Michel Sarran – First Time in Toulouse – First Dinner – Both Great

Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France and located in the southern part of the country near Andorra (which we also visited on this trip and will have future posts about) and Spain. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the city. More on this later. The topic of this post is my first dinner in the city at the One Michelin starred Michel Sarran (MS). Having just come from a VERY disappointing 3 Star dinner at Akelarre in San Sebastian (more on that later), I was not expecting much from MS. Lets see how the dinner went. The meal started with some amuse bouche which were good including the chef’s interpretation of a classic regional dish – a cassoulet – and a spoonful of oyster bits, as well as some snacks.

Here was the menu that evening including two tasting options (we went with the full), as well as an a la carte:

The first dish was one of the most perfectly cooked lobsters I have ever had. My wife exclaimed “THIS is what I think of when I think of French fine dining. Following that, there was a vegetable dish that was nicely presented, but just OK. Very fresh ingredients.

This was followed by the fish course, then some squab.

One of the highlights of the night, was the cheese course. Two in particular stood out. I have had these before, but the ones they gave took flavor to the next level – the Roquefort and the Comte. The other cheese were just ok.

Next, came a series of desserts and petit fours.

Overall, service was excellent as was the food. It was a great first night in Toulouse and we took the opportunity to walk around the city after. I definitely recommend this place and would return when in the city again.