Pres de la Fontaine

OMG OMG Let's just first put out there - over 75 different cheeses 75 cheeses Over 150 french pastries 150 pastries.

We were recommended this restaurant by our hosts. It is tucked away in a side street in Portel. The kitchen is open plan and visible to all diners and one can see the frantic activity. This restaurant is small and run by the chef/proprietor who keeps his eye on proceedings. The menu is slightly off piste but very good. We had some great tasting mussels and clams various with just a subtle hint of eastern spice. Spot on in my view.The man in charge was helpful, friendly and had a sense of fun. Good wine list and clearly a popular place to eat with the locals.Definitely will revisit if in the region.

We stumbled across this hidden gem on the way to visiting the wine museum at Terra Vinea.On the road up to the museum we stopped to ask the way at the restaurant. On the way down we stopped and ate there.The menu was imaginative and excellent value at €19.00 for two courses, plus a few euros more for dessert. I started with a huge plate of smoked duck breast,home smoked, followed by a large portion of Lotte with a garnish. Washed down with an excellent local Rose. We shared a chocolate dessert which was superb.This is a new venture by the chef who originally came from Paris and we understand his wife is a well known opera singer. Not to be missed.

This was truly a chance discovery. We chose a walk from Portel des Corbieres, and simply consulted TripAdvisor to select the best of the four restaurants in a "well-stocked" town. We were not disappointed. There are only four tables on the small outdoor terrace but we secured one of them on a weekday lunchtime. The chef/proprietor could not have been more charming. The cuisine is a genuine "fusion" of French and Asian cooking. We started with moules (mussels), delicious. We then each had different main courses, one a salmi of guinea fowl, and the other a choice steak. The vegetable accompaniment for each main course was the same: thin strips of vegetable grown in their own vegetable garden marinated in their secret dressing, the dominant feature of which is the ginger. For dessert, one of us had a creme brulee with a difference (a hint of mint) and the other "pain perdu" a delicious bread-based pudding. We will be hurrying back for more!

Visited for the second time, even more impressive, a completely different menu, each person enjoyed their selection, good house wine, value for money, great "casual" service a quality dining experience, Portel is very lucky to have this restaurant