Café Rouge menu pour enfant feedback thread: find out how the MNers got on checking out the new kids' menu! NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This is the thread for the MN families who were invited to go and check out the new kids' menu at Café Rouge.

Café Rouge say "Using only the finest ingredients served in a stylish and relaxed environment, Café Rouge’s carefully designed menu has been created to tickle even the pickiest youngsters’ taste buds. To cater for fussy eaters, Café Rouge is offering easy first courses of warm fougasse bread finger with d’signy butter and crudités with a tomato dip. Other (hopefully) tantrum-busting dishes include the new tasty Macaroni Cheese, Le Burger which uses the best Aberdeen Angus beef and the sautéed ‘Poulet Ooh la la’ with all the trimmings. For children who like to eat like an adult, there is a selection of mouth-watering desserts such as traditional French crêpes with chocolate sauce or children can get their ‘five a day’ the Café Rouge way with a simple bowlful of fresh fruit salad. Ice cream is a classic summer indulgence and is available in six tempting flavours. All of the petits enfants favourite dishes can be washed down with flavoured milk, bottle green cordial or a selection of soft drinks. We look forward to hearing your verdict!"

Reviewers - please share on this thread your responses to the following questions

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
How would you rate the food quality?
How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
What about the food for adults?
What was the best part about your experience?
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
And lastly, would you go again?

We'd also love you to add a review on your relevant MN local pages (find restaurant reviews under - On the High Street>Going Out>Restaurants)

Thanks - everyone who adds their feedback on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where two MNers will win a £75 voucher for Café Rouge. Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Good luck
MNHQ

PS for non participants - there's a great offer here for Café Rouge

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

We visited Leicester at 5.30pm on Sunday. There was me, dh and dd(13), ds1(9) and ds2(7).

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

It was fairly quiet when we arrived. We were pointed towards a booth which, apart from having to move every time one of the kids wanted the loo (is it just mine who have to go at least 3 times when we eat out?), worked surprisingly well. It was a good height for the kids and gave us a relief from the scraping of chairs that always seem to accompany our Pizza Express experiences. I thought the decor was nice and kids felt it was a bit posher than other places we go to. We were given 2 kids menus and the associated pop-up coloured pencil which kept the boys amused for a short time. We didn't get offered a wine menu which was a bit strange - ended up with a sauvignon blanc after a discussion with a waiter.

How would you rate the food quality?

The food was good. On a par with other chains.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

The starters were nice, we don't have a problem with not having a choice. Both boys agreed they would have preferred butter to the tomato dip though. The boys starters appeared straightaway, which when they were young would probably be a godsend, but now they are older I think it would have made sense to serve us all at the same time. Mine and dh's starters didn't come until they had finished theirs. And we had to ask for dd's as I wasn't convinced it was going to appear at all.

Drinks were quite small, served in plastic cups, and the menu stated refills were 75p so they made do with just the one each. Would have been nice to be offered a jug of water as a previous poster mentioned.

The choice was not great for ds1(9) as he is veggie. Having said that, though, he would usually opt for a tomato based pasta so was pretty happy with that. The portion was big. He ploughed on and finished most of it but I think he would have preferred a smaller helping.

Ds2(7) had the Petit Croque. It was probably a mistake to steer him towards that, but the description of a cheese and ham toastie sounded like something he would like. He ate the fries which were tasty but wasn't so keen on the croque as it was topped with cheese/bechamel. Had it been inside the bread I think he would have eaten it. He is notoriously fussy though!

They both had the ice-cream for dessert. We liked the fact that the vegetarian toppings were identified as such. Ds1 knows to steer clear of marshmallows but was pleased he could have the jelly beans.

What about the food for adults?

Dd(13) ate off the adult menu. She had onion soup to start which came with croutons and gruyere cheese to sprinkle on. It looked really appealing, though dh ended up finishing it off. She then had Poission Frites. It was a good sized portion which she said was delicious but couldn't manage a pudding.

Dh had the Tempura Moules for starter which were apparently lovely. Then the Demi Poulet, which again was tasty. He felt the mains were fairly expensive though. For dessert he opted for the Cafe Gourmand. We like the coffee and small dessert option at Pizza Express and, while the coffee was good the dessert was very small in comparison. Overall I think he was the happiest of all with his meal.

I'm veggie and thought the choice was woeful - so very French I suppose! I had the Plateau de Pain which I shared with dd and dh. Could have done with half the amount of tapenade and 10 x the amount of butter. I'm sure I could have requested more but sometimes you just can't be bothered, can you? - it was very stingy portions! Bread was nice though. I went for the Champignon Croque for main course as I didn't want risotto or goats cheese, and salad doesn't really feel like a proper dinner - I guess the Croque didn't either which is why I feel a bit meh about my menu. For pud I had the trio of desserts. Rather expensive for what it was and the tarte tatin was quite bitter. Generous helping of tarte au citron though.

What was the best part about your experience?

Eating somewhere other than the ubiquitous Pizza Express (on Tesco vouchers obviously). I swear I am never setting foot in one once the kids grow up!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

It was fine, not over the top. Just as I would expect. We also had to explain about the £50 as it wasn't accounted for on the bill. I showed the email after some stressing that I couldn't get to my email account and the waitress sorted it. Would have been nice to have that basic thing prearranged though. Surely can't be that difficult? Also the boys would have liked to have been offered a balloon - another thing, like the butter, that you can't be arsed asking for but would have made the experience a little bit better.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

Not really, but would have assumed they did.

