21 April 2008

Ardeche - resteraunt review

| Special G
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With Baby G tucked up soundly at her nan’s and the G2 family addition just around the corner the missus and I kicked up our heels with a night out on the town. I dug through the entertainment guide and found Ardeche located on the corner of City Walk and Ainslie Avenue opposite the entrance to the Canberra Centre.

On the atmosphere front Ardeche is doing really well. Good decor and set up appears mainly for couples dining which was evident with the patrons. We were greated by friendly/polite staff who were great throughout the evening.

Ardeche has a menu complimented with a large blackboard of specials giving you plenty of options. Following some very tasty honey, garlic roasemary bread for mains I ordered the lamb cutlet with seeded mustard and veges off the blackboard whilst Mrs G had the stuffed chicken breast off the regular menu. When the food arrived I was greated by a small portion on a large plate (I should have guessed when the menu said cutlet – singular) and while the sauce was very tasty the cutlet was overcooked and a bit dry. Mrs G made the same comment about the chicken being dry. The side salad on the other hand was large and extremely tasty.

For desert I had the Croquembouche (couple of profiteroles and spun toffee) which was great. Mrs G had the Creme Broulee which although very tasty was small.

Summing up Ardeche I think they serve a tasty dish although overpriced for the portion size with great atmosphere.

Following dinner we skipped on over to Dendy and checked out Lars and the real girl. An incredibly funny take on delusional mental illness – go check it out.

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Heh. Has Mezzelirra ever been out of the Canberra’s Best Restaurants list?

astrojax said :

Deref said :

Danman said :

Mrs G had the Creme Broulee

Genuine South Coast Dessert ?

😀 Good one.

Thanks for the review – I know what to avoid. I detest restaurants that have tiny servings (unless the prices are equally tiny) – it shows contempt for their customers. If I’m caught and end up at one without knowing that they do this, I’ll never go back and I’ll pan it to all my friends.

There was, and maybe still is, an Italian restaurant on the corner of Moore St and London Cct that I got conned into once. As Dubya once said, “fool me once, shame on…me…fool me…twice…you won’t get fooled again.”

I can’t understand why they do it. The cost of ingredients must be a relatively small proportion of their costs.

do moore st and london cct intersect? suspect you mean mezzalira and the portion size there is entirely adequate; and the quality much better!

Thanks – yes – that’s the place. Mea culpa. Perhaps a declining clientele made them realise that they actually have to feed people. If so, good thing.

Deref said :

Danman said :

Mrs G had the Creme Broulee

Genuine South Coast Dessert ?

😀 Good one.

Thanks for the review – I know what to avoid. I detest restaurants that have tiny servings (unless the prices are equally tiny) – it shows contempt for their customers. If I’m caught and end up at one without knowing that they do this, I’ll never go back and I’ll pan it to all my friends.

There was, and maybe still is, an Italian restaurant on the corner of Moore St and London Cct that I got conned into once. As Dubya once said, “fool me once, shame on…me…fool me…twice…you won’t get fooled again.”

I can’t understand why they do it. The cost of ingredients must be a relatively small proportion of their costs.

do moore st and london cct intersect? suspect you mean mezzalira and the portion size there is entirely adequate; and the quality much better!

ardeche is always a reasonable version of french cuisine, if a little dry and non-adventurous. three course usually has me full enough, if not bloated, but then that’s not what i’m out for. i still miss poor departed daniel and his chez daniel for some decent french cooking in canberra. p’raps julia’s goon squad can target the euro-depleted french and get someone with a smidgeon of talent and enterprise and get some decent french food happening in cosmopolitan canberra – or am i missing somewhere?

JD114 said :

i stand by assertion that postings like this can be manipulated in so many ways that to have them on here risks destroying this site. we’ll see

I reckon that you might be underestimating the intelligence of most Rioters, and the effectiveness of their bullshit meters.

My experience has been that bogus advertorials on this site get slaughtered, as they deserve, and fair dinkum appraisals by genuine punters like SG are welcomed, as they deserve.

And as others have commented, this review isn’t exactly singing their praises.

Danman said :

Mrs G had the Creme Broulee

Genuine South Coast Dessert ?

😀 Good one.

Thanks for the review – I know what to avoid. I detest restaurants that have tiny servings (unless the prices are equally tiny) – it shows contempt for their customers. If I’m caught and end up at one without knowing that they do this, I’ll never go back and I’ll pan it to all my friends.

There was, and maybe still is, an Italian restaurant on the corner of Moore St and London Cct that I got conned into once. As Dubya once said, “fool me once, shame on…me…fool me…twice…you won’t get fooled again.”

I can’t understand why they do it. The cost of ingredients must be a relatively small proportion of their costs.

My boss went here on Monday and reported that the food wasn’t that great and very salty. And the snails didn’t come in the shell and strongly resembled frozen ones. Last time I went in mid-2010 I’d agree with the overly salty comment. Sounds like it hasn’t changed from their report.

“Creme Broulee” …. garnished with seaweed? : )

fromthecapital5:24 pm 15 Dec 11

chewy14 said :

fromthecapital said :

Just wanted to hear opinions on how well Ardeche execute the dish.

I’ve only had them a few times and only here in Australia so I can’t comment how good they are relative to the real deal in France but IMO Ardeche does an OK job of them, the snails weren’t tough and the sauce was good.

Merci bien

chewy14 said :

fromthecapital said :

Just wanted to hear opinions on how well Ardeche execute the dish.

