"We were visiting the picturesque town of Mirepoix during market day when we decided to stop for some refreshments at what looked like a nice little cafe just off of the main square. The menu looked a little basic, but there appeared to be some...space and it was in a shady spot so we decided to persevere. This was a decision we were soon to all quickly regret. The waitress' seemed to barely contain her excitement at taking in customers, ushering us away from the table we were standing at and taking us over to a larger table to accommodate us. Now this would have been fine if there wasn't already people sitting there having drinks and waiting for their food. Unflinchingly, the waitress' asked them to stand up and swap tables which was hugely embarrassing for all concerned. Seemingly bemused, they did as they were asked, picked up their drinks and moved to the smaller table. We exchanged confused and apologetic looks as we passed, and we said we were sorry for the disturbance as we had not asked her to do this. Having set the table the waitress' ushered us to take our seats and then furnished us with some menus and some water. As I said, the menu was sparse, but compared to the children's menu it looked like a phone directory. I'm not sure how exactly they decided upon the two dishes that the children's menu comprised of, but I don't think steak and chips or duck and chips would score highly on most kids wish lists! Undeterred, we (the adults in the party) decided to order something off the menu and get the kids some plates of chips. As we started to order, the waitress' indignantly informed us that it was impossible' for us to order just chips for the children, and their meals would have to come with either steak or duck. The reason she gave bizarrely was that they had only a small kitchen!? Not sure what that has to do with the price of bacon!? I'm sure bowls of chips takes up a lot less room than full plates!! What she was thinly veiling was she wanted us to spend as much as possible. They may have a small kitchen, but they have a tiny concept of customer service and business sense. Not wanting to cause a row, we asked for another minute to assess the situation. We didn't really want to have to get up and find another cafe as it would eat further into our day, and also the kids were getting tired and hungry, so we decided to change tactic. Upon her return we ordered steak and chips for the kids and just some drinks for the adults. On hearing this, the waitress' again said this was impossible' as it was a restaurant. She could have fooled us! So with that, we politely said we would leave and go somewhere else to which we received a dismissive shrug of the shoulders. This evidently came as a relief for all concerned, and upon walking yards round the corner into the main square, we found a similar, slightly larger establishment which turned out to be the polar opposite of the fated Chez Paps', welcoming us with open arms. This was the Brasserie du Rumat which I would thoroughly recommend for its atmosphere, service and food. They couldn't do enough for us. Having worked in the catering industry myself for over years, I can honestly say I have never experienced such woeful customer service (if you can even call it that). The way we were treated was nothing short of comical. I wouldn't be surprised if we were being filmed to end up on the French version of Candid Camera'. I cannot pass comment on the food as we didn't get any, but if it was as bad as the service you'd be lucky to come out of there alive. My recommendation would be to try any other cafe/ restaurant in the beautiful town of Mirepoix before taking your chances at Chez Paps, unless of course you're not really hungry and fancy a bit of entertainment."