And lastly, would you go again?

Probably not, unless we were a bit short on other options. The lack of vegetarian options would mar it for me.

Thank you for choosing us to visit. It was nice to try somewhere different and to be asked for our opinion on it.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We visited Cafe Rouge Stratford Upon Avon at 6pm Monday

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Staff were quick to provide crayons and colouring menu, but venue cold dark loud naff music and lacking in people and atmosphere .

How would you rate the food quality?
Poor at best!

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
Kids had children's menu: starter consisted of scolding hot bread batons, dried out old cucumber and previously cooked carrots! With tomato salsa really bizarre how did they mess that up and a lot similar to Zizizs not a French inspired starter.
Son had Poulet ooh la la : good chicken small portion frozen veg and loads of new potatoes (too many for a child)
Daughter had Poulet Goujons : again good chicken frozen veg and fries.

Kids food typical of all high street chains not special or a particular treat not "the finest ingredients"

What about the food for adults?
We both had the steak and fries cooked to request no frills pretty basic cooking could have done better, and sharing platter to start, which was a little dull and dry.

What was the best part about your experience?
Coming home!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
They knew we were coming, so checked a couple of times if ok but little more than that.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Though they might

And lastly, would you go again?
No chance please don't select me to win another Cafe Rouge voucher!

I though Stratford upon Avon had recently been refurbished but place needs a good deep clean.

I went today with my 10 year old daughter and her friend.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

I visited the Birmingham Bullring restaurant at approx 5pm on a Monday.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

I find the environment more grown up than other places we visit with kids but it was still welcoming and child friendly.

How would you rate the food quality?

The food quality was excellent and there was nothing that wasnt delicious or top notch!

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

I thought the kids menu had something for everyone. It was varied and a good choice. For starters, they had bread and a choice of garlic dips and for the mains my daughter had a toastie with fries and her friend had macaroni cheese.
For pudding they both had strawberry ice cream, one with marshmallows and one with jelly beans. They also had unlimited juice.
The drink cups were tiny and very baby-like which for smaller children would be great but a tall beaker or something similar for older kids would be more appealing.

The starter and main meal sizes were outstanding. My daughter is at an age where a lot of places we go, the portion sizes from kids menus are never enough anymore but at Cafe Rouge, they were amazing and very filling, so much so, they struggled to finish them!

In the kids opinions, the ice cream puddings were small but to be honest, i was more than happy and thought it was more than enough after the main meal.

What about the food for adults?

I passed on the starter and had a Croque Monsieur and fries aswell as a carrot cake for dessert. It was great and very filling and the choice of dips was great.

What was the best part about your experience?

The staff made a lot of effort to make us feel welcome and had a lot of fun and made great conversation with the kids. They were given balloons and drawing packs.
I thought the interaction with the other customers was also outstanding and saw some great service going on.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Very friendly and welcoming, couldn't get much better to be honest. They couldnt do enough for us.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

I didnt know about this.

And lastly, would you go again?

I would definitely go again, have never been before and it was a great experience.

We went tonight after a day out, DH, me, DS (age 10), DD1 (age 8) and DD2 (age 6)

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Loughton at 6pm on a Monday

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
The children all loved the menus and the colouring that got almost as soon as we sat down, at 6pm there was plenty of room, but not so quiet that we felt we had to spend the whole meal shushing the children. DD2, who isn't known for her attention span spent the whole time (when not eating) doing the colouring and activities on the menu and the three of them got quite competitive to finish the word search first. The waitress made just the right amount of smiling and chatting with the children.

How would you rate the food quality?
Lovely as usual, a lot better quality that somewhere like a Harvester where we might take the children for a family meal.

How would you rate the new kids menu?
Lots of choice for our three, we don't have any allergies, not sure how easy the choice would have been for my nieces who are coeliacs.

I liked the fact they got vegetables for the starter, so at least I knew they had eaten some, and two pieces of bread wasn't too much, two of the three didn't touch the tomato dip at all.

The drinks were very small, and were drunk quickly, I had ordered a bottle of sparkling water for me so they had some of that too.

What did your child choose?
We made them all have different meals, so DS had the burger followed by the fruit salad, DD1 had pasta followed by icecream and DD2 had salmon fish cakes followed by crepe. the only thing left at the end was a bit of the fish cake. At 8 years old, DD1 didn't find the pasta that filling so she ate half of my frites (DH ate the rest), with the fruit salad, it was just chopped apples (some pieces still with the core), bananas and strawberries, DS 'stole' my chocolate sauce and icecream to dip the fruit into.

What about the food for adults?
DH had snail and mushroom pie, confit de canard followed by the crepe basket, he enjoyed them all very much, all the children were begging to eat some of his duck at the end and he only gave them the smallest amounts, reluctantly. He really enjoyed his starter but was expecting more snails in it, at least he got to eat the taster portion of snails that the children asked for but chickened out of eating.
I had the baked camembert starter (shared with DD1 who loved it) Croque Monsieur and frites, followed by the chocolate and banana cake. They were lovely and I feel very full despite other people eating part of every course.

