This week we dip our toes in the water of all things crustacean! Occitanie is famed for farming salty, tangy, oysters and mussels, particularly in the Etang de Thau; so what better way for six girlfriends to get together for lunch, than over a huge fruits de mer!
During the Winter here in the Languedoc, a group of us will often have Friday lunch together. Sometimes at each others homes, and sometimes at a restaurant. Two weeks ago, we decided to do a girls lunch in Carcassonne; here’s the review of one of the best value informal seafood restaurants in town!
The Bistrot d’Augustin, situated right next door to the Hotel Terminus in Carcassonne is just a stone’s throw from the main railway station, and just across from the Canal du Midi. The entrance to the restaurant is dominated by a magnificent old bar which leads to a delightful room with high ceilings, wonderful cornicing and plasterwork, and charming art deco lighting.
The interior is a mix of tables and chairs, as well as some ‘banquette’ seating – booths that seat up to six diners; they’re on a slightly raised platform, and offer the best views not only of the restaurant, but also the magnificent marble fireplace.
The restaurant has a classic menu, printed on the place settings which offers great French bistro dishes like slow cooked lamb shanks, entrecote & frites, and confit de canard; as well as their ‘Menu Express’ which at less than €15 for 3 courses is a bargain – particularly if you like classics like moules mariniere ( mussels in a shallot and white wine sauce ) but those ‘in the know’ go for the other menu… the seafood menu… where oysters are king!
Five of us decided to split the biggest seafood platter available which worked out to around €20 per person, and included oysters, mussels, prawns, whelks, clams, a brown crab and a small lobster. In addition we had a couple of bowls of fries and of course, a bottle of picpoul de pinet!
This is a social, convivial, leisurely way to eat; and there’s something delightfully satisfying about having to work a little bit for your lunch! The seafood tower comes with bread and butter, and of course mayonnaise, aioli, and the standard oyster condiment
of mignonette – red wine vineger, finely chopped shallots, and cracked black pepper. It took us nearly two hours to eat our way through this mountain of seafood, and I think all we had left at the end was a couple of whelks!
A quick word about the wait staff – they are swift, polite, and the turnaround is generally quick. This is quite a large restaurant by Carcassonne’s standards, so there isn’t really any need to book. One other little bit of info, if you’re staying in a gite or cottage locally, this restaurant will also do a fruits de mer a emporter – that’s take out to you and me!
Flight Of The Wines Poured 