BISTRO D'EN FACE sur Bergerac

EDIT: Review of meal September 2023. New review coming soon - July 2024. After reading about Le Bistro d'en Face in Le Michellin guide we were excited to visit for dinner on the terrace overlooking the Dordogne river, and boy were we not disappointed! The food was excellent 👌,fresh ingredients, prepared simply but with panache. We both opted for the local delicacy of Canard de Foix Gras served with 2 variations of prune jus and a stick of homemade walnut bread. The Foix Gras was rich and buttery while the prune sauces balanced the dish with sweet sharpness. For my main course I opted for the smoked and grilled beef fillet, cooked medium rare to perfection with home cooked pomme frites, carrot puree, grilled spring onions and a creamy, savoury, borderlais type sauce. Dressed with pickled white mustard seeds it was a perfectly put together and well thought out plate. Well balanced, with no one component battling against the others. My companion chose the grilled turbot with samphire and lemon butter sauce served with a separate creamy pea rissoto and what looked like a parmesan crisp coloured with squid ink. The fish was cooked perfectly, delicate firm flesh with a beautiful light flavour. There is a reason the turbot is the king of fish! Well balanced fillet with a buttery, fatty edge meeting the crispy skin. Imagine salmon belly sashimi and you'll be close! The sauce was rich, sharp and complemented the fish well and the salty samphire balanced out the richness perfectly. Finally onto the last course. A selection of french cheeses was delivered to my side of the table, while a light and airy mousse au chocolat with a hazelnut crisp and strawberry sorbet was placed down opposite. The cheeses had clearly been left to breathe for a while as they were at the perfect temperature, creamy, soft and the clear winner was the goats cheese from the Pyranes, delicious! A close second was the firm, slightly golden cows milk cheese. I only tasted a small spoonful of my companions dessert, but what a spoonful....Rich, decedent and voluptuous. A chocolate lovers dream dessert. The house Rosé was better than average, somewhat let down by the plastic cooler sleeve. The food and the service were superb. A clear example of a restaurant with a small selection of dishes done to perfection. My only real criticisms were that we were expected to keep our cutlery for both our starter and main course. Why Le Bistro d'en Face???? This was disappointing for a restaurant with such a good reputation. Linen napkins and a fish knife for the turbot would have been nice additions, but not a necessity. All in all a great evening and highly recommended.