Text: Armando Cerra
Photos: Monica Grimal
We recommend not reading this report while hungry. If you start these lines with appetite, you will not reach the end. You will see the photographs of the restaurant Les Grands Buffets and when you see its delicacies, you will find yourself opening the refrigerator. You won’t have time to call your favorite delivery because you’ll want to eat as soon as possible. With this warning, all that remains is to tell you about the experience we lived in this temple of French gastronomy.
The first feeling as soon as you enter the restaurant is overwhelming. For the decoration, for the light and above all for the quality and abundance of the food. And also because of the number of people wandering around the counters. We must not forget that Les Grands Buffets is a miracle that emerged in the small city of Narbonne, in the south of the French country. There, so far from Paris, is the restaurant that makes the most money in all of France. An establishment open 365 days a year and where around 400,000 people pass through annually.
The key to that success? That its owner, Louis Privat, conceived it from the beginning as a party, a place to enjoy the dishes of the most ceremonious and traditional cuisine of France. Recipes that are even difficult to try in other Gallic restaurants. But he was not only concerned with offering those stews, roasts and delicacies. He also wanted to serve him at willthat is, each one tried and ate as much as they wanted. Hence the name Les Grands Buffets.
It is logical that upon entering we were dazzled by the culinary feast that we had before our eyes. What to choose? Where to start? Can we try everything? This question is the easiest to answer. No. It is impossible to taste everything. So it’s better to enjoy the experience. Live a culinary feast and a memorable day, just as the owner of Les Grands Buffets intends.
Go for it! To whet our appetites we go to the salad area, some fiber doesn’t hurt. Although no one can come in here worried about diet. Anyone who has that in mind should save their money and don’t go. We have come to commit some excess. Life would be very boring without peccadilloes like gluttony. That’s why we accompany the lettuce with a good assortment of charcuterie based on sausages, pâtés, quiches or the exquisite foie gras.
We allow ourselves to give another advice here. Try small amounts. And do not repeat. It’s hard to hold back, but there’s still a lot to taste. Oh, and another recommendation. Don’t abuse bread! It is better that after the starters you have some soup or broth, for example fish to settle the food and continue at full capacity. Because now the main dishes arrive.
We love seafood and fish. That is why the great column of lobsters makes us salivate, the platter of oysters calls us strongly, the clams and mussels fall on your plate without meaning to, the conch, the tuna, the salmon… A delirium straight from the sea that we wash down with good wines. We are in France and wine is a very serious matter. Wines from the Occitania region are offered here. All of them at the same price as in their original winery. And since you can order them by the glass, we tried several.
By the way, in addition to everything we serve ourselves at the counters, you can also make requests for specific dishes to the waiters. We can’t resist trying lobster in another way, now the American way. And we also tasted a succulent scallop Nantes style and an oyster with sabayon sauce.
By now, hunger has been satiated, but our gluttony is unleashed. We take another walk through the rooms to get a little exercise and we approach the carnivorous area. One option is to ask at the rotisserie where they cook the meat to order. But we opted for other stews based on the stately dishes of yesteryear.
We have always speculated about what frog legs would be like, because today is the day to try them with garlic, and the truth is that they taste a little like chicken. Then, imitating the mythical Obelix, we sink our teeth into the wild boar with onions, just as we taste the tripe the old-fashioned way. The most voracious gluttony makes us look at the duck in blood and the quail stuffed with foie gras, but we try the Royal hare, made just as it was served in the palatial salons.
It seems unbelievable but our stomach, or rather our senses, continue to demand food. It’s your turn to approach the dessert counter full of bonbons, cakes, chocolates and tarts as famous as tatin. The truth is that we are not very fond of sweets but one day is one day, so Monica has the pleasure of seeing how they make a crepe Suzette for her alone.
Instead I opt for one last whim. As a cheese enthusiast, I go crazy in front of the 80 meters of display where there are more than 100 different cheeses. A literally Guinness record cheese buffet. Paradise! The best possible ending to this unforgettable meal.
Source: https://alanxelmundo.com/un-festin-de-gastronomia-francesa-en-narbona/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=un-festin-de-gastronomia-francesa-en-narbona