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Chantacoucou Restaurant Review
A popular spot not far from St Martin de Belleville
Chantacoucou is a great place to try if you are eating out in the Belleville valley this Winter. The restaurant is located in Chatelard which is a small village just outside St Martin. It is not the easiest place to find but when you do, you will be pleased you made the effort.
Just follow the main road through Chatelard and continue following the signs until you arrive at the farm which is surprisingly easy to spot with blue outdoor lights that can be seen from the other side of the valley.
The restaurant is attached to the farm and the delight here is that the majority of the menu is produced on site. When ‘fait maison’ was introduced in France last year this place certainly did not need to worry.
The only option at Chantacoucou is the set menu which is so reasonably priced at 24 euros. The starter tends to be charcuterie and salad and at the top of the restaurant two windows reveal where the meats are dried and prepared. The main course options this Saturday were either steak or tripe. In our group of six (five of whom were French) two opted for the tripe and were very impressed. I played safe as ever with the steak which was served with the most delicious crozets – small square savoie pasta with a delicious cheesy creamy sauce. Just a heads up, I asked for my steak medium and it was more like a UK rare but was still delicious.
If you are not stuffed already there are still two more courses to come. So you have eaten meat from the farm now what next? Cheese of course. We were served a delicious plate with two types of cheese to sample and then there is a choice of five or six desserts to finish you off! I had a lovely pistachio and raspberry tart, others in the group sampled the homemade chocolate mousse and fromage blanc. I would suggest that trousers with an elastic waistband are a good outfit choice for Chantacoucou!
The restaurant only seats around 40 people and it is really popular so you really need to make sure you book. Every time I have eaten there the restaurant has always been full. As a family run restaurant there is Mrs Souchal in the kitchen and Mr Souchal serving in the restaurant. Bear this in mind, if you want a quick turnaround and vast menu then this is not the place for you. They have one sitting for dinner generally so if you are happy to while away your evening in the cosy restaurant with roaring fire eating delicious homemade produce then reserve your table now.
