Pegojack
Ivor Allchurch
Me and the missus are on the way up through France to visit Plague Island aka the UK, getting ferry this afternoon.
If you're ever passing north central France and need a hotel just off the motorway, check out the Ace Hotel, Bourges. Nice modern hotel, 66€/night. It's not the hotel I'm recommending though, iit's a restaurant nearby, Le Relais de Bourges. It's a truckers stop. When you go in, there's a bar area, then doors to dining rooms on the left (the public) and right (truckers). Between the rooms, which aren't really separate, is a huge buffet area which everyone helps themselves to. You've never seen anything like it - charcuterie, prawns, oysters, cheeses, pies, hard boiled eggs, every salad and fruit under the sun, all sorts of pickles, sauces, etc, etc. Google it and check out the pictures.
Me and the missus had the four course dinner menu in the public area at 18.50€ a head, about £17. I think the truckers were paying about 14€.
First course, help yourself to the buffet, as much as you want. Second course, I had grilled beef and peppers on a skewer with mushroom sauce and chips, missus had magret of duck with honey sauce, fantastic. Third course, help yourself to copious cheeseboard on the buffet, and bread. Fourth course chocolate mousse and banoffi pie. Half a litre carafe of local red between us 4.50€. The truckers were filling up carafes at wine taps next to the buffet.
Only the French can pull off this sort of thing, they make us look like complete cavemen.
If you're ever passing north central France and need a hotel just off the motorway, check out the Ace Hotel, Bourges. Nice modern hotel, 66€/night. It's not the hotel I'm recommending though, iit's a restaurant nearby, Le Relais de Bourges. It's a truckers stop. When you go in, there's a bar area, then doors to dining rooms on the left (the public) and right (truckers). Between the rooms, which aren't really separate, is a huge buffet area which everyone helps themselves to. You've never seen anything like it - charcuterie, prawns, oysters, cheeses, pies, hard boiled eggs, every salad and fruit under the sun, all sorts of pickles, sauces, etc, etc. Google it and check out the pictures.
Me and the missus had the four course dinner menu in the public area at 18.50€ a head, about £17. I think the truckers were paying about 14€.
First course, help yourself to the buffet, as much as you want. Second course, I had grilled beef and peppers on a skewer with mushroom sauce and chips, missus had magret of duck with honey sauce, fantastic. Third course, help yourself to copious cheeseboard on the buffet, and bread. Fourth course chocolate mousse and banoffi pie. Half a litre carafe of local red between us 4.50€. The truckers were filling up carafes at wine taps next to the buffet.
Only the French can pull off this sort of thing, they make us look like complete cavemen.
