March 2025

I’m in France for a month working on my French. It hasn’t quite been your dream French holiday with postcard villages, fresh bakery every morning, small but fabulous restaurants, but an interesting social exercise emphasizing dealing with situations where you have no idea what the hell is going on. I’m staying with a family near Lille close to the border with Belgium but right now am visiting my French/English collaborator Christian near Brest in Brittany. Christian like me loves meat and in particular is fond of the French tripe sausage andillouette. I first tasted this delicacy in a Lyon restaurant about 35 years ago and it’s been one of my favourite treats ever since.

Only problem, it essentially isn’t available in Canada or almost anywhere else in the Western world except France. I ordered some from Québec once but it was heavily seasoned with nutmeg. I even made some myself once but getting the ingredients and putting the whole thing together, including seasoning it properly, is a lot of trouble.

When I contacted Christian that I was coming to the north of France we agreed we’d have a celebratory andouillette meal together and this was the place he chose.

It’s on the busy Brest port which is also full of popular small seafood restaurants. But this one emphasizes meat. We arrived shortly after noon and were the only clients but it filled up quickly. Server was a very brisk older middle-aged lady but with a fey French female style. We skipped the entrée and each ordered their mustard pork andouillette.

When it arrived accompanied by small boiled potatoes and a leaf lettuce salad with a simple vinaigrette it certainly looked wonderful grilled to crispy brown with its complex mustard sauce. There was nothing disappointing about this sausage. I detected onions, garlic, and red wine flavours but it had overwhelmingly an indescribable pork taste and a characteristic moist-crunchy consistency that is one of the nice features of this dish.

The price was (I think, can’t find the bill) about C$50 each.

Christian had beer and I had a glass of a small Ventoux. We were both delighted with this special treat and although it’s easily accessible for him I wish I could find somewhere near where I live that makes it. I’m not sure but I suspect there are health-related rules that prevent restaurants from serving it.

This place is unpretentious, reasonably priced, and serves a terrific andouillette.

Food 9.5 (for this dish only), service 7.8, ambience 7.5, value 9.0, peace and quiet 8.5.