Les Halles

Let them eat horse ….

Nicky and Alan were here for a few days – a stopover to their annual stay in the Lot-et-Geronne. Nicky said she would like to visit the traditional bar in Les Halles (food hall) in Narbonne. And that’s exactly what we did. We ordered: 1 horse, 1 liver, 1 steak. For the record, I ate the steak. The verdict was that everything was delicious.

This is a very popular bar in the main market (must book before 12 as they’re lining up for a place soon after….). The owner is an ex-Narbonne rugby player who likes a bit of theatre. The bar is directly opposite the beef butcher, and a right next door to that is the horse butcher. So he calls out his orders as he takes them from the customers – with a megaphone – to the respective butcher.

The butcher  then wraps the meat in paper, and throws it to him, above the heads of those waiting and those lucky enough to already be seated. The chips are home made and delicious. Not the place for vegetarians or anyone squeamish about what’s being eaten here.  

Actually one of the most popular dishes at this bar is the tartare dish (raw mince with a raw egg on top, with a little side serve of finely chopped shallots and capers that you mix in yourself) – made with either beef or horse.