Restaurants in France

- Local group of restaurants agreeing to set certain standards. www.toquesdopale.com

- Saveurs NPDC, useful resources - many useful links (also in Auvergne, Champagne-Ardenne, Franche-Comté, Nord-Pas de Calais, Picardie). www.saveurs-npdc.com

- Pages Restos. www.pagesrestos.com

- Auberges et Bistrots de France. www.aubergesbistrots.com

- Au Restaurant, a very comprehsive guide. Booking option. www.aurestaurant.com

- Restauranteurs de France. Patchy but good in places. www.restaurateursdefrance.com

- Le Gout, France's annual food tasting week. www.legout.com

- Table Auberges. www.tables-auberges.com

Interesting link about Flemmish food. www.theotherside.co.uk

- La Bonne Cuisine, very comprehensive site with recipes for Belgian dishes (in French). www.labonnecuisine.be

- La Bonne Table, find a restaurant in Belgium. www.labonnetable.be

- La Fourchetter, you can book a restaurant meal via this site. www.lafourchette.com

- Cuisine Francaise, comprehensive restaurant listings. www.cuisine-francaise.com

For restaurants in Paris, with some useful tips. www.paris-anglo.com

- Lets cook French. Lovely site with lots useful information. www.letscookfrench.com

Good background information for French food lovers. www.traditionalfrenchfood.com

- (French version of above site). www.marmiton.org

- Slow Food France. www.slowfood.fr

- Les Routes du Terroir. Worth visiting (French). www.lesroutesduterroir.com

Happy Cow, Vegetarian restaurants Wordwide. www.happycow.net

Restaurants in France

When visiting France for the day a nice meal in one of the many cafes or restaurants really makes it worthwhile. Go for the "prix fixe" lunches - they always represent good value. Alternatively try the "plat du jour," or daily special. A "Menu Ouvriers" (workers menu) is similar and worth looking out for. They will typically include meat, vegetables and perhaps potatoes, all for one low price.

Browse through the menus displayed outside restaurants - make sure you look at all the restaurants in the vicinity. An uninspiring menu usually gives the game away. Cafés list their dishes and price on a "tarif des consommations". "Menu" in French means a fixed price meal or three or four courses.

Lunch is usually served between 12.00 to 2.30pm while dinner commences at 7.00pm. Sunday lunch is one of the most important dining occasions where the entire family often eat out together and it is advisable to book your table in advance at this time.

Start with an "entrée" if you prefer to order a full meal from the menu. Again, this doesn't mean the same thing as it does in English; it means "appetizer" in French. Follow the "entrée" with one of the "plats principaux," or main dishes. Eat your veggies by ordering from the "légumes."

If you order water, the waiter will usually bring bottled water. Ask for "une carafe d'eau" if you just want tap water.

It is customary to tip for a restaurant meal - if not automatically added to the bill, add one yourself of about 15% of the charge. When we asked whether it is automatically added we received differing responses.

Lyon

Many say the best restaurants in France are in Lyon. If you are there and looking for a good value place to eat out, try the "bouchons". These are small bistro's serving tapas style dishes.

Try this one for starters. www.la-meuniere.fr

In Calais

The page for information and links about and to restaurants in Calais. Feedback is always welcome.

Outside Calais - The page for restaurants outside Calais, it's well worth making a slightly longer journey to areas outside Calais.

Local Dishes - Regional dishes & foods explained.

Menu Terms - A dictionary of menu and food terms.

French restaurant guides

Look in any French restaurant and the better ones will have stickers showing who recommends them. These are few we have found.

- Bottin Gourmande, a French restaurant guide. www.bottingourmand.com

- Guide Champerard. www.guidechamperard.com

- Gault Millau, a French restaurant guide. www.gaultmillau.fr

- Le Guide Gantie, a French restaurant guide. www.guidegantie.com

- Guide Pudlo (Paris and France). www.lesrestos.com

Michelin restaurant guide

Every year Michelin produce a guide book with it recommendations. The Michelin France 2010 Red Guide of recommended French hotels and restaurants reviewed over 8,000 establishments. There are very few three star restaurants - in 2010 only twenty six achieved this mark.

If you want value for money look out for the Michelin "Bib Gourmand" recommendations. These are awarded to restaurants serving excellent food but with a three-course menu costing less than 29 euro (35 euro or less in Paris). 555 Bib Gourmand restaurants are listed for France in 2010, many for the first time.

The Michelin France Red Guide is available as a set of six regional books, but only the Michelin Guide Paris 2010 can currently be bought independently.

Although famous for its restaurant recommendations, hotels and Guest houses also get awarded "stars" and "Bib's".

