La Tour Sarrasine

If you are passing through Poilhes on a canal boat this is the perfect spot to stop for lunch. Situated right on the banks of the Canal de Midi with a lovely shaded terrace overlooking the water it is the perfect place to while away the hours waiting for the locks to reopen after the lunchtime break. What is impressive is the large choice of dishes on the menu fixe. One gets used to only one or two choices so having 5 or 6 is a welcome change. This meant that making a choice was very difficult as there were several dishes I would have liked to try. These were not the run of the mill standard French dishes either and it was great to see some innovative choices on the menu. The service was a little flaky however: we waited a long time for service and we were disappointed to realise we missed out on the amuse bouche that everyone else received. For entrée my husband and I both ordered the Tataki de Thon, tuna being one of our favourite fish dishes. We were disappointed in this dish. The tuna was cut in quite large pieces with quite a lot of sinew. I am used to tartare dishes being either diced or finely sliced. It had also been marinated in soya sauce making it quite salty. This combined with sesame seeds was an attempt to give it an Asian flavour, but Asian dishes generally are much more subtle. The main courses, however, made up for this. I had carré de porc avec sauce Banyuls & my husband had duo de seiches et gambas, both of which we enjoyed very much. The dessert menu was very tempting and I couldn't resist the café gourmand. All four dishes were delightful. We will definitely return here to sample some more or the choices on offer and I compliment them on offering such a wide and interesting menu.

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We had a walk in Poilhes and decided to stop for lunch at Tour Sarrasine. It was a hot summer day so we decided to eat inside in the air conditioned room but it is possible to eat outside and enjoy the view of the boats passing on the canal du Midi.The restaurent is run but an middle-aged couple. These people are in business for years, they ran another famous restaurant on the sea cost in the past and now they still maintain the high standards of the fine cuisine. We had a friendly reception by the lady-owner. We really enjoyed our lunch. Everything was delicious, in generous quality. There are different formulas. Salade gourmande and cocktail de crevettes for starter were great. I also loved my strawberry soup for the dessert. Definitely will be back!

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Second time i'm visiting ... Good choice, perfect service, perfect cuisine. This year as a starter i've discovered almond cold soup with squids. Merci le Chef et ses assistants (es) As a dessert I recommand "La Dacquoise" very tasty. The venue is wonderful by the Canal du midi... Great experience. Pour les français, je n'ai qu'une recommandation: Allez y!! Bonne dégustation

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We had a wonderful meal early in August. The set-price menu is a little narrow, but the taste and quality of the food is of the highest standard. The restaurant has a wonderful setting right on the bank of the `canal du Midi, making it an interesting location for those dining outside, but there is a very cosy atmosphere inside for colder evenings.

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This was recommended by a local bed and breakfast we stayed in nearby. For 80 euros including a bottle of wine we had a truly gourmet dinner. The filet de boeuf was just incredible as were the fish dishes. I would recommend this even if a small detour is required. One of the highlights of our trip through France

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