z restaurants
Where Paris meets Bury Lashings of French flair and great value menus make Côte well worth a visit, says John Seery B
efore writing this review I went onto a few websites to get a feel for the public and critical perception of this French-themed restaurant. It’s
part of a chain, or group, so surely someone’s going to be a bit sniffy about it? But what I found were lots of upbeat comments which was reassuring since I’ve rather fallen in love with Bury’s Côte on Abbeygate Street. The inspiration for their food and design is a modern interpretation of the many famous bistros of Paris. What you get are classic brasserie dishes with a modern twist and at very reasonable prices. I suspect they may edge up at some stage but their current lunchtimes and early evenings set menu represents exceptional value at £9.95 for two courses, or £11.90 for three. We will come to the food a little later but another attraction of this restaurant, that occupies the old Barclays Bank building in
Bury’s town centre, is its smart format - a lot of polished wood and soft lighting. It’s most welcoming and whenever we have visited the atmosphere is just right - a buzz of conversation but never too loud that you can’t hear yourself think. I also like the way the waiters carry food from the kitchens with arms aloft ( a good way to build up biceps) and never seem in danger of dropping anything. Peruse the à la carte menu and you face some tricky choices. Steak frites, moules marinières, corn-fed chicken from rural Brittany and tuna Niçoise are all very inviting and for dessert, Côte’s crème caramel and crème brûlee are much-loved house specialities. For our starters (this was a family visit) we had the Eggs Florentine, (a poached egg with spinach on top of a muffin) Calamari, Flaked Tuna Rillettes and the Charcuterie Board selection. The latter two were particularly hearty portions and all were nicely presented without being
ostentatious. Mains had to include the steak frites - a simple dish but so tasty and done very well here - but one of our group ‘went rogue’ and sampled the Breton Fish Stew of sea bass, clams, mussels, prawns and squid, a dense and flavour-filled option that was perfect insulation on a chilly evening. Another steak - sirloin- was also consumed with relish. In my opinion no-one makes desserts like the British but the French can get close and the tarte tartin and crème brûlee we sampled were delicious and just about the right size - any bigger and we might have neared overload. Of course, the trouble with praiseworthy reviews like this is that your favourite restaurant gets so busy you can’t get a table. Well, I’ll take that chance as more people need to know about a little gallic
gem like Côte. n Côte Bury: 52 Abbeygate Street, Bury St Edmunds. Tel: 01284 702 799.
bury@cote-restaurants.co.uk
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