"it was a hot, late spring day in Bergerac, and I tring to avoid the trendoid restos in the shopping area, we hsppened on this modest, old-fashioned, dark, cool bar/brasserie near a major downtown parking area. I was a bit shocked to see that (a) there were only 4 reviews of this place, (b) they were all in French, and (c) they were all negative. Come again?The service was a little eccentric in that it was a little late for lunch and we had to flag down a waiter (we speak French pretty well), but once that was done, all was well. The waiter brought a 50cl flask of the excellent dry white wine of Bergerac, and I ordered one of the specials on the chalkboard, 'Oeuf a plat', and my husband ordered a Salade Niçoise.It took a little while for them to appear, while we occupied ourselves with the excellent white wine and basket of bread, but when they arrived, my, what a treat!My husband's salade was of the deconstructed type: all the ingredients were arrayed separately on the plate, to be arranged, dressed and eaten as the customer chose. Everything was fresh, crunchy, tasty, and bright. Each bit wasclearly intended to be appreciated individually. Just seeing the way the fresh cherry tomato slices alternated prettily with hard boiled egg slices around the rim of the platter made us both smile.My 'Oeuf a plat' dish was a revelation! It was a thin slice of ham over which two sunny-side-up eggs were placed. Next to this was a perfect, absolutely perfect little salad composed of fresh, delicate, baby lettuces with a mild, fruity, golden olive oil dressing with walnut halves. My sunny side up eggs, the yolks red-gold in color, obviously came from hens who had been fed something like marigolds, in contrast to the yellow but standard hard-boiled eggs used for garnish. This apparently modest lunch was designed to appeal to both the eye and the palette of the customer!This was a lunch clearly prepared by a chef who loved composing a meal appealing to all the senses.It is hard to imagine that this marvelous restauants could have received so few reviews, and those so negative. After travlng many years in France, I would rank this lunch among the finest I have ever been served."
