Archambeau - Thonac

Wow! What can I say? My husband and I have a cottage in France and so we spend a lot of time visiting charming places. We just happened upon this hotel restaurant after visiting Lascaux IV. This area of France is known for its charming villages and restaurants, but this restaurant was exceptional. We got a great and comfortable room at the hotel and then were treated to a fabulous gourmet meal. The owners and staff are welcoming and delightful. In addition to the very reasonable menu for €30, a vegetable potage was thrown in for starters. My husband and I shared the foie gras and mushroom omelette entrées and then both enjoyed the duck main dish. Everything was seasoned to perfection. Can’t say anything more than just exquisite.

My partner and I decided to eat here for dinner after reading good reviews online. We were ok getting a table despite not making a reservation beforehand. I could make this a really long and in depth review but in a nutshell the food was ok but the welcoming/service wasn’t. My partner opted for the 23€ set menu choosing the vegetable soup (very tasty and lots of it!! , the duck salad (not very appetising! , beef steak (average and black gateaux (not a real black gateaux as expected but a piece of homemade plain cake which was nice enough and a small scoop of ice cream on the side . I chose the prawn tagliatelle from the single menu which, again, was ok. The reason for the three stars is the not so friendly welcome we got upon arriving and in fact not very nice general service we received throughout the evening. We eventually whittled this down to the mere fact that we are British, as we did not do anything wrong to deserve this instant disliking of us. For this reason we will not be returning.

We had the 5 course set menu. Vegetable soup to start. Huge huge huge portions. More than enough to share! Then the mushroom omelette, stunning! Then came the mains, duck for me amazing. Beef steak for my partner apparently one of the best steaks they’ve ever eaten. Then came the cheese platter none to our taste, but still enjoyed trying local cheeses. And for my pudding, chocolate mousse heaven! So rich and a generous portion. My partner had the lemon pudding, which I of course, had a taste of, and that was also heaven! Very light and perfect for after a five course meal. Overall, for €28 for a five course meal of this standard is a bargain! And the garden setting, lit up with lights among the trees was perfect!

We were staying nearby, up on the hillside in the woods, near the Cote Jor. This was our closest village, and so was an obvious choice. The hotel offered us tables across the road under a lovely canopy of trees, it was a balmy night to why not? The waitress was pleasant, but obviously busy, despite that it was service with a smile. The menus offer a good choice, including the ubiquitous duck! (Why are there so many goose farms in this area, yet the only sight of goose on a menu is Pate Foie Gras; very few duck farms, yet all the restaurants serve duck???? I had the duck. Anyway, we split a half bottle of the local white wine very nice. The food was very nicely cooked and presented delicious.

We have been down to the Archambeau several times since we arrived in Thonac for coffee, for a beer while we watched the football and then last night for supper. What on earth is all this stuff about not welcoming the British? Rob (an Englishman) has been in the bar to watch the footie and has been welcomed every time. Food last night was excellent. We took the €23 set menu. Vegetable soup, then I had black pudding and onion tart Rob had Perigord salad. Main I had glazed duck with roast potato and carrot. Rob had steak. Pudding was Creme brulee and apricot tart with raspberry coulis. All absolutely delicious. Great value for money and friendly service. We will be back!