Café De L’Esperance Restaurant Review: Revisiting My Favourite Bistro in Bordeaux

If I had to choose a country which captures my heart every time I visit it – it would be France. It has such a sense of place and traditions, which despite the world ever-changing they manage to retain those passions and history. Wine-making traditions, food & family recipes and of course the people – who make France what it is today. With all that in mind I’ve fallen in love with one place in particular – Café De L’Esperance. It’s simple but perfectly executed and most importantly – oh-so French! Located in a small commune on the outskirts of Bordeaux called Bouliac.

The only way to start a meal at just about any restaurant in France – is with a bottle of red wine (or two). Here we were lucky enough to sip on this restaurants neighbouring hotels own wine – Le Vin Du Jardin. Le Saint-James Hotel is home to just 950 vines which produces a maximum number of 600 bottles per year. Meaning not only is the wine hard to come by, but that its vineyard is the smallest in operation in France. These vines and their head-winemaker produce an astonishing wine which is rich, smooth and incredibly fragranced – yet very refined. Even in such a young 2014 vintage it’s still very quaffable and can be enjoyed inside the main bistro-styled restaurant or in its heated courtyard.

There’s a full list of starters from the main menu to divulge in, like we did on our last visit with a baked warm camembert. But this time we decided to visit the buffet bar. For a bargain price you can visit as many times as you like. Everything is of fantastic quality and it’s a great way to enjoy meals with the family too. Fresh snails, vegetables, eggs, prawns and terrines. The only danger is trying not to get too carried away!

Being in France, it of course means one dish simply can’t be ignored – steak & chips. In this case it was a hefty côte de boeuf for two people. More meat than you could ever dream of, cooked to utter perfection and seasoned absolutely perfectly with a lovely coating of pepper over the top and the smokey bark nice and salty. Even the chips were good. Halfway between fries and wedges they all had their skin on and were golden. The side of blue cheese sauce was great for chip dipping and for pouring over that succulent meat.

One of my favourite parts of a visit to Café De L’Esperance is for their desserts. Each cake and pudding is created across the road in the Michelin starred kitchens of Le Saint-James and all are utter perfection, yet without being overly complicated. Rich chocolate tortes, passion fruit mousses, orange chocolate spheres and some absolutely delicious mint and dark chocolate cones.

The only downside to Café De L’Esperance – is that it will leave a lifetime on the hips. The desserts are so good that it’s hard not to over-indulge. The coffee and chocolate eclairs are beyond perfection, the mini tiramisu’s are oh-so decadent and the chocolate mousse pots are rich and velvety. Not to mention the mini rum baba’s which you simply have to try before leaving.

So once again Café De L’Esperance is going down in 2017 as my favourite French brasserie in not just Bordeaux, but the whole of France. It encompasses everything you could ever want from such a place. Rustic French charm, value for money, steak frites of dreams and desserts which not only look great – but can be eaten an unlimited time over if your stomach wishes. If you’re ever in Bordeaux then I highly recommend visiting this beautiful cafe and finding out exactly why I’ve fallen in love with it. You’ll do just the same.