Article by Ceri Wheeldon
I often used to go to Cafe Rouge when shopping in Windsor or before going to the theatre, but lately got out of the habit. I guess that when I’m meeting my female friends we tend to eat something a little lighter, which is why I was happy to try their new set menu .
We had a choice of 3 starters – I chose the homemade mackerel pate which was served with a delicious and refreshing dill pickled cucumber ( I shall definitely try to make this at home) . The friend with me chose the terrine de jambon – served with a shalllot and raisin chutney. both starters were delicious.
A choice of 4 mains
For mains we had a choice of 4 dishes – I usually have the moules when I go to Cafe Rouge , so for a change I had the Tarte de Printemps – which had a really light homemade shortcrust pastry base, with shallots, sundried tomatoes and both emmental and goats cheese – I think it was definitely the right choice. It was light and melt in the mouth. It was served with the house salad – which had no fewer than 8 types of tomatoes in it – very colourful and tasty. My friend went for the steak and salad – she particularly liked the dressing.
I don’t normally have 3 courses but we were persuaded to try a dessert. The lemon posset served with an almond tuile was smooth, light and refreshing- the chocolate torte a bit more decadent- but quite ‘fluffy’ in texture so not as heavy a choice as we thought it would be.
We enjoyed our lunch with a glass of wine each and a coffee to finish.
The setting at Cafe Rouge in Windsor is very much French bistro style. The service was good – the waiting staff were very attentive .
I will definitely go back – at £12.95 for 2 courses it is realistically priced. It will be interesting to see how frequently the set menu changes – I am in Windsor often!
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