Moulin de la Sambuc - Saint-Zacharie

Unfortunately we felt obliged to break off our visit to the restaurant early. The staff simple has no respect or doesn’t understand the basic COVID 19 rules (the French ones that is). The staff served the food bending over our tables and the food, and halfway the evening discarding the mouth masks. For us, the limit was the cheese presentation a another table. Both the servant and the guests were bending over the serving plate with cheeses (which are served to all clients in succession) and at one moment the guests were literally coughing over the cheeses. (I know that is not directly their fault, but it is the restaurants responsibility to present and serve the foods in a safe way). Upon explaining to the patron that we wanted to leave because we did nothing feel comfortable, the showed no understanding at all. They were sincerely questioning what they did wrong. To make matters worse he came standing directly in face. I explained the social distancing rules to him, but he discarded that with the excuse that he was wearing a mouth masks. That shows that this restaurant really is not willling to understand the COVID 19 basic rules, and you will not done safely here. As for the restaurant itself when you should be planning a visit in better days: The ambiance and food is really old fashioned French and not in a good way. More in the uninspired tourist trap way unfortunately. The reviews misguided us in that sense. The location is nice. The food is not good enough though at the price they are charging (at least the part that we were able to eat). In particular the sashimi is to be avoided. The salmon was fresh, but not of the best quality (lot of stringy parts) and it was dressed in an overly sweet sauce. The kids menus (brochette with chips) were uninspired and the meat was overcooked. In the end and after some back and forth discussion we fortunately did not pay the full price of the menus we ordered and only ate 2 of 5 courses, but one can imagine that we left with a highly unsatisfactory feeling.

Great setting of tis ex mill in a secluded valley. As we had a near 2 hour drive we stayed the night in one of the 3 or 4 rooms that were excellently decorated and comfortable, though no heating had been switched on and it took several hours to warm the entire rom and take the cill off the tiled floor the following morning there was ice on the car! . Service attentive and excellent. The gourmet meal was provencal but inventive and at 39 euros very reasonable, though the 3 pieces of beef from the local butcher was, whilst excellent in taste and perfectly cooked, very chewy. Since we had fish veggie dishes as starters and the other main course was pork tenderloin the sommelier recommend a local aged 2010 white wine rather than red, which was excellent and a very good match for the food. The wine cellar is extensive with local wines by the glass 6 euros though a large selection of Provence wines to rare ports, 30 odd different chateau Yquem 550 btle and rare old Margaux 600-900 euros as well as a large selection of ports by glass or bottle.

Competent, slightly under-seasoned food, attentive service, first-class sommelier. He proposed a red Larzac (La Traversée; not on the restaurant's list) in place of the Blagny I was considering. I love Thierry Matrot's wine, but am always up for a new experience, and this Languedoc from a Northern Irish expat winemaker was wonderful. The restaurant offers its own (delicious) in-house bread, and chilled bottles of water from the Sainte-Baume. Our teenaged children wolfed their steaks and their puddings (one lemon tarte sablée, one sort of death-by-chocolate). There are various menus; I'd guess the cheaper lunchtime one is a very good deal.

Competent, slightly under-seasoned food, attentive service, first-class sommelier. He proposed a red Larzac (La Traversée; not on the restaurant's list) in place of the Blagny I was considering. I love Thierry Matrot's wine, but am always up for a new experience, and this Languedoc from a Northern Irish expat winemaker was wonderful.The restaurant offers its own (delicious) in-house bread, and chilled bottles of water from the Sainte-Baume. Our teenaged children wolfed their steaks and their puddings (one lemon tarte sablée, one sort of death-by-chocolate). There are various menus; I'd guess the cheaper lunchtime one is a very good deal.