SETTING You cannot but be impressed by the façade of La P’tite Folie. The mock Tudor frontage is stunning and as you walk through the entrance, you may find yourself in a dilemma – to drop into the sophisticated and elegant Le Di-Vin wine bar or to the ‘slice of rural France’ bistro - great places for a private party.

FOOD I always like to have a Kir and he likes a Pernod or Ricard (he settles for the latter) as we mull over the menu upstairs in the window seat, the light spilling onto the wet cobbles below. Crunchy-crusted French bread, cold butter and salad arrive French style, before our starters. Moules at Virginie Brouard’s place are de rigueur –fat and lush in a winey broth; wolfed down in a blink of an eye, I only got to have two! My vegetable terrine is a light, layered with pale green broccoli mousse and a smooth tomato base, a warm red pepper sauce hints of warmer climes.

Meat is the order of the day – he has the lamb and for me, definitely the beef. The shank sits proudly on a Munro of mash, the meat peeling from the bone with ease. My craving for steak is sated by a beautifully bloody fillet, each mouthful relished after dipped into a tarragon infused Béarnaise sauce.

We eagerly wait for our pudding. There is nothing wrong with well made profiteroles; retro maybe, but these are light, golden baubles, filled with vanilla ice cream and a glossy, very chocolaty sauce; its heat gently melting the frozen centre. And his parfait – well! An alcoholic icy delight; the Calvados adds an appley hit and the apple compot is nicely caramelised, soft and burnt sugar sweet. All in all a rather good meal - c’est tres bon!