Restaurant L'Essentiel - Avignon

Ordered the set menu lunch (entree, main, dessert and glass of wine for euro p.p). Excellent meal and service. Would recommend for a bit more of a up market lunch dinner. Did notice a lack of custom we walked passed it daily...during our day visit) which may be price sensitivity. A shame as it is a cut above the other eateries we tried.

Received rec from our driver guide. Local and knowledgeable. He was right on all day. Ok here’s my evaluation. Quiet place. Decor more modern-ish. Waitress super nice and helpful either in English or French. Had limited menu. prefixe’s with some choices within. Meals good+.......however my duck was undercooked by my standard and very tough. They were very willing to take it back to cook a bit more. Wine list great.

Arrived early to try and book a table, having been told the restaurant tended to get very busy with locals. We were seated in the garden area which filled to capacity during the course of our meal. Food was simply splendid; a delicious salmon tartare set the tone for the remaining courses. Service was exemplary; attentive without being obtrusive. Also, I really appreciated staff capable of switching to (very proficient) English whenever my schoolboy French ran dry! So - a great meal, relaxed setting and great service. What more could you ask?

Everything in this restaurant was excellent - food, wine, ambience - but be prepared to eat with smokers all around you. In most Paris restaurants now, you simply can't smoke unless you are right outside, but here outside has been translated as outdoors. The place is full of smokers, and the shape of this courtyard ensures you can't escape - and neither can the smoke. It spoiled an otherwise memorable meal.

Our AirBNB host recommended L'Essentiel as a fine dining experience, and since he knows the town, we went with his recommendation. We didn't have a reservation, but got decidedly lucky, nabbing a table outside in the lovely garden area. The one English-speaking waitress of the evening and an English menu assisted us with the meal. I'm honestly not quite sure how the menu worked in terms of what was included or not, but we both had an amuse-bouche (a small complimentary appetizer from the chef), a real appetizer, entree (chicken, fish), and dessert. And also a pre-dessert (which seems like a fine idea). The pacing was just right - a bit leisurely, but not enough to have us itching with impatience. The patio was fairly quiet but lively, and just right on a warm summer evening. Though I'm mostly a "chocolate only" dessert lover, the trio of desserts featuring raspberries (with some chocolate) was spectacular visually, and the taste, particularly of the spun cotton-candy-like dish, was intense.We hadn't been sure we'd end up here, and in my opinion, we were underdressed for the beauty of the place and the other customers (I was wearing black Italian pants that are fine for travel but still seemed too casual for here). Had I planned ahead, it would have included a dressier top or even a summer dress or skirt. Ties not needed, but this isn't the spot for grunge, that's for sure.