Roadtrip 2023 Day 6 - Bouche Rit Ars-en-Ré
By Arnd
Nantes - Île-de-Ré
Ars-en-Ré One-Way Street ...
Through the confusing maze of alleys in Ars-en-Ré — or rather the absurd one-way street system, under whose regime we had suffered somewhat — we finally found ourselves back in the village center. The beautiful church sits right at the heart of the charming little square. In our by now desperate search for two hotel rooms, we struck lucky here at Le Clocher. 135 € per person per night initially sounded relatively affordable for the area and was the only option anyway. All other hotels had either just one room available or were considerably more expensive.
After we had settled into our rooms and also discovered why "Le Clocher" still had vacancies, we wanted to explore the village. On the square there was a well-rated restaurant on Google, but it closed at 7 PM. An unusual time to close a restaurant, perhaps. But the owner wouldn't budge, though he did give me the tip to try "Bouche Rit." That turned out to be an absolute stroke of luck for us — it was rated 4.9 on Google Maps and even 5.0 on TripAdvisor.
I reserved a table for us and we wandered around a bit more or — to be honest — enjoyed some alcoholic beverages at the small harbor in front of Ars-en-Ré. At 8 PM sharp we were back at Bouche Rit and the first act began for me with a Paté de Campagne, which Wikipedia defines as follows:
The country pâté or country terrine is a French culinary preparation made from a filling of various coarsely chopped meats. It is a charcuterie product whose composition varies depending on the region in which it is prepared.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A2t%C3%A9_de_campagne#:~:text=Le%20p%C3%A2t%C3%A9%20de%20campagne%20ou,dans%20laquelle%20elle%20est%20pr%C3%A9par%C3%A9e. (translated with DeepL)
For me, an absolute favorite French dish. I used to spend a lot of time in Paris and would always buy a baguette, a pâté and a bottle of wine and sit on a bench to enjoy them. Every good pâté still reminds me of that to this day. I particularly like the coarser varieties, which is usually the case with the "country" version.
The pâté at "Bouche Rit" was a poem — full of flavor, though the consistency was perhaps a touch too "crumbly." But of course, with a coarser ingredient, achieving good binding is always harder. Alongside it came those annoying little toasted "baguette rusk" slices that I already don't understand in Mallorca. Fortunately, the lovely service also placed a normal bread basket with a proper baguette on our table, and the problem was solved.
We had decided — as we'd been doing more often by now — to order several starters but only one main course. So next came a savory éclair filled with bresaola and cream cheese. A bit like the nice quiet uncle at a wedding. Everyone thinks: He's actually quite nice, but nobody talks to him... This starter was perfectly fine but a little boring.
The white asparagus with fried egg and caviar was considerably more inventive and very attractively presented too. But then came my absolute revelation: the chipirones.
Baby Fish in Distress
Chipirones are baby squid. In this case, served in a mild coconut milk sauce with a hint of Asian seasoning and the aroma of Spanish (?) salchicha. A poem. I had — somehow sensing this could be the evening's highlight — already ordered two portions and later — incredibly for anyone who knows me well — ordered yet another portion instead of dessert. An absolute highlight! The interplay of flavors, the mild sweetness of the coconut milk. The gentle heat, the slightly fruity notes of the red peppers, the merely suggested Asian aromas. Wonderful!
Our main course, the beef fillet, was like a good old friend you can rely on. One you can hang out with in silence. But one you'd only drive to visit if it happened to be on the way... It was really good. But not quite perfect in terms of doneness. Already a touch too gray on the outside. The little potatoes were a poem, with a strong natural sweetness. A creamy texture. Alongside came a small pepper sauce served separately in a little pot. Tasty and good but nothing special, which probably wasn't the intention here anyway.
As a crowning finale, I naturally ordered dessert anyway. The friendly waiter somehow convinced me to have the Blanc Manger au Coco. Josh had the Mi Cuit au Chocolat. Both desserts a worthy conclusion to this truly wonderful meal.
Verdict on Bouche Rit Ars-en-Ré
Overall, Bouche Rit was a truly wonderful experience. You sit outside beautifully on the square under trees. As perfectly as the French cliché could paint it. A very, very friendly service. A great kitchen with some minor fluctuations in quality and finesse, but on balance an absolutely fair and, for the area, even remarkably good value for money.
Back at the Hotel Restaurant Le Clocher, we discovered that neither room had air conditioning. My room was in the rear building, accessed through a peculiar little gray tunnel leading to a small courtyard, from which four patio doors opened to four rooms. That was, at least in my room, also the only ventilation opening. I initially left the door open. But when other guests returned late at night, it got a bit spooky, since you were very much on display. Closing the door then led to waking up drenched in sweat, as the temperature in the room quickly rose. Otherwise, the rooms were simple but clean. At least in my room, there was only a bathtub, but the curtain was missing. Which, even after a brief "bald head" shower, led to a flood in the bathroom.
I would therefore only recommend the hotel with reservations. The price is justified for the location — most rooms on the island cost more than double. Still, the lack of air conditioning combined with the absence of fresh air supply would be too big a drawback for me in summer.