CAFE Rouge is a well established brand with more than 90 restaurants across the country.

Known for its reasonably priced, hearty French fare and quick, efficient service, it has become a British standard for most major cities.

But does it deserve such a good reputation? Well, yes and no. As we sauntered along Worcester’s Friar Street deciding where to dine, Cafe Rouge’s red hue was warm and inviting.

Despite painful memories of once having a stomach-churning bowl of moules marineres at a Cafe Rouge elsewhere, we ventured inside.

We sat away from the draughty door and our amiable waitress offered us the oversized menus and pointed to the specials board.

We opted to begin with bread while mulling over the mains.

Batons de pain a l’ail (£5.25) was perfect for sharing. Warm and slightly toasted, the doughy breadsticks served with hummus and spicy tomato dip whet our appetites and went down well with a glass of red wine.

I opted for poulet chasseur (£9.75), while my fellow dinner plumped for filet de dory (£10.95).

The pan-fried dory, served with fresh herb mash and petit pois a la Français was light and enjoyable, with subtle flavours and a goodsized portion.

The chicken dish was disappointing. While it was filling, the onion was too tough and the meat, though tender enough, had not soaked up enough of the herbinfused wine flavours – surely a highlight of this wintry dish?

I appreciate quick service, but I was surprised when the mains arrived on the table less than five minutes after our shared starter was cleared.

With hardly any time to relax between courses, we felt rushed.

Fortunately for Cafe Rouge, pudding – a decadent fondant au chocolat (£4.95) – saved the day. It was total indulgence as the warm liquid chocolate oozed out from the chocolate sponge cake, surrounded by air-light creme Anglaise.

We then enjoyed strong coffee at our leisure and were given time to unwind before the bill arrived. We meandered home, not awed but satisfied.

Service throughout was infallible and the total cost, includuing two large glasses of wine at £5.85 each, was a reasonable £47.60.

HOW IT RATED

Cafe Rouge,
5 Friar Street,
Worcester
Telephone: 01905 613055
Food ★★★✩✩
Value for money ★★★✩✩
Ambience ★★★★✩
Service ★★★★★