My spouse and I dined at La Mere Poulard for
lunch on a Wednesday afternoon in late August 2017. Our French-speaking guide
telephoned the restaurant on the day prior to our visit in order to reserve a
table, but she was told that the restaurant does not accept reservations.
Although we did not have a booking, we waited only a short time for a table;
however, we initially requested a table for three people so that we could eat
with our guide, but the restaurant was only able to offer us a table for two
people. (Actually, our smaller group was preferable to us, because the cost to
dine at La Mere Poulard for lunch costs nearly 50 Euros per person, which we
felt was a bit extravagant to spend not only on ourselves, but also for our guide.)
La Mere Poulard is a restaurant and hotel
located on Mont Saint-Michel. (Its current owners also operate other hotels and
restaurants on the Mont [including Relais Saint-Michel, Le Saint-Aubert, Le
Mouton Blanc, La Digue, Les Terrasses, and La Confiance], some take-out cafes,
several gift shops, and a few museums.) The restaurant first opened in 1879 (although
back then it was called Hostellerie de
la Tete d'Or), and it has hosted many diners since that
time. (Famous visitor photos and autographs cover the walls, including writers
Ernest Hemingway and Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, fashion
designers Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, King Edward VII,
Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher.) The first owner, Annette
Poulard/Boutiaut, was nicknamed “Mother” (or “La Mere”, in
French, hence the restaurant name), and is knows as an ambassador of French
gastronomy.
La Mere Poulard serves French cuisine, but
its specialty is its unique giant fluffy omelets, which are several inches
thick, mixed in hand-hammered
copper bowls, and cooked over an open wood fire. The omelets resemble a frothy soufflé
more than a traditional omelet. We both ordered the three-course prix-fixe
lunch for 38 Euros per person; even though we did not need three courses, the
price for just the omelet was the same 39 Euros, so the fixed menu was a better
value. As our starters, we chose the vegetable soup and the pate, followed by
two omelets, one with camembert and the other with bacon, each accompanied by
fried potatoes. As our desserts, we ordered the tarte tatin and the crème
caramel. Our lunch bill totaled 100 Euros, including food and two rounds of drinks
(beer and soda).
We enjoyed our lunch at La Mere Poulard – its
distinct omelets are something we will never forget!