What was the best part about your experience?
DH and I used to go to this Café Rouge before we had three children (and go for a child free weekend in Paris every year) and we both enjoy French food, seeing how well the children behaved and enjoyed their meals, it made us think that they are getting old enough that we could start taking them out for meals now - or even too Paris with us.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Very welcoming, I was glad we didn't get the balloons until we were leaving as balloons always seem to start WW3 between the children. They didn't know we were testers (so our first bill hadn't got the £50 credit on it) and were so lovely to the children, and while we were there 90 minutes we didn't have to wait long between courses.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No, we had never thought of café Rouge as somewhere to take the children.

and lastly, would you go again?
Yes, but as an occasional treat not a weekly (or even monthly) event. Our total bill was over £80 for two glasses of house wine, 1 large bottle of water, 3 children's meals and two three course adult meals.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

Weybridge. Midweek. 12 noon.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

It was a lovely restaurant. Deceptive from the front as the venue is long and opens right up as you go in. It was quiet when we arrived and we were given a lovely comfortable table at the back. There were other mums with babies eating there and they were very accommodating with our buggy. The baby changing room with toilet was lovely and clean and easy to access.

How would you rate the food quality?

Really lovely.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

One had the burger, the other had a grilled sandwich. Loved the fact it was 3 courses but the starter was too big. Both my children ate the huge bread roll right away and then they mostly picked at their main course, the bread roll should/could be smaller. The main meals were huge and my husband happily polished off the bits my children (both under 5) couldn't manage! The ice creams were a winner for pudding! The food was a good quality overall and we were impressed with the selection of sauces brought out. The waitress happily brought out duplicate pots to save arguments between my two!

What about the food for adults?

Adult food was lovely. My husband particularly enjoyed the soup! I had a grilled sandwich which was amazing, cheese on top as well as inside the sandwich was impressive and unexpected!

What was the best part about your experience?

The waitress was fantastic with the children, gave them crayons, colouring and balloons and we really felt welcomed. Food came out quickly too, appreciated with small children!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Yes very friendly though, annoyingly, we were overcharged by £15. I only realised when I checked my receipt when we left. It was a bit of a hassle to get that refunded and ended the meal on a bit of a low which was a shame.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

No

And lastly, would you go again?

Yes definitely. It felt like a lovely treat.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

We visited the one at Liverpool One on Sunday afternoon at 1.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

It was a lovely place, somewhere I wouldn't of thought to take my daughter before hand.

How would you rate the food quality?

The food was brilliant, massive portion sizes even for the kids meals. I took my sister and niece with my daughter and I, and we all loved it.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

The kids menu was brilliant had a range of different main meals from chicken, burgers, fish cakes, banger & mash and pasta meals. So both girls had a good choice. The starter was just carrots, cucumber, tomatoes dips and piece of bread. The desserts had a few things you could choose from Ice creams, Profiteroles, crepes & ice pops.

The girls choose a pasta meal and the chicken goujons, they both really enjoyed there meals they ate more than they normally do, which shocked both my sister and I. So from the kids side I would say they loved it .

What about the food for adults?

We ordered a starter and main meal, theirs loads of different types of food, my sister ordered Snail Pie and Beef Bourgon and I had Mushrooms on Bread and Bureger and chips. We did like the look of the desserts but no way could we have eaten any. The food portions where huge the starters could be a meal by themselves. Everything was really tasty.

What was the best part about your experience?

The whole thing was great when we got their we went the toilet and in the baby change they had spare nappies, wipes and talc, so if you run out you could use some, this surprised me as know where else I have been have done that.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

The waiter we had was brilliant, they brought colouring things for the girls and balloons for them. He was brilliant very helpful and kind even when the kids let go of their ballons he replaced them and tied them around there wrists so they wouldn't fly off again.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

I didn't have a clue they did kids menus as I thought it was more of an adults place to eat.

And lastly, would you go again?

I would definitely go again but as a treat once or twice a year.

One thing that I am noticing about the reviews is that the food doesn't seem consistent between the different branches, for example we got two small slices of French bread per child with a tomato dip, with the veg sticks, but some reviewers got bread rolls and others garlic dip.

We did really enjoy our meal, but it would be nice to know what to expect should we go to a different branch.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Cafe Rouge Oxford, Saturday at 12.30

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Good - accommodated buggy, provided crayons for my 3 year old to draw on the kids menu

How would you rate the food quality?
Generally very good - certainly the adult meals were. My husband and I both had the Confit de Canard which was delicious, as were the Crevettes to start with and the Fondant aux Chocolats and Creme Brulee for dessert. I was a bit disappointed with the kids macaroni cheese though. My daughter is a real pasta and cheese addict, so it was an obvious choice for her, but it was very bland, just plain pasta with a sprinkling of cheese rather than any kind of sauce, so she hardly ate any of it, which is very unusual for her. Her strawberry ice cream for dessert was very good though, made with real strawberries.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
See above

What about the food for adults?
Very good - see above

What was the best part about your experience?
The food for adults

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, but it's not a particularly cheap option so I wouldn't go regularly. And I would steer clear of the kid's macaroni cheese!

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Hi, we went to the Leicester Café Rouge today (tues 18th August) for much at 12pm.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Overall, we had a lovely time, very welcoming and friendly staff, they had allocated us a booth table which was perfect for us. The kids loved the activity sheets.

How would you rate the food quality?
I was quite impressed with the quality of the food, much better than I was expecting for both the kids and for me.

How would you rate the new kids menu?
I liked the choice on the menu for both mains and dessert, the starter was fine but could have had a couple of options rather than just the one. They were happy to accommodate our dietary request for 1 child of no tomatoes.

What did your child choose?
I took my 4 kids and 3 all went for the burger and 1 had the ham and cheese toastie, they were happy to serve some peas and sweetcorn for them to share when I asked about veg. For dessert they all had the crepes with chocolate sauce.

What about the food for adults?
I had a super salad which was quite expensive but a good size and it was really good. I also was a bit cheeky and ordered the kids profiteroles for dessert and they went down very well.

What was the best part about your experience?
The kids all say the pudding was the best bit!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Very happy with the service and staff, all very friendly and helpful.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Yes, we have been before around Christmas time. I can't remember what they all had then but I would say it was much better than it used to be.

And lastly, would you go again?
We would go again and all had a really lovely lunch, thank you.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

We went to the Cheltenham branch for lunch on Tuesday. Took my dp, dd9, ds6 and dss9

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

Surprisingly good. Hadn't thought of it as a family friendly restaurant but we were made to feel very welcome and kids were given colouring to do and VIP treatment from the waitress. Was only one kids menu in the whole restaurant which had to be shared though.

How would you rate the food quality?
Fab

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

They enjoyed their starters - dd especially liked the bread. Ds said his ketchup tasted funny - had to explain is wasn't ketchup. Really good choice of main courses. The boys both chose the chicken, dd had pasta with pesto. All of them really enjoyed their meals. Portion sizes were just right for the nine year olds. Good quality 'proper' food. Really impressed with the choice of desserts. Dd had the crepe, dss had the profiteroles and ds had the fruit ice lolly. Ds decided he didn't like his lolly half way through - think the taste was quite strong. The other two really enjoyed their desserts. I liked that the children weren't patronised by just being offered ice cream like they often are in other places.

What about the food for adults?
Was lovely. I had the beetroot and goat's cheese tart which I really enjoyed. Dp had the beef bougignon which he also very much enjoyed.

What was the best part about your experience?
Being in a 'proper' restaurant the children behaved really well and saw it as a real treat.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Very much so. Only complaint is that we had to wait a long time for dessert.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Hadn't thought to look.

And lastly, would you go again?
If we did we would look out for deals beforehand as it's quite pricey for adult meals. Children's menu is very good value though. Will be recommending it to others.

Thank you mn for choosing us - we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Am noticing that the other reviews talk of massive portions so either they are not as big at the Cheltenham branch or my kids are gannets! We thought the portion sizes were just right.

Thanks for choosing us ????

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

Haywards Heath, Saturday 12 noon (actually delayed arriving and called ahead - told not to worry, seated for 12.30 in the end)

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

Great, lovely atmosphere - music but background not pumping. Friendly and clean. Spacious.

How would you rate the food quality?

Really good. Fresh veg not limp or overlooked or too hard, burgers cooked perfectly. The butter was amazing!

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

Not too much choice - maybe another starter would be good - soup? Mains just enough choice - our seven year old chose le burger - ate all, just right size. He chose strawberry ice cream with marshmallows which was yummy - asked him which he preferred, that or the vanilla he'd had the day before - Cafe Rouge won. He chose milk and had one top up.

What about the food for adults?

I chose the sea bass which was great - nice selection on menu, fancied fish and being healthy. DH chose the Rouge Burger which he says was nice, juicy and filling. The Gruyere was tangy - nice crispy fries. I was really pleased to find that the food at Cafe Rouge was not as salty as I seemed to remember from years ago.

What was the best part about your experience?

We had a lovely sunny table, a lovely waitress and we really enjoyed the treat. It was great to take the two children out and not worry about the cost.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Extremely - really natural - all team members at the restaurant looked approachable and it made a lovely atmosphere. Thank you! Oh, and excellent menu advice and recommendation re the fondant dessert - it was scrummy. Worth going to Cafe Rouge for that alone. Try it!

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

No, I guess as we used to go when dating and in the evening I think of it as an adult choice. It was lovely for children.

And lastly, would you go again?

Absolutely. Great atmosphere and choice and good quality food.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week? CANTERBURY ON A SATURDAY LUNCHTIME
Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family? RELAXED ATMOSPHERE WITH QUITE A FEW OTHER FAMILIES PRESENT. CHILDREN ENJOYED THE PENCILS AND WORKSHEET TO PLAY WITH AND SERVICE WAS VERY PROMPT SO NO TIME FOR CHILDREN TO GET BORED
How would you rate the food quality? EXCELLENT
How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose? APART FROM STARTERS THERE WAS A GOOD CHOICE OF FOOD ON THE KIDS MENU. MY TWO (AGED 4 & 2) HAD CHICKEN WITH FRENCH FRIES, PEAS AND SWEETCORN AND A TOASTED SANDWICH WITH FRENCH FRIES. FOR DESSERT THEY BOTH HAD THE ICE CREAM. I WOULD SAY THE PORTIONS WERE RATHER LARGE FOR SMALL CHILDREN TO FINISH BUT THOROUGHLY ENJOYED BY BOTH OF THEM
What about the food for adults? WE HAD THE STEAK AND THE BEEF BOURGUIGNON AND FOR DESSERT THE CHOCOLATE FONDANT AND THE BANANA CAKE - ALL WERE EXCELLENT
What was the best part about your experience? QUALITY OF FOOD
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? FRIENDLY, ATTENTIVE AND HELPFUL
Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this? YES, WE HAVE BEEN BEFORE
And lastly, would you go again? DEFINITELY. AM HAPPY TO PAY A LITTLE MORE FOR BETTER QUALITY FOOD

Q1: we went to James Street, central London on Wednesday 19th Aug at 12 noon

Q2: generally Cafe Rouge was pretty good to visit as a family. We were welcomed by friendly staff and had a nice big table. However there are a couple of specific challenges - the restaurant didn't have a baby change facility which we needed for our 4 month old son. The manager helped us 'make do' but if you are going to seek the family market it would be helpful to have these facilities (I did also wonder whether there was a disabled loo too if there wasnoo baby change table anywhere). Also the service needed to be a bit quicker - it was perfectly friendly but I much prefer to get my two year old started on food asap in a restaurant to minimise grumping. The lady who served us went to hurry up the main course when she spotted the toddler getting fractious.

Q3. The food was good.

Q4: my daughter had the sausages and the ice cream with no sweets. As others have said the portions are enormous for a young child. She scoffed the whole of the bread and all the sausages - avoiding vegetables as usual!

Q4: I had the salad with artichoke and beetroot as I knew I'd be eating one handed with the baby - otherwise I would have had moules! I had lemon tart for pudding. My husband had the half chicken. All was tasty and we had no complaints

Q5: best part was the friendly staff

Q6: the service was welcoming but it needed to be faster. They were perhaps a bit short staffed initially? We were there for 90mins overall which is a long time for a toddler to be patient.

Q7: yes, i knew about the kids menu

Q8: I would go back but not to that branch because of the lack of baby facilities. I would probably check the facilities in advance first if I went elsewhere. I think this is a crucial thing to resolve if you truly want to be family friendly.

Thanks so much for letting us do this, we all really enjoyed it!

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Bluewater on Friday 14th at 1pm.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was great, the waitress was lovely, friendly and really good with my 18 month old dd who is in a "don't look at me or I will scream in your face stage" with strangers! It was busy but there was still space for a highchair and also space at the back for pushchairs which was great.

How would you rate the food quality?
The food was really nice, it was all hot and well cooked and really tasty! We only "popped" in for lunch but ended up having a full three courses!

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
My DS who is 6 had the bread and crudites started followed by chicken goujons with chips and peas and sweetcorn and then ice-cream although he was really disappointed that they had run out of mini smarties to go on top of the ice-cream! I thought the choice was really good but was thinking that they could add another potato option (jacket, new potatoes) instead of chips. There was a lot of choice and my ds took forever to decide because he said it all sounded really nice! My dd who is only 18 months had the mini croque which she enjoyed but it was a huge portion for her!

What about the food for adults?

The adult food was really lovely! I had the camembert which was amazing followed by Croque Madam with chips. It was very good quality and I would order the same again, the choice was really extensive and there were lots of things I considered ordering. My husband had the charcuterie platter followed by mussels which he said were really good.

What was the best part about your experience?
The whole thing was very enjoyable, the restaurant was busy but not so much that it took away the good service and we had a lovely rare family lunch out.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
When I booked the table I did ask for a high chair which wasn't there when we arrived and the lady who showed us to our table disappeared within seconds so I had to go chasing a waitress who grabbed us a high chair and took away a chair, not a huge problem but my dh and dd were standing around with people walking past them while we sorted it out. Our waitress was lovely and couldn't have done any more for us but she wasn't aware of the £50 pre payment so presented us with the full bill, that was slightly embarrassing as I had to go over to her and sort it out then she had to go and ask someone!

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I did as we have eaten there before (breakfast).

And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely!

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to stratford upon Avon, on Saturday at midday.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Brilliant. The food was incredibly quick coming out and they got given colouring as soon as they sat down which meant our children stayed happy. They didn't have a chance to become bored or hungry. There was lovely inside and outside seating in a 'secret garden' with a nice atmosphere. The girl who served us was lovely and attentive.

How would you rate the food quality?
It was excellent, everything was fresh and healthy. There was nothing to fault. It was all warm and presented well.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
It was fab they both had the starter main and dessert deal. Both our girls had chicken goujons ( breaded chicken with chips, peas and sweet corn). They both seemed to love it and ate well. We were particularly impressed with the starter. There was a tomato sauce dip that tasted healthy, with bread and vegetables. The carrots seemed to be part boiled so they were slightly soft which was great for my 1 year old with few teeth. One of my daughters had jellybeans and Ice cream and the other had marshmallows and ice cream. The child portions seemed very generous so I'm sure they would have filled older children. My 1&3 year old couldn't finish it all.

What about the food for adults?
We both had garlic bread starter, a rouge burger and dh had ice cream. The garlic bread was huge and very moorish. The strawberry ice cream had massive strawberry chunks and was delicious. We loved the food it was excellent. We went away full to the brim which is always a good sign!

What was the best part about your experience?
I think it was eating excellent food, in a really nice place that is child friendly. We loved the colouring- especially us adults! It's not usually something we would pay for so thankyou mumsnet and cafe rouge :)

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes very! As soon as we walked in someone welcomed us and gave us a choice of seats. The girl that looked after us was very friendly and checked on us a few times which was great. So yes very friendly and welcoming.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I found out before I got picked for this.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes!! If I can fund it then certainly. It's a fantastic place to eat out.

Which Caf? Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We visited the Leamington Spa Cafe Rouge at Sunday lunchtime.

Generally - how did you find Caf? Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was our first visit to a Cafe Rouge. We liked the restaurant. Staff were friendly and welcoming.

How would you rate the food quality?
The food was excellent although quite pricey for adults for what it was.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
The kids menu is really good value. It is great that the price includes a starter, main course dessert and drink. My 6 year old daughter chose Le Burger - she managed to eat most of the burger, (which is a fair size), and particulary enjoyed the frites. Afterwards she chose chocolate ice cream and jelly beans - this went down a treat!

What about the food for adults?
We both had steak and frites. This was good but would have been even better if there had have been an accompaniment eg. tomato & mushroom. The pudding, tarte de citron, was particulary tasty.

What was the best part about your experience?
It was great that the children's menu sheet included lots of activities to keep them entertained whilst they wait for their meal. This included a list of essential French words, a French wordsearch and colouring.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Staff were very friendly and welcoming. We were seated and served quickly and it was lovely that they made time to have a chat.

Did you know Caf? Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I had no idea. I have always thought it would only cater for adults.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, it would be lovely to visit again.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Sheffield at 6pm on a Wednesday. We were runny late and telephoned and they gladly held our table.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Very nice indeed. We all appreciated the environment and decor and enjoyed being somewhere different. It felt grown up,without being off putting.

How would you rate the food quality?
Overall, very good indeed.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
Very good. My son had the chicken goujons which looked to be good quality meat (am vege so had to do to look!) and dd had pasta which I thought looked plain but she wolfed down. Both enjoyed the starters tho the butter didn't come? But they thought it was in the bread?! There was a great range of drinks but both kids said they were way too small. They both had profiteroles which they loved, Ds was worried there wouldn't be enough and was relieved when they came!

What about the food for adults?
I had the risotto which was very lovely indeed and dh had beef bourgignone (?sp), he asked to swap mash for potatoes dauphinoisse (again ?sp) which they did happily. He loved it but said the portion was too small. We shared a v lovely choc and banana cake with salted caramel ice cream and choc sauce and it was lush. And I had a big glass of wine so all was well.

What was the best part about your experience?
Was v nice to be in such a warm and interesting environment. it didn't feel like a chain restaurant but like quite a fancy place to go out to together!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes very. Attentive without being too much and not rushed at all. DD liked the colouring and was glad she could take it all home! She was also given an extra profiterole as we mentioned to the waitress that for the first time in her life she had been the first to,finish her meal!

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes we would, would be for a special occasion tho or if we had a voucher or could use tesco points as is quite a lot for all four of us. Maybe if was one of those days when is just one of us and one child we would go more easily? Or maybe we would go for their lunch or cake deals?

We had a lovely time, thank you x

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

We went to the Kingsway branch nr Holborn station at 12pm for lunch on Tuesday.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

It was quite nice, at 12pm the restaurant was fairly quiet, it was busier after 1pm when we were leaving. It was clean and light and airy. Both children were impressed how clean and fresh the toilets were and washed their hands before and after eating without the normal complaining.

How would you rate the food quality?

It was ok. I wanted to be really impressed but it didn't have the impression of freshly cooked, quality food but reheated standard fare. Sorry.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

It was ok, my children had the bread stick/crudites starter and then the pasta (1 with tomato sauce, 1 with pesto) and then the chocolate crepe/ profiteroles.

As another poster mentioned there appears to be a difference between branches. My children received one breadstick each and a large portion of large pieces or raw carrot/cucumber and cherry tomatoes. The dip was runny and didn't appear appetising. One child loved it and finished it, the didn't eat it at all as it was too thing to coat the veggies. An option of butter here would be a good addition.

We order the pasta as the vegetarian main. I was really disappointed when I saw this. It was a bowl of macoroni with a very thin coating of each sauce, no cheese/vegetables pieces in tomato sauce or anything on top. It looked like something I would knock up and serve for a rushed tea for the kids. The children did not complain but neither ate a full half portion, the waitress even looked surprised the had eaten so little when taking it away.

The enjoyed their desserts, I ordered extra ice cream for the table as they hadn't eaten much. DD didnt like the chocolate sauce as it was dark/strong chocolate for the profiteroles but happily ate them plain.

What about the food for adults?

I had a starter of french bread with butter which was lovely. For my main course I had the 'FILET DE SAUMON' with potatoe dauphinoise ordered on the side. It was tasty, however the asparagus was hard at the stalk ends and should have been trimmed much shorter and was cold while the rest of the dish was hot. It is details like this that make parts of the food appear reheated rather than fresh to order. I had the trio of desserts at the end, the tart tatin was very nice and I would order a full size portion in future.

The food made me very thirsty (I had three appletisers!) so I think it must be quite salty.

What was the best part about your experience?

It was a clean, comfortable venue.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Our waitress was friendly and welcoming, she listened to the children ordering etc. She was unaware that we were participating in this menu testing, although I had booked the table and explained this to the waiter who welcomed us at the door, he had not passed this info on.

