. Portion wise, this was the perfect sized dish and with not too much mash.
Daddy chose the Moules – mussels steamed in a cream, garlic and white wine broth with a bowl of frites and some bread to mop up with juices. The mussels were a little over cooked but the broth was absolutely delicious.
The choice of desserts on the children’s menu is wonderful and a change from the usual chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice-creams. There is a choice of Fresh Fruit Salad with apple, strawberry, banana and blueberries, Chocolate Crepe – crepe drizzled with chocolate sauce served with vanilla ice-cream, fruit ice-lolly made with fruit juice with no artificial flavours, colours or sugar or Profiteroles – choux buns with a creme patisserie filling with chocolate sauce.
The grown ups were too full to indulge and as both boys chose chocolate ice-cream with popping candy, we ordered one children’s portion of the profiteroles to sample too! And no regrets there – they were amazing. I can’t say any more than that! The boys loved the novelty of the popping candy which they poured on top of their ice-cream and then stirred through as it melted. There was a choice of several ice-cream flavours; vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, tarte tatin, chocolate and raspberry and salted caramel and you can choose from popping candy, marshmallows or jelly beans as a topping! Far too much choice for little people! The eldest described the dessert as heaven in a bowl and “it’s exciting as you don’t know when the pops will happen!” The youngest loved the fact that the dessert was like CocoPops!!
What a great children’s menu though and at £6.95 to include a drink, starter, main and one of those irresistible desserts, it is fantastic value. It’s the perfect place to take the children for a pre or post cinema meal. We felt relaxed dining there with the boys, the staff were engaging and made them feel most welcome. Both my boys commented on our waitress, Nina, saying how quick the service was and how she “seems to want to make us happy”. I would like to add what an asset Nina is to the restaurant, if only more restaurant staff could adopt the same approach.
I asked the boys to sum up their whole experience and with no prompting from us, this is what they said. “I would definitely come back – the food is amazing, I think a lot of work has gone into the food. I think they should add a Pizza to the menu and the option of cheese in the Burger, but I loved it. I would give it 9/10”. And “My burger was the best I have had in ages, I loved the music and we didn’t have to ask for the colouring – it just came to the table. I would give it 9.5/10.”
I will definitely be taking the boys there again. If I had one criticism of the place, it just feels a little dated and tired. The location means there is a lot of competition in close proximity with newer restaurants looking more contemporary and stylish but that’s probably my creative eye at work too!
Well done Café Rouge on providing a great family dining experience with a healthier, great value menu with vegetarian and gluten free options and service with a friendly smile. If you are looking for somewhere to take the children during the rest of the summer holidays, with the forecast not looking that good, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Café Rouge. My youngest has still been colouring in his menu this morning!
Café Rouge is located in Princesshay, Exeter. For further information, to view menus and to make a reservation visit http://www.caferouge.com/french-restaurant/exeter
Review by Lisa Singleton.
