Rachel Hayes samples Chester’s Chez Jules restaurant for a Gastronomique tour of France’s mouth-watering cuisine
As one of the longest standing restaurants and the only one that serves delicious, seasonal French cuisine in Chester, Chez Jules prides itself on bringing unrivalled French dining and a hint of Parisian chic to the city. With its stylish recent refurbishment and dedication to fresh and affordable dishes from the daily changing menu, there’s no other restaurant in Chester that will transport you to culinary heaven quite like Chez Jules.
We visited Chez Jules to experience its Gastronomique evening. These evenings run on the last Wednesday of each month (apart from December) with different delights for each of them offering five courses for only £27.50.
As we entered Chez Jules we were warmly greeted by waiter Xavi who showed us to our candle lit table. My first impressions of the restaurant were better than expected; it felt truly authentic with dim lighting, vintage Parisian posters covering the walls and live pianist. We were immediately transported from the busy high streets of Chester to well… France!
Beata, our waitress for the evening, took our drink orders and handed us our special Gastronomique menus. After taking our food order, Beata brought over a basket of bread along with our complimentary amuse bouche of carrot and coriander soup, goats cheese and chive mousse with a beetroot crisp and pressed pork and pistachio with an apricot chutney.
From the Gastronomique menu I ordered an entrée of crab bon bons, sweetcorn puree, red basil, lemongrass and chilli dressing, which was delightful. Next for my deuxiéme plats (second dish), I opted for poached salmon, cod and mussels, fennel purée and Pernod dressing with tomato concasses and chervil.
After such a tasty start, I was looking forward to the main event. I wanted to try all of the plats de resistance (main dishes), which included sea reared trout and chargrilled polenta cake, but my final choice was the seared lamb loin, smoked carrot purée, chargrilled baby carrots and broad beans with bitter chocolate lamb jus. It was delicious with an explosion of flavours that melted in the mouth. With extra veg brought to the table, the portion was just right, leaving plenty of room for dessert.
Next was the fromages, a pleasant selection of French cheeses with artisan biscuits, grapes, celery and homemade chutney – our dining experience just kept getting better.
Lastly came the dessert, something I’d been looking forward to since the start of our meal. We opted for the poire belle helene with a cinnamon cream and vanilla crumble. This was extra special as it was a dish that brought back memories from our childhoods – poached pears in sugar syrup, a blast from the past.
Overall our Gastronomique evening was certainly different and very pleasant with beautifully presented food, great tastes, polite and helpful staff and the perfect setting.
With two floors of open space and free to hire, Chez Jules is the perfect venue for any upcoming events, with a fully stocked bar, full entertainment system, beautiful décor and fantastic cuisine to match.
The variety of choice at Chez Jules means you’ll never tire of the delicious cuisine no matter how many times you return.
Once a month, Chez Jules will be offering film lovers the culinary delights of a main course, a glass of house wine, dessert plate or cheese board to share, plus a film screening for just £20 pp. For more information visit www.chezjules.com
Chez Jules
71 Northgate Street
Chester, CH1 2HQ
Telephone: 01244 400 014
