Restaurant Review: La Table d’Aimé, Rivesaltes

Deep in the heart of the Roussillon region Emma Rawle is left thoroughly impressed by one restaurant’s organic fare

In Rivesaltes, in the heart of the Roussillon wine-making region, lies Domaine Cazes, which produces 14 different vintages in 200 hectares of vineyards.

The Cazes family are passionate about the environment, producing wines according to bio-dynamic principles. The same principles apply in the on-site restaurant La Table d’Aimé, which serves organic, local produce accompanied by its own wines.

It was gloriously sunny when I arrived for lunch, so I sat down on the terrace, shaded by the veranda and soothed by a trickling fountain.

I opted for the three-course lunch menu accompanied by a red wine from the Cazes cellars. There was a choice of two dishes for each course, which vary depending on the season.

A salade de légumes, packed with cooked organic vegetables and shavings of Manchego cheese, made a flavoursome starter. The duck magret that followed was cooked to perfection and accompanied by pureed potatoes and, of course, lashings of red wine jus.

Given the hot weather, I had a dessert of peach sorbet, decorated with fresh nectarine slices, a deliciously light and refreshing way to end the meal.

La Table d’Aimé

La Maison Cazes

4 Rue Francisco Ferrer

66600 Rivesaltes

Tel: (Fr) 4 68 34 35 77

www.cazes-rivesaltes.com

Weekday lunch menu €25, dinner and weekend menu from €31