The gourmet break with Hubert Giblet*
Although this charming family restaurant is in quite an isolated spot on the River Cher bike trail, it has forged a great reputation! Diners have no hesitation travelling 20 kilometres or so from Touraine to this little haven of peace in the north of the municipality of Athée-sur-Cher to enjoy fresh, perfectly prepared ingredients with inspiration taken from the travels of Maryline Caron, the chef, and her husband Stéphane.
A surprising and incongruous restaurant in many ways… but always in a positive sense.
Restaurants with a woman chef are few and far between… And this makes La Boulaye something of an exception in Touraine. More surprisingly, Maryline Caron has not had a “typical” career (beginning with vocational culinary studies), but first studied hotel management at the Institut Vatel in Paris. Her mother and grandmother’s love of cooking led her to change course. Internships in Touraine, especially at Le Choiseul in Amboise (then, in 1995, with 2 Michelin stars), confirmed her choice.
The chef Maryline Caron
But in the last century (so near, so far!), it was not always easy for a woman chef. Maryline found no job to suit her, so finally opted for a teaching position in a training centre for young apprentices and adults in Azay-le-Rideau. At that time, her mother was running La Boulaye, a theme park with a pancake restaurant and activities for children. Maryline’s husband Stéphane often worked with her, and when Marilyne left teaching, they decided to invest in a leisure centre. They developed the restaurant, taking advantage of the surroundings.
Very quickly the restaurant changed, as did the cuisine, incorporating Maryline’s own influences and keeping track of technical changes. For example, when the kitchen was renovated with a wooden structure, the Carons opted for a cold kitchen, with no gas burners… And with their very loyal team, they really saw the difference, especially in terms of working conditions. Today, La Boulaye is an attractive Touraine-style building, very well restored and designed. The decoration made by Maryline Caron herself is in very good taste, featuring bargain-hunted items, sometimes put to new uses, like the piano with a keyboard turned into a cutlery tray. In fine weather, you can have lunch or dinner on the terrace, which is also very pleasant. And to guarantee everyone’s comfort, the restaurant only takes reservations for groups of 6 at the most.
Tasteful decoration
On the Coeur de France à Vélo (Le Cher à Vélo) cycling route
On the terrace
Practical:from Tours, there is a 1-hour bike ride along the River Cher to get to the restaurant, on the Cœur de France à Vélo cycling trail (Tours => Véretz => Azay-sur-Cher => Athée-sur-Cher).
Cœur de France à Vélo cycling trail
A chef in search of fantasy and new discoveries
Maryline Caron’s cuisine follows the seasons and supplies, and always with the shortest possible food supply chains. She celebrates an “itinerant restaurant” with “healthy, globetrotting” dishes. Everything here is homemade with fresh ingredients. And to add a touch of “exotic inspiration”, it’s worth noting that the restaurant closes for over 3 months in winter, when Maryline and Stéphane recharge their batteries by travelling overseas and find plenty of new sources of inspiration, especially in Thailand and Cambodia, and many other places besides…
Aperitif
The result is basically a very French cuisine (don’t miss the T.T.P.C. – “Tournedos Tiède de Pied de Cochon” or Warm Tournedos with Pig’s Trotter – delicious!), as well as cuisine subtly combining exotic flavours. The dishes are well presented with subtly thought-out matches between ingredients. And they are impeccably cooked. If you add the nice wine list drawn up by Stéphane, you are sure of a memorable meal. If in doubt, order a bottle made by a cousin, Franck Breton, a local winemaker (in Saint-Martin-le-Beau): white, rosé, red or sparkling, all his wines are excellent.
The menu is quite brief, a guarantee of quality (3 starters, 3 main dishes and 3 desserts, and remember that everything is fresh and home-made!), but varied enough to delight all taste buds.
It’s incredibly tempting, but isn’t it expensive?
Well, no! A nice surprise, the menu (starter, main course and dessert) is €39.90. A very nice balance between gastronomic creativity and value for money. On the menu, the pricing is wonderfully simple for diners who might hesitate before ordering the most expensive dish: all the starters are €15 (except the aforementioned TTPC, at €13), main courses at €23 and desserts at €11. The set lunchtime menu on weekdays is €26 (main course + selection of small desserts).
If I add that the service is efficient and friendly, that the staff here feel at ease and remain true to La Boulaye and that the house aperitifs are excellent, you will no doubt immediately pick up your phone to book. And I recommend a visit to their website to be won over even more!
A last point is that the chef seldom leaves the kitchen for the dining room, but regular clients feel free to the head for the large and pleasant kitchen for a chat with her.
LA BOULAYE Restaurant
La Boulaye – 37270 Athée-sur-Cher
Open from March until 15 November, Thursday to Sunday.
12 noon > 1.30 pm / 7.15 pm > 8.30 pm (plus Wednesday evenings from June to September)
02 47 50 29 21 / www.laboulaye.fr
* Hubert Giblet (gourmet and food-lover, head of the Automnales Gastronomy Festival for the Val de Loire Terres de Gastronomie association and the Azay-Chinon Val de Loire Tourist Office).