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 cafe rouge in Dorking today at 1pm (Friday 21s August)
Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
I have 2.5 year old twins and we intentionally took the double tandem buggy with us to see how easy it was to fit in. We were met at the door and found the restaurant to be surprisingly spacious. We had also very kindly been seated by the window so that the children could watch the world go by (I do apologize for sticky finger prints on the window). I was pleasantly surprised by how child friendly the atmosphere was very continental and nice to see.
How would you rate the food quality?
Excellent: I had Moules, granny enjoyed a steak and we both finished with chocolate fondant. I can't fault it. It was very tasty well cooked and good quality produce.
How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
The twins enjoyed the bread and crudite starter although little man predictably ate very few veggies. They then enjoyed the chicken goujons, writes, peas and selectors. They probably could have shared a plate as they were good portions easily enough for 5-10 year olds of moderate appetite.they then enjoyed a scoop of good quality ice cream with a choice of sweetie topping.
What about the food for adults?
See above
What was the best part about your experience?
Feeling comfortable having a proper grown up meal with my twins. It's not possible in many places
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Excellent the service was friendly quick and efficient nothing was too much trouble.
Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No and I never thought of it as a very family friendly restaurant
And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely

My only criticism is the baby changing facilities. The changing table was a standard wall mounted affair but due to space constraints it was fitted above the cistern of the toilet. This made it exceptionally high. I'm 5'7" and i struggled to change little man comfortably. Any of my more vertically challenged friends would have found it impossible. I think if they are going to push a more family friendly style they must ensure the infrastructure is there.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Greenwich at 1pm

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Have been a few times with 2 small children and it's always been fine. Today we sat outside and there were plenty of other families with small children which is good sign. This venue is in the middle of a tourist area which can mean heavy foot traffic through the restaurant but it was woefully understaffed.

How would you rate the food quality?
Portions were generous, presented decently and cooked well enough. The only real complaint on quality was the adult trio dessert - tarte tatin was grim - a gungy blob of something which we might not have been able to identify had we not known what it was supposed to be; tarte citroen was warm - is this normal? mini choc pudding was gooey as it should have been. My DH was very disappointed with the tarte tatin - it is one of his faves.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
We chose salmon fishcake for DD 2.7 which came with frites, peas and sweetcorn. When we cut into the fishcake it was haddock (the same as adults). We went with it but she hated it! Tried it with lots of persuasion and spat it out. We think it's because it was smoked which can be a strong flavour. Added that with more frites (which she naturally ate first!) it was a bit heavy (also was same size as adult portion - not a complaint, just commenting). DS 5.5 opted for croque monsieur which is essentially a ham/cheese toastie which normally he loves - not today. He actually said yuk which is not like him. We're not sure why he objected - we pondered if it was the texture of the cheese which was a bit sloppy/slimey.

There was more choice than most children's menus and I think we mostly chose poorly. My only suggestion is to give the option of frites or another type of side (mash, baby spuds). Most children I know will just eat chips, chips, chips and ignore the rest. I wonder if there is also space for a platter of food for children eg. bit of chicken (not goujon), sausage and fish, veg, small portion of potato - though this might be too much to ask logistically. Nice range of puddings - my 2 opted for the fruit lolly which they both enjoyed. Starters always work well on my 2 - warm bread, knob of spreadable butter, crudites (carrot, cucumber, tomatoes) with a tomato dip though both didn't like the dip (me/DH did though! With hindsight we should chosen the pasta for DD and burger for DS but wanted to try them on something different.

What about the food for adults?
I had smoked haddock fish cakes with frites - came with two fishcakes which was a bit much for me personally and, frites is frites - an option of more salad and no frites might have been more appealing and gone down better. As it was it was quite stodgy. DH had demi poulet which he enjoyed and I tasted - thought it was a bit dry but reasonable. Only it came with more frites. Overall less frites please!

What was the best part about your experience?
Honestly, not fretting about the bill whilst getting children to try something different. It was a relaxing environment (apart from tutting twat next to us towards end of our meal), we didn't feel rushed at all.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Extremely! They were very stretched staffwise and got a couple of things wrong which I won't list as they were minor and put right with such grace and knocked an item of our bill as a way of apologising (well that's what we think anyway). Our main waiter (didn't catch his name but he was Spanish) was friendly and accommodating, great with the children without being patronising, no sign of the hump when we had to point out something not quite right despite at times RUNNING through the restaurant to keep up the service.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I did but with a few tweaks (though this might be to just suit me personally) this menu could be heads and shoulders above the rest. Nice to have more choice than pizza, pasta and chicken goujons. Just leave out the frites!

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes. Having had the opportunity to try it I know better next time what we should choose for our children and that will give Cafe Rouge the advantage over other restaurants.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Sheffield branch, today (Friday 21st) at 3pm.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was very spacious, not busy at all with a lovely atmosphere.

How would you rate the food quality?
Fantastic, everything we had was delicious.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
I thought the menu was very good, lots of choice, I liked the idea of the starter, getting some veg into them right at the start! Dd (2) had the starter where she ate everything but the cucumber. She didn't like the tomato dip and it tasted a bit like tinned tomatoes to me. She then had the chicken goujons with frites and salad. The chicken was lovely (I had to try some for research purposes of course) and the frites delicious, all of those disappeared!
Dd then had the fruit salad for afters which was lovely too, fresh apples, strawberries, blueberries and banana.

