The Portuguese have made a habit of stealing France’s thunder this summer: first with their stunning victory at Euro Cup and now with a wave of restaurants sprinkled throughout Europe that have punters second-guessing where the current capital of haute gastronomy truly is. Fancy a bit of sun, surf, and some killer fooding? Normandy seems to have a swell of restaurants fit for foodies.
Brasserie les Bains in Trouville Sur Mer. Photo by Akil Wingate.
Brasserie les Bains in Trouville-sur-Mer in Normandy is one such restaurant. Not your typical mom-and-pop affair with its dripping chandeliers, crystal goblets, lobster bisque, mussels and caviar served on stoneware platters with flutes of champagne, it is the product of a union between a Frenchman and a Portuguese woman married for nearly three decades now.
The ambiance is very family-friendly with kids munching enthusiastically on fries and burgers and parents relishing each clam or bite of pasta. Feasting here is about traditional fare. But in the more than capable hands of the cooking staff, it’s augmented a hundredfold.
Even the buns for the burgers are baked fresh. Photo by Akil Wingate.
We’ve eaten the gamut of items to gauge where they falter, and they don’t. Burgers consist of thick slabs of buns made fresh in the local bakery and succulent farm-raised beef, paired with fries that are thick wedges made in house. Salmon, cod, and lobster are all fresh local catches. Tenderly presented on beds of salad with rice, veggies and potatoes, the seafood (or as the French say “fruits of the sea”) is crispy or juicy, always fresh and moist.
