Some French flair in the Cotswolds

With snails and frogs legs on the menu, STEPHEN WEBB finds a tasty little eaterie in Cirencester providing plenty of Gallic charm

THE phrase “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” seems particularly appropriate for Cirencester – a town steeped in Roman history.

Well, we were in a French restaurant in Cirencester, so I decided to do as the French do – I had snails.

Le Beaujolais is a little corner of France slotted in among the shops and restaurants in the town’s attractive Castle Street.

It looks a little bit French on the outside and it looks very French on the inside, combining rustic, rural charm with a certain style you might find in a Montmartre cafe. There’s even a bicycle hanging from the ceiling.

If I was still in doubt that I was about to have a Gallic experience, the menu settled matters. It was French cuisine all the way, and I couldn’t wait to start.

And to start I chose snails. I don’t like cliches normally, and there are so many attached to French food, but on glimpsing snails and frogs legs on the menu, I thought “What the hell?” and after a coin toss, I ordered snails in a herbed garlic butter (£6.25).

I didn’t know what to expect – would I have to pick them out of the shells myself? – and hadn’t a clue how they would taste. They soon arrived, piping hot and out of their shells, on a quaint “snail dish”, looking for all the world like half a dozen small mushrooms.

So, I popped one in my mouth and chewed, and chewed. Snails are, it seems, very chewy. And as for the taste, well thank heavens for the herbed garlic butter, because snails don’t have much flavour.

I hadn’t eaten snails before, and I don’t think I will eat them again. But I’m glad I tried them.

My wife’s starter was called gratin Normandie, which was basically French onion soup. It looked like a good, warming winter dish and was certainly enjoyed across the table. “It was lovely, oozing with lots of onions and a neat little cheese crouton.”

Our friendly, chatty waitress apologetically told us that the plat du jour and the fish of the day weren’t available that evening. That’s OK, I told her, because I fancied the mussels. “Oh I’m sorry,” she said. “We’ve only got the mussels as a starter.”

Oh well, there was plenty more to choose from, and thankfully the roast pulled lamb shoulder with a port and rosemary jus, dauphinoise potatoes and seasonal vegetables (£16.95) was still available. It wasn’t exactly a plentiful plate, but everything, in particular the meat, was very tasty.

If there’s one thing the French do well it’s hache frites – or steak and chips to you and me. My wife chose the 8oz rump steak (£14.95), and it did what it said on the tin – a huge slab of steak, loads of chips, crunchy salad on the side with a tangy dressing. Hunger banished, and not even a pomme frite left for hubby to try.

“Dessert?” Thoughtful pause. “Go on then.” It was a good decision. My white chocolate mousse (£5.95) was dreamy; the consistency was just as a mousse should be, and the taste was straight out of heaven.

My wife chose salted caramel profiteroles (£5.25), and though she was disappointed there was only “a small pyramid of four” she said they tasted lovely.

The bill came to just over £73. Not bad for three courses and a carafe of tasty house red.

Le Beaujolais is a pleasant little restaurant that was quite busy on the dank Thursday evening that we visited.

But despite that, we were still treated to excellent, attentive service.

Our food was chosen from the a la carte menu, but in true French style there is a set menu.

Lunch: two courses £11.50, three courses 13.75, Tuesday to Saturday; dinner: two courses £13.75, three courses £15.50, Tuesday to Thursday, plus a cafe menu which serves lighter bites such as croques and crepes, as well as steaks.

A taste of France in the Roman Cotswolds certainly makes for a good night out.

Parking: No. Free evening parking is available a few minutes’ walk away.
Disabled access: Downstairs access only.
Adver ratings
Food: 7/10
Choice: 8/10
Décor: 9/10
Customer service: 9/10
Main course prices: £13.50-  £16.95
TripAdvisor rating: 4/5

To ensure the integrity of our reviews, all our critics dine as paying customers without the restaurant’s knowledge (unless otherwise stated). Photographs are taken at a later date