France 2010 Annual Guide (Michelin Guides)

Blogs I like

My French Cuisine. myfrenchcuisine.blogspot.com

La Tartine Gourmande. mwww.latartinegourmande.com

La France Profond. franceprofonde.blogspot.com

Other French food blogs;

101 Cookbooks

Baking Sheet

Becks & Posh

Berry Simple

Beyond Salmon

Bron Marshall

Chez Pim

Chocolate and Zucchini

Chocolocateria

Chubby Hubby

Cook and Eat

Cookbook Catchall

Cooking with Amy

Cream Puffs in Venice

David Lebovitz

Dessert First

Eating Asia

Eatzy Bitzy

Fiordizucca

Food Beam

For the love of baking

Fresh Approach Cooking

Garlic Breath

Gluten Free Goddess

Hungry in Hogtown

In Praise of Sardines

Kuidaore

L’atelier des chefs

Laughing Gastronome

Lobstersquad

Lucullian delights

Lucy’s Kitchen Notebook

Matt Bites

Milk and Cookies

Movable Feast

Ms Glaze’s Pommes d’amour

My Madeleine

Nordljus

Oswego tea

Our Adventures in Japan

Paris Breakfasts

Pictures and Pancakes

Rasa Malaysia

Rice and Noddles

Rise Book

Rubber Slippers in Italy

Running with Tweezers

Seven Spoons

She who Eats

Simply Breaskfast

Simply Recipes

Smitten Kitchen

Spittoon

Stephencooks

Tea and Cookies

The Food Palate

The Passionate Cook

The Scent of Green Bananas

The Stone Soup

The Traveler’s Lunchbox

These Days in French Life

To Short Term Memories

Ulterior Epicure

Wanderlust

Restaurant & Bar Chains in France

 - AC Restaurants (Belgium). www.acrestaurants.be

 - Authentic Cafés. www.authentic-cafes.com

- Belgian Beer. www.bars-and-co.fr

 - Bert's. www.berts.com

- Bistro du Boucher. www.bistrotduboucher.fr

 - Bistro Romain. www.bistroromain.fr

- La Boucherie. www.la-boucherie.fr

 - Buffalo Grill. www.buffalo-grill.fr

- Au Bureau Pub. www.bars-and-co.fr

 - Cafeteria E. Leclerc. www.e-leclerc.com

- Cafe Leff.

- Campanille restaurants.

 - Casino Cafétéria. www.casino-cafeteria.fr

 - Chez Clément. www.chezclement.com

 - Class Croute. www.classcroute.com

 - Courte Paille. www.courtepaille.com

- Croq'O'Pain -

 - El Rancho. www.elrancho.fr

 - Flunch. www.flunch.fr

 - Hard Rock Café (Paris). www.hardrock.com

 - Hippopotamus. www.hippopotamus.fr

 - La Criée (fish). www.lacriee.com

- L'Arche.

- Le Bodégon Colonial.

 - Léon de Bruxelles (mostly Paris). www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr

 - Les trois brasseurs (beer). www.les3brasseurs.com

- Planet Hollywood. www.planethollywood.com

 - Quick. www.quick.fr

 - Restaumarché. www.restaumarche.com

- Speedburger. www.speed-burger.com

- Subway. www.subwayfrance.fr

 - Taverne de Maître Kanter. www.tavernekanter.com

 - Toastissimo.

- Tradition Bretange. www.tradition-bretagne.com

Group Leduff. www.groupeleduff.com

- Pizza Del Arte. www.delarte.fr

 - Bridor (croissants etc.). www.groupeleduff.fr

 - Brioche Dorée. www.briochedoree.com

 - Le Fournil de Pierre (bread maker). www.lefournildepierre.com

Pizza Chains

 - La Boîte à Pizza. www.laboiteapizza.fr

 - Casa Pizza. www.casapizza.com

- Domino's Pizza. www.dominos.fr

 - Pizza France. www.pizza.fr

 - Mezzo di Pasta. www.mezzodipasta.fr

- Pizza Paï. www.pizzapai.com

- Speed Rabbit. www.mezzodipasta.fr

- Sprint. www.pizzasprint.com

- The Mobile Food Guide. www.themobilefoodguide.com

The Mobile Food Guide is a groundbreaking up-to-the-minute interactive restaurant guide. While it remains an invaluable reference on your desktop computer, it is primarily designed for the PDA mobile phone. At last you can have a restaurant guide, in your pocket, right up-to-date and FREE* to use.

Development of The Mobile Food Guide is set to remain a step ahead of the huge expansion in use of the mobile internet in 2004. You will see the basic directory entries disappear and full reviews, menus and wine lists appear for the chosen restaurants as the guide develops each county and each country.

Welcome to The Mobile Food Guide and the future of restaurant information.

* Find a restaurant.

* Read a description of the restaurant.

* View the menu.

* View the Wine List.

* Read other guide users’ reviews.

* Read the restaurant’s ‘Daily Specials’.

* Auto dial the restaurant.

* Link to the restaurant’s own web site.

* Add a review direct from your PDA mobile phone.

* There is no subscription charge to access The Mobile Food Guide. Data download charges may apply subject to your mobile operator tariff. The MFG mobile site has been designed to keep download size to an absolute minimum.

Restaurants in Belgium

Please don't write off Belgium restaurant wise, especially in the South, as this country apparently has the highest concentration of gourmet restaurants in the world.

- Resto Belgium. Useful site to find a restaurant in Belgium. www.resto.be

- Restopages Belgium. www.restopages.be

- Restaurants Belgium. www.restaurants.be

- Visit Belgium restaurants page. www.visitbelgium.com

- Belgo, a U.K. restaurant chain. The web site is worth browsing as it shows many of the dishes you might expect to find when visiting Belgium. www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk