Le Carneillais - Mortagne-au-Perche

Although unprepossessing from the outside this village restaurant has been attractively redecorated internally with a bar on the ground floor and the dining room on the first floor. It is popular with the local ouvriers which is usually a good sign. Certainly the menu du jour offers good value at 11.50 euros for 3 courses including a quarter of a litre of wine or cider. There is a choice of 3 dishes for each course a 50 centime supplement for cheese. The food was served in generous portions but my curried pork was undercooked in parts with a disappointing sauce. Service was friendly and efficient and they were kind enough to offer to lay a table in the bar when my father struggled with the stairs. The restaurant was fairly full on a Monday lunchtime and it is encouraging to see a young chef trying to revive a village restaurant. But I think he will struggle to survive with his present formula of quantity over quality at giveaway prices.