Earlier this week we were kindly invited along to Cote Brasserie for a bit of an early Mothers Day treat.
If you're unfamiliar with Cote Brasserie, they are a French restaurant offering delicious authentic cuisine at affordable prices - in my opinion they offer something a bit special, something more than you'd generally expect to find in a chain restaurant. Our local branch is located in a beautiful spot on Exeter's Cathedral Green and we were given a window seat affording us the perfect view of the stunning cathedral itself.
The menu is varied enough to offer something for all tastes, and the childrens menu particularly impressed me not only with its reasonable prices but with its offering of something a little different - instead of the usual suspects like pizza and chicken nuggets, the menu offered something more creative for the younger diners and we took our time to make our decisions as we feasted on delicious fresh bread and olives.
My boys all opted for something different with Tyne choosing the sausage and mash with baby carrots, Noah going for the roast chicken dinner and Sailor deciding on his old favorite of cod goujons, chips and peas.
We were asked if the boys wanted their meals alongside our starters, which is always appreciated but we decided to have them brought out with our main courses as they'd filled up on bread anyway - while they were waiting, one of the staff asked if they'd like to color in and of course they said yes.
I expected to be brought some generic colouring books but was surprised when a waitress returned a few moments later to ask if they had any favorite characters as she was printing some colouring pictures off for them especially!
I found this to be such a lovely gesture - it may seem like a small thing but any parent of young children dining out will understand the worry/fear you feel when you're in a restaurant incase other diners are disturbed by your little ones or incase they get bored and throw a dreaded tantrum....so to have staff go above and beyond to offer something like this was so very appreciated and a gesture I found very touching.
The boys informed the waitress of their love for Minecraft and she returned moments later with some specially printed Minecraft pictures and some crayons...the boys had a lovely time colouring in their pictures and we were able to enjoy our meal in more peace than usual with zero tantrums! Unheard of!
As for the food, well it did not disappoint!
I chose the breaded langoustine tails for starter which were crisp, light and delicious with a tangy mayonaise verte giving just enough zing, while Jon opted for the charcuterie board - this consisted of parma ham, smoked duck breast, a light salad, and duck pate along with sliced sausage and chargrilled pain de campagne. I didn't try this myself as I'm not personally keen on duck or cured meats, but Jon assures me that the duck breast was delicious and not overpowering while the sausage was peppery and had a delightful kick to it. The salad contained baby gem and mini pickles and was refreshing while the duck pate on the pain de campagne was a real indulgent treat.
For our main courses, Jon chose the pan roasted pork belly which looked amazing - he didn't give me any sadly (I have not forgiven him) but tells me it was the best pork he's ever eaten, he did however let me try some of the savoy cabbage which had been braised with apples, thyme and calvados jus - OH MY WORD...it was divine! I could happily devour a bowl of it all on its own! His meal was also served with Cote Brasserie's delicious gratin potato, which are perfection in a bowl.
I went for the baked spinach and mushroom crepes which were served in a bubbling gruyere sauce - they were light but so satisfying, while the sauce was smooth, silky and such perfect winter soul food.
As for the boys meals, they each polished them off with no arguments whatsoever and Tyne even saw fit to declare his "really yummy" which is high praise indeed coming from him!
For desserts, we each tried something different - Tyne had the chocolate mousse which he polished off and thoroughly enjoyed while Noah went for the chocolate fondant which was rich and decadent. Sailor stuck to good old ice crean, while I chose the creme brulee which was the perfect end to a delicious meal. The highlight of our desserts though had to be Jon's Creme Caramel which was just divine.
We had such a wonderful evening at Cote Brasserie - the food was faultless throughout, the service was wonderful provided by such friendly and accomodating waiting staff, and the ambience was perfect. I can't remember the last time we all enjoyed a family meal together quite so much.
To take a look at the Menu or locate your nearest branch, please visit www.cote.co.uk
Cote Brasserie are also offering a delicious sounding Mothers Day Champagne Brunch for just £15.95 so if you fancy treating your mom (or being treated!) then be sure to make a reservation today!
*With thanks to Cote Brasserie for inviting us along, our meal was complimentary in return for our review but as always all thoughts and opinions given here are my own
If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'
