Page 143 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Eating & Sleeping

presented dishes. Choose from the day’s
Caen 1 specials listed on a chalkboard menu, which
might include hits like brandade de morue
5 À Contre (baked codfish pie). It’s a local favourite, so call
Sens Modern French €€ ahead.
(%02 31 97 44 48; www.acontresenscaen.fr; 8 rue 5 Au Ptit
Croisiers; mains €30-35, menus €25-54; hnoon- Bistrot Modern French €€
1.15pm Wed-Sat & 7.30-9.15pm Tue-Sat) A Contre
Sens’s stylish interior and serene atmosphere (%02 31 92 30 08; 31 rue Larcher; lunch menu
belie the hotbed of seething creativity happening €17-20, dinner menu €27-33, mains €16-19;
in the kitchen. Under the helm of chef Anthony hnoon-2pm & 7-9pm Tue-Sat) Near the
Caillot, meals are thoughtfully crafted and cathedral, this friendly, welcoming eatery whips FRANCE 9 D-DAY’S BEACHES
superbly presented. Recent selections included up creative, beautifully prepared dishes that
pollack cooked in seawater with risotto of highlight the Norman bounty without a lick of
oysters, cabbage and coconut, and a juicy thick- pretension. Recent hits include chestnut soup,
cut pork chop with carmelised onions. duck breast and bulgur with seasonal fruits
and roasted pineapple, and black cod with
5 Café Mancel Norman €€ spinach and spicy guacamole. Reservations are
(%02 31 86 63 64; www.cafemancel.com; essential.
Château de Caen; menus €18-36; hnoon-10pm 4 Les Logis
Tue-Sat, to 2pm Sun) In the same building as du Rempart B&B €
the Musée des Beaux-Arts, stylish Café Mancel
serves up delicious, traditional French cuisine – (%02 31 92 50 40; www.lecornu.fr; 4 rue
everything from pan-fried Norman-style Bourbesneur; d €60-105, tr €110-130; W) The
beefsteak to hearty Caen-style tripes. Has a three rooms of this delightful maison de famille
lovely sun terrace, which also makes a fine spot ooze old-fashioned cosiness. Our favourite,
for a drink outside of busy meal times. the Bajocasse, has parquet flooring, a canopy
bed and Toile de Jouy wallpaper. The shop
4 Hôtel des Quatrans Hotel €€ downstairs is the perfect place to stock up on
(%02 31 86 25 57; www.hotel-des-quatrans.com; top-quality, homemade cider and calvados
17 rue Gémare; d from €100; W) This typically (apple brandy). Two-night minimum stay.
modern hotel has 47 comfy, unfussy rooms 4 Villa Lara Boutique Hotel €€€
in white and chocolate. Promotional deals are
often available online. (%02 31 92 00 55; www.hotel-villalara.com; 6
place de Québec; d €190-360, ste €390-520;
paW) Newly constructed in the past
Bayeux 6 decade, this 28-room hotel, Bayeux’s most
luxurious, sports minimalist colour schemes,
5 Alchimie Modern French €€ top-quality fabrics and decor that juxtaposes
(lunch menu €12) On a street lined with 18th- and 21st-century tastes. Amenities
restaurants, Alchimie has a simple but elegant include a bar and a gym. Most rooms have
design that takes nothing from the beautifully cathedral views.

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