Chez Bob - Menu

We arrived at Chez Bob on a warm Sunday in September. We weren 't able to get seats in the main dining hall where the band played but at the adjacent room. Fres... read more We arrived at Chez Bob on a warm Sunday in September. We weren 't able to get seats in the main dining hall where the band played but at the adjacent room. Fresh produce appetisers spread out over the entire table. Main courses were meat, meat and more meat! The young Gipsy Kings trio started to play which got us tapping our feet while we enjoyed lunch. Fortunately, a big group that had reserved in the main dining area failed to appear and we were ushered to this this table after we had our meal. We were able to enjoy all the sets of the trio and we danced the entire afternoon away.

Having heard good things about this restaurant, we booked Sunday lunch online then called ahead to say one of us is allergic to pork. We were told that wouldn’t... read more Having heard good things about this restaurant, we booked Sunday lunch online then called ahead to say one of us is allergic to pork. We were told that wouldn’t be a problem but the starter was a charcuterie plate with no choice! We mentioned that we’d said no pork but were told ‘That’s it!’ so not a great start. There was also a basket of fresh veg and homemade anchoïade but we haven’t been many places where that would be called a starter, more like a free amuse-bouche. The main course was similarly restricted. Jean-Guy (Bob said they’d run out of lamb and duck, there was no ‘Proposition du Chef’ and they had no single pieces of beef so no choice at all but to share a huge rib of beef on watercress, served with herb potatoes and no further veg. Funnily enough, we did later see huge king prawns being served but maybe that was for the regulars .... We weren’t asked how we wanted the beef cooked so it came back far too rare for one of us with the middle being just raw. It was cooked on a wooden fire outside, which was interesting to watch. We drank a Côtes du Rhône, which was fine and decently priced. Service was efficient though nobody ever came to ask if everything was ok, which it wasn’t really. Again no choice for dessert but a very tasty praline crisp, which we both enjoyed. Lucky we didn’t call ahead and say we had a nut allergy..... At €45 a head we did expect more choice, especially given the online menu. Music was very entertaining, a couple of guitarists playing mainly French music like Jacques Brel (yes, we know he was Belgian! and gypsy music too. At the end we were given the wrong bill, with all sorts of things on that we hadn’t ordered. We told the lady twice but she insisted twice that it was ours so we paid anyway and Chez Bob was out of pocket by €10 because there was no wine on the bill. A bit of an all round comedy end to our visit. This place is clearly adored by its public and seems to be a rite of passage for visitors to the area but we did feel that we overpaid for what we ate and can’t see many ‘tourists’ like us making a return visit. Tant pis.