A Fabulous Night Out in Cancale and a New Restaurant to Recommend

Last night was our wedding anniversary.  Unusually, it was also a night when we had no guests arriving.  With a free evening, we decided to go for a night out in Cancale.  We hadn’t been for over a year and I had found a restaurant that I wanted to try.

Le Bout du Quai is at the opposite end of the Corniche to the lighthouse, and it is at the end of the road.  We had the foresight to book a table, which was wise as the restaurant is small and the opening hours are short.  We were tucked into a corner with a sweeping view of the bay.  The evening was feeling fabulous before we had even looked at the menu.  If the evening had been balmier, it would have been lovely to eat outside.

The menu was nice and short, quite appropriate for a small restaurant.

As with every good French restaurant, we started eating straight away.  A haddock spread with crostini accompanied our aperitifs followed by a creamy haddock mise en bouche.

When our starters arrived, the tide was out.

Henry ordered Jardin Iodé, which was a haddock and ricotta cream with crumble de sarazin perfumed and presumably blackened with cuttlefish ink.  The bicolour beetroot was a colourful touch.  I think it would have been a better starter if we hadn’t already eaten a lot of creamy haddock in the pre-dinner snacks!  I ordered the miniature Plateau de Fruits de Mer, which was just the right amount of fruits de mer for me.  I loved the way the langoustines had been arranged to look like they were arching their backs on the plate.  I’m not a fan of oysters, but doused in plenty of vinegar, they were palatable for the first time ever.  Then there was the usual assortment of grey and pink prawns, whelks and winkles.

By the time the main arrived, the tide was rushing in

Henry had joues de lotte, which seems to be a play on queue de lotte that doesn’t work so well in English… monkfish cheeks!  He does like to go for the obscure.  I have noticed that the French words for fish are so much more elegant than the English ones.  Just think of Saint Pierre instead of John Dory.  I ordered Filet de bar grillé , mousse légère au parmesan pesto de tomates séchées (sea bass with parmesan mousse, tomato pesto and some rather delicious vegetables).

Between our main and our dessert there was a cheese course, which I totally forgot to photograph.  The Palette de Dégustation was spoilt only by the inclusion of a goat’s cheese.

By the time dessert came, the tide was in.

Henry went for a crem brulee, which looked like 2 mini creme brulees, though they seemed to taste the same.  I had a deconstructed tarte au citron, which was masquerading as lego, but tasted divine, even if it did take me into the over-eaten zone.

We walked out to a fresh evening and a stroll along the front before heading home.  All in all a perfect night out in Cancale, which I would be happy to repeat, though it will be a while.

Cancale