The drinks service was a little slow, we did not receive our (soft) drinks until after finishing our starters and the coffee I ordered to finish the meal never arrived. Although the restaurant was very quite it was difficult to catch someones eye to mention this and nobody checked we were ok.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

No I had no idea

And lastly, would you go again?

I might consider it as somewhere to pop in if I was out and needed to grab a quick meal, makes a change from Pizza Express! But it was expensive (£56 for me and two children, we all needed drink refills and extra ice cream) and didn't feel like a massive treat, I think coffee and cakes might be a better option there for us.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Cheltenham, Monday 12:30pm.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Appears to be very popular with families. It was busy when we arrived. The table next to us had just been vacated and there was a lot of food on the floor that wasn't cleaned away until our starter arrived.

How would you rate the food quality?
It was a nice standard but not as fresh as suggested.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
DD(4) would happily have eaten most of the menu options but opted for the burger. It was very nice but the portion size was far too big for her and the burger itself was adult sized so she couldn't eat it very easily. She said her favourite was the ice cream for dessert, which was really nice. Her starter was good.

What about the food for adults?
I had the selection of breads with butter/tapenade which again was lovely but far too big for a starter. The bread in the child's starter was warm while my bread was cold, I felt mine would have been nicer warmed up. I had the confit de canard for main which was nice but far too dry, the cherry sauce was very thick and there wasn't enough of it for the meat/veg. I had crème brulee for dessert which was delicious.

What was the best part about your experience?
The colouring pack went down really well and kept DD occupied until the meal.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes although staff were very busy and at times difficult to flag down. Unfortunately when we came to get the bill nobody knew anything about the Mumsnet trial so I was stood around trying to explain it to staff for nearly 15 minutes and showing copies of emails on my phone. The only staff member aware of the test was the manager who had popped out. It wasn't until his return that we were sorted out. Staff were very pleasant but it did put a damper on an otherwise nice meal. Perhaps testers should have been emailed a barcode?

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No.

And lastly, would you go again?
Possibly for a treat, although it is expensive.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week? We visited the Dorking Café Rouge, 12pm, Wednesday 19th August. I went with my husband and 14 month daughter.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family? We all had a lovely time, it was very calm and welcoming. They were very accommodating of our daughter, quickly getting a high chair and plenty of room for the pushchair.

How would you rate the food quality? The food was excellent quality. Looked and tasted delicious.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose? My daughter had the crudites, fishcake and fruit salad. She really enjoyed the bread with the starter but her lack of teeth meant she found the raw carrot a bit tough. I think another starter alternative would be nice just so their is a little choice. The fishcakes were haddock rather than salmon but this made no difference to us, she happily enjoyed those. She loved the chips however I think there were a few too many and quite salty for such a little person. Perhaps a few green beans on the plate might have been a nice touch. The fruit was perfect.

What about the food for adults? We ordered the Rouge olives, Pain and duck croquettes for starter. This was all delicious and even my daughter enjoyed trying the duck. For mains we had the risotto and beef bourguignon with sides of frites and beans. All was really tasty and we were stuffed after. For dessert my husband had the chilli and chocolate sorbet. He loved it and was very much a fan of this!

What was the best part about your experience? The food was very tasty but the friendly and welcoming service was definitely the best part. They couldn't do more to make the afternoon really pleasant. It was nice knowing that children were welcome.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? All the staff were very friendly and welcoming. The waitress (I think she was probably the manager) was especially friendly throughout the meal, she seemed interested and engaged with our daughter which was really nice.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this? No

And lastly, would you go again? Yes definitely for a special occasion.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

We went to Dorking on a Monday. It was quiet and for our whole there were only 3 other visitors. The table was set up for us on arrival. It would have been nice to pick where we sat.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
How would you rate the food quality?

We used to visit a lot but slowly the menu became boring and there was not enough innovation for us. I think the new menu is lovely but it is quite samey. I would take the kids but despite them trying they are still simple meals for the kids. My DD wanted mussels but they did not offer them for the kids menu so they made her up a small portion. The quality of food was fabulous. Everything we ate was fresh and tasted nice, but I could get bored of those flavours very quickly.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?

DD chose mussels and was given an adapted adult dish. The dessert was ice-cream which was nice but again a bit boring. There was the choice to personalise it but they bought the wrong toppings and DD couldn't be bothered to explain it to the woman so just left the jellybeans on the side.

DS chose pasta and pesto which is a winner but he did not like the cheese that came with it. For dessert he also had ice-cream.

The set kids starters were OK but it would have been nice to have a choice in what they could eat. It felt like the menu was dumbed down to accomodate all tastes.

What about the food for adults?

I had the watercress soup followed by the goats cheese salad. For dessert, I chose the chocolate layer but when it came it was half a jar of cream with a raspberry coulis on top of the chocolate layers. I had to scrape all the cream off and then it was tainted with the cream flavour. My friend had avocado and bacon salad followed by the chicken breast. For dessert, she had creme brulee which was lovely.

What was the best part about your experience?

Spending time together somewhere new. Trying each others food. The DCs liked assessing the restaurant and acting as critics.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

The service was lovely. The staff were always appearing to ask if we needed anything but were not really listening to our questions. For example DS wanted orange juice but not pressed and it came pressed. DD asked for another cup and was given mine which left me without! Hence the reluctance to change her dessert.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

Yes.

