Traditional French @ La Courtine, Dinan (France)

We had a great first day in Dinan, and part of what made the day successful was the fabulous lunch we ate at La Courtine. This restaurant currently holds the #1 spot on Tripadvisor out of some 90+ restaurants in Dinan, and it was only natural to book a table here during our stay in Dinan.

The entrance to La Courtine:

Small but cozy dining room:

The restaurant space had a cozy atmosphere, and the dining room was small but comfortable. All the tables were full when we arrived, so it was definitely a good idea to book a table in advance (I made reservations two weeks prior). We saw a few people turned away at the door. We were greeted warmly by the most amicable young man at the front, who was also the lone waiter for the dining room. I was impressed as I watched him did his work without once appearing flustered: greeting guests at the front, fleeting between kitchen and dining room to serve food, and tending to the cashier when the customers were finished with their meal. The Menu du Jour was simple, with the option to go 2-courses (12 euros) or 3-courses (14.50 euros), and two choices for each course. This made ordering easy for us, as we just got one of each dish so that we can try everything on the lunch menu. There is also the option to order from the a-la-carte menu, but we were advised those dishes would take a much longer time to prepare.

A glass of wine was included for each order of the Menu du Jour, so it was a rosé for me and a white for hubby (though in actual fact hubby had most of the drinks and I only took a couple of sips of each):

Assiette de charcuterie (assorted cold cuts). Good quality meat, and I loved the gherkin:

Rillette de truite briochee (trout rillettes on brioche toast). This was really good! The trout rillette mixture was tasty and contained tiny chopped vegetables to add a crunchy texture:

Filet d'églefin coulis carottes (haddock fillet with carrot coulis). The white fish was tasty with the buttery carrot sauce:

Poulet rôti à la provençale (roast chicken Provencale-style). This was a simple and homely but delicious dish:

Mousse chocolat banane et caramel. I loved the crunchy topping! It was pretty sweet, and the small serving size was just perfect:

Tarte abricots (apricot tart). You can't go wrong with French pastry tarts. This was delicious and not too sweet, and the custard added just the right amount of creaminess:

Hubby got a cup of coffee, whilst I enjoyed my cup of tea:

We had a very enjoyable (and affordable) meal at La Courtine, and we think its #1 spot on tripadvisor is well-deserved! Reservations are highly recommended to avoid disappointment.

La Courtine
6 rue de la Croix
22100 Dinan
France
Tel. +33 2 96 39 74 41