Though very much a tourist hot spot, Giverny – home of Claude Monet, a short train ride away from Paris – can still throw up all sorts of hidden treats. The Restaurant Baudy is a case in point: historically the preferred watering hole of many a visiting artist, still regularly inviting painters to its tables and the workshop in its gardens, and yet thankfully far removed from the main tourist trail. Today, the intimate restaurant also continues to welcome in-the-know passers-by for lunch and dinner inside its historic walls, which are quaintly decorated with old-fashioned woodwork, small canvasses and mismatched trinkets.
The generous set menu of starter, main course and dessert (€28.50) is well worth your time. Their starter of goat’s cheese terrine with sweet peppers is packed full of subtle flavours, setting visitors up well for the hearty main of king prawns with rice and mixed veg. A distinctly average glass of Beaujolais is a slight blip, but it doesn’t detract from the exquisitely prepared lamb skewers – another simple yet moreish delight. Dessert wise, the profiteroles are excellently light and fluffy, while a baked apple with frangipane and vanilla ice cream wins no awards for originality (and yet still, impressively, manages to win us over). For inspiring views of the surrounding countryside, don’t forget to stop off at the café on the terrace on your way out.
TRANSLATION: FLORA HUDSON