And lastly, would you go again?

Maybe. The menu is still not exciting enough for us. The prices although enticing on initial view actually creep up when you add on other drinks and starters etc. The food included in their set menus are not interesting enough to make me want to return and some of the other food seems too heavy for a lunch time meal. If I am going out for an evening I would not choose this location as it is not special enough. Also, I was reminded of how poorly laid out lots of their venues are. The toilets were very cramped and awkward to use. We generally use them as a last resort because the price point and food is not innovative enough for us. Airports are where we use them the most.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?

We visited the Wokingham branch today. The table was booked for 2pm, we arrived early at about 1.30 on the off chance they could fit us in and they did without fuss.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?

It was a nice building and the seating was comfortable. Plenty of room at the tables. Slightly ruined for us as with a 9yr old and 13yr old we were seated in the 'family' area which had a few toddlers and 'loud' parents. It would have been nicer as a family with older children to have been allowed to sit away from toddlers and babies as it did get noisy.

How would you rate the food quality?

The food was good quality.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
What about the food for adults?

The kids menu had quite a few options. A choice of starter would have been nice, even just a soup option. Other than good variety, good portion sizes.
Dd chose the pasta with pesto and the chocolate Ice cream with marshmallows. Her only complaint was the ice cream was too small!

I had the onion soup which was delicious. Followed by chicken escalope with garlic aioli. This was nice but not outstanding. The aioli was tasty but the chicken was a bit too crispy.

Ds2 (13) had the burger with speck ham. He practically inhaled it. Not sure if he was hungry after his swim or it was that nice. He says it was good except for the tomato was watery!
H had the Camembert starter, he enjoyed it but was expecting warm gooey cheese with bread but got two rounds of breadcrumbed cheese. He said it was very tasty though.
He had the half chicken for main and again he said tasty no faults but not memorable.

What was the best part about your experience?

The waitress was lovely and the seating was comfortable. It's nice that it wasn't rushed but at the same time wasn't painfully slow. The last time we went we waited over an hour for the main courses after starters finished.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Yes the waitress was lovely. Very friendly. Attentive without being in your face. Knowledgable of the menu.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?

Yes but had discounted it as previously very small portions and dd is at the older end of the age scale.

And lastly, would you go again?

This is a tricky one. In theory if money wasn't budgeted then yes. But I do feel it was on the expensive side. £84 for the four of us with one refill on the children's drink, three soft drinks and one beer.
It's a shame as I think if the total bill was about £20 less we would have felt excellent value for money and definitely have gone back. Perhaps just for lunch if h and I shopping alone.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week? We went to the Stratford upon Avon one, Thursday 12pm
Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family? They were very welcoming - they got the colouring pencils out straight away without having to ask
How would you rate the food quality? The starter was huge and far too much butter for kids but otherwise they found it tasty
How would you rate the new kids menu? A good variety of food, perhaps a bit too much food for the 4 year olds, my 7 year old left some of her chicken too. Bangers weren't overpowering but definitely not bland. It was great to see Croque Monsieur on the menu, perhaps cassoulet would be a better choice than 'bangers et mash' though? That seemed too British for a 'French' restaurant though?
What did your child choose? 4 children : 2x bangers et mash, 1x goujons de poulet and 1x macaroni cheese, then ice creams with popping candy/ marshmallows
What about the food for adults? Lovely juicy burgers for both of us with a big glass of malbec mmm
What was the best part about your experience? Adults were on a separate table right next to the kids as they had a massive booking for a coachload of tourists in the bigger back area. All the children felt very comfortable and not sneered at or made to feel like babies either
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? Yes it was good service - the bangers were missing gravy but that was brought out almost immediately. Very very friendly
Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this? Not thought about it but would have assumed they did
And lastly, would you go again? Yes and the kids said the same, but would like to go with Daddy next time!

Thank you so much for having us for lunch today

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We visited the Loughton branch today (Friday) at 12pm

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was very family oriented, highchairs on offer and the staff spoke to the children when asking what they wanted. The only downside was the waiting time. In total we were there for over two hours, I appreciate that everything was cooked freshly but the length of time between courses was too long and the kids quickly became fidgety. We were very lucky as on a Friday they do free face painting- dd loves a bit of face painting!

How would you rate the food quality?
Quality was excellent, couldn't fault it and the portion sizes were huge

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
Both children chose the same- chicken gougons. My 10 year old is a gougon connoisseur and he rated the whole meal as 10/10. Bread starter was demolished and the chips that came with the main was also very very good. I tried the chicken and thought maybe it was a little overcooked but still very tasty. Brilliant price for standard of meal.

What about the food for adults?
I had the pate starter followed by the burger- fantastic, really enjoyed the pate. Dh had prawns to start and the fish cakes for main- again no complaints at all

What was the best part about your experience?
I think we would all say the food.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes all staff very welcoming, nothing too much trouble. They weren't aware that this was a mumsnet visit so hadn't taken the £50 off the bill, but again it wasn't an issue

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I've never been to a cafe rouge before so didn't know what the menu was like

And lastly, would you go again?
Absoluty, as a treat though. For the kids it was cheap as chips £7 each but the adults weren't although not extortionate considering the food quality

Thank you very much again