I’ve only had them a few times and only here in Australia so I can’t comment how good they are relative to the real deal in France but IMO Ardeche does an OK job of them, the snails weren’t tough and the sauce was good.

I’ve only eaten at Ardeche once and the food wasn’t great. The snails were overcooked and tough, and the duck was also dry and overcooked.

Was probably an off night for them. From the reasonably positive reviews here, I reckon I should probably try again.

fromthecapital said :

Just wanted to hear opinions on how well Ardeche execute the dish.

I’ve only had them a few times and only here in Australia so I can’t comment how good they are relative to the real deal in France but IMO Ardeche does an OK job of them, the snails weren’t tough and the sauce was good.

fromthecapital4:05 pm 15 Dec 11

chewy14 said :

fromthecapital said :

Has anyone tried the escargot here? I’m booked in and I want decide whether to try it.

If you like picking your nose, then dipping the snot in a lovely garlic butter sauce before eating it, then you’ll love the snails.
I know I did.

I’ve had it a few times.. France and northern Spain..

I would say if you like prawns and squid you will like snails.

Just wanted to hear opinions on how well Ardeche execute the dish.

fromthecapital said :

Has anyone tried the escargot here? I’m booked in and I want decide whether to try it.

If you like picking your nose, then dipping the snot in a lovely garlic butter sauce before eating it, then you’ll love the snails.
I know I did.

Which does sound rather standard for escargot!

fromthecapital said :

Has anyone tried the escargot here? I’m booked in and I want decide whether to try it.

@15
poppy’s hubby liked the snotties

fromthecapital3:25 pm 15 Dec 11

Has anyone tried the escargot here? I’m booked in and I want decide whether to try it.

Thankyou for this review, SpecialG.
I’ll be skipping Ardeche this evening, and going to Banana Leaf, where at least I know the Lomprischt is excellent value.

I’ve been to Ardeche a couple of times and was disappointed both times. The food definitely doesn’t justify its price tags and the place has almost no ambience.

I’ve been to Ardeche’s twice recently and thought it was great. I thought the prices were reasonable considering how difficult/expensive it is to get French food in Canberra. I didn’t find the portions small; if all you ordered for dinner was a main, no bread, no dessert, no nothing, you wouldn’t be full, but they weren’t stingy. The morroccan chicken was exceptional. Desserts were excellent. Hubby had the snails for entree they were very nice.

are there many other decent french eateries in canberra now christoph’s has packed up and left and wonderful old daniel (rip) has packed even further off?

i’ve been to ardeche a few times, including for valentines day a couple years back – a setting for luv-errrrz indeed, with a set menu that was delicious if very slightly skimpy in portion size. otherwise, their cassoulet is fabulous. and their desserts are well recommended here, too. thanks g.

and i don’t know about anyone else, but with such a fantastic food culture, why don’t we have any decent italian places here? what am i missing?

Mrs G had the Creme Broulee

Genuine South Coast Dessert ?

More eatery/drinkery reviews! Can’t get enough. It’s a nice (or not nice) vicarious meal in these parlous times of budget cutbacks and poverty.

JD,

We’ve seen what happens when businesses try to promote themselves underhandedly & you may recall some discussion on self promotion before.

As far as promotion goes we have a greater level of tollerance for bands/community groups etc doing some self promotion by posting a story. An obvious editorial piece we’ll view more dimly and offer those businesses an opportunity to take up one of our advertising packages.

Restaurant reviews like this one we take one at a time. As i happen to know Special G has no affiliation with Ardeche it wasnt a difficult choice before i let it run.

Mael – yes we did have a food & wine category but as we thought they are very much part of a lifestyle we rolled it into that category.

Holden Caulfield1:34 pm 22 Apr 08

JD114 said :

i stand by assertion that postings like this can be manipulated in so many ways that to have them on here risks destroying this site. we’ll see

Oh well, at least we know discussing the republic is off limits on RiotACT as the Monarchist moaning thread appears to have been removed. Boo hiss, I bet Satan herself, Ms K Jones, put them up to it.

i partially concur. see the rigged reviews of my review of a vietnamese restaraunt.

i stand by assertion that postings like this can be manipulated in so many ways that to have them on here risks destroying this site. we’ll see

My first date restaurant.Sigh

Didn’t RA Ver 2.0 have a category called ‘food’ ?

Might foster a few more stories…

I love restaurant reviews! It’s the only way you’ll be saved from making an expensive mistake, plus you get the good oil on where’s good. And this sure wasn’t an ad for Ardeche. Sounds like a place I wouldn’t enjoy, although I remember we used to have lunches there in another life, a looong time ago, and it was OK.

mutley...again1:43 pm 21 Apr 08

JD114 – Considering you came to the site as a result of a flight sim video, I’d hardly say you can claim any real superiority on what should and should not be posted here.

JD – Describing a meal as dry, over-cooked, expensive and small portioned is hardly an endorsement for that particular restaurant.

Special G – Have never eaten at Ardeche but loved the movie. It should also be noted that although Lars has a sleazy premise, it is actually quite tender and innocent.

Interesting move towards making this a site where any tom dick and harry can have their business promoted.

If this is the way RiotAct is headed I see a dim future for it.

Topics such as restaurant ideas anyone? are already loaded without going down this path.

Holden Caulfield12:30 pm 21 Apr 08

I compliment you on your review and thank you for the tip of complementing the dining experience with a movie.

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