What about the food for adults?
Delicious. I had the chicken pate for starters and the super salad with chicken and a side of frites. It was all wonderful, very tasty. Dh had the prawns for starter and the haddock fishcake for his main and really enjoyed both.

What was the best part about your experience?
The food, it really was delicious. The pate tasted like my aunt used to make and everything was fresh and came quickly.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Service was brilliant, they were very good about it when dd smashed a glass and they asked us where we would best like to sit and pushed 2 tables together so we could sit dd in the corner to stop her escaping.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No I didnt, I always thought it was an adult restaurant.

And lastly, would you go again?
I would but not with a toddler, dd was playing up a bit and it felt a little embarrassing like we were disturbing the other adults eating (we were the only ones with a child) I think the atmosphere of a more grown up place like this would suit a slightly older child say 5ish who wouldn't create so much fuss like my noisy 2 year old!

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Birmingham Mailbox, on Saturday at 5pm.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family
Very pleasant and I felt welcome as a family even though we were the only people who had children there.

How would you rate the food quality?
Good, we have been to Cafe Rouge before and consider them a reliable choice.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
DD (6) chose the beefburger and DS (3) chose the chicken goujons.
Starters: these were nice but too large, both children wolfed down the bread, and ate all the big pat of butter (slathering it over their cucumber when they ran out of bread). The crudities were a nice idea, and the starter kept them busy while we waited for the main course, but I think half the quantity would have been fine.
Mains: DD said the burger was good but left a lot of it as she said she was full. DS left a lot of his goujons as well. I suspect they might have eaten more if they hadn't eaten all that bread and butter first. The chips were very popular though.
Dessert: In spite of claiming they were full and DS moaning his belly hurt, they both polished off a bowl of ice cream and marshmallows no problem. DD said the chocolate ice cream was delicious.

The range of drinks was very good.

As a parent, I would say the menu is exactly what I would expect - nothing too ambitious in terms of the options, but to be honest, if I am paying good money, I want them to pick something they are likely to eat. A menu that was a pound or so cheaper and with smaller portions would have been even better.

What about the food for adults?
I had mussels which I really enjoyed. DH had poulet breton and said it was nice but the portion could have been bigger. We both had desserts which were nice, but the ice cream on both tasted a bit 'icy' and not as creamy as I'd expect.

What was the best part about your experience?
An excuse for a trip into the city centre! Going out for dinner in town, with a trip on the train and a bit of shopping as well as a meal out, was something I'd been really looking forward to!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
The waitress was incredibly nice to the kids, so much so I suspected she knew I was there on the Mumsnet product test. But she was very confused when it came to working out the bill, so it turns out she was just genuinely being very friendly!

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Yes, we have been a few times in the past.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes very likely, although it was expensive enough I wouldn't go regularly. We managed to spend £62 on two children's menus, two adult mains and desserts and a glass of wine and beer, so I would probably save it for a bit of an occasion rather than a regular meal out. It wouldn't need to be a very special occasion though

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth, at 4.30pm today , Saturday.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was ok, there weren't any other families with small children eating but high chairs were available when asked for. We also had to ask for crayons and didn't receive balloons as others have mentioned. There was no one to greet us when we arrived and when I tried to explain that I had booked a table I was met with confused looks and told to sit anywhere. I wasn't bought a kids menu until I asked for one.

How would you rate the food quality?
Generally good . My 2 and 4 year old enjoyed bits of their starter but the bread was quite dry and no butter was provided.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
They both chose sausages and chips. They enjoyed them and they were huge portion sizes.. The chips were lukewarm but that suited us as usually we are waiting for them to cool down. Pudding went down well , both chose ice cream with marshmallows.

What about the food for adults?
Dp picked poulet Breton which he really enjoyed, I had croque champignons which was nice as well but I was disappointed by the lack of vegetarian choice generally.

What was the best part about your experience?
Desert?

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
There seemed to be some confusion about who should be serving us and we felt a bit of an inconvenience to start with. When we had a consistent waitress she was friendly and helpful and not phased when my daughter smashed her ice cream bowl accidently (sorry!)

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No
And lastly, would you go again?
I'm not sure. I think we have had much better a better vegetarian choice might sway me.

Thank you for picking us for a Saturday tea time treat.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Colchester branch on a Sunday at 12.00

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
How would you rate the food quality?
We were pleasantly surprised. I had always had a preconception about Cafe Rouge being a place to visit as a couple rather than as a family, but it is well set up for young children with plenty of high chairs, small sized children's cutlery, a good kids menu (reasonably priced) and colouring with pencils on the kids menu.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
She chose the fishcakes with frites, chocolate milk and fruit salad for dessert. We were quite impressed by the choices on the kids menu-several quite healthy choices if you wanted that. There was only one option for the kids starters but it was crudités so good to know that they ate some vegetables before starting on the main course.

It wasn't clear that any veg were included in the fishcakes and frites option of the kids menu, but the waitress asked whether DD would prefer mixed cooked veg or salad, and it didn't seem to be charged extra for on the bill, so if it it included in the main course please specify so as this is a plus point.

Fruit salad dessert was a nice mix of strawberry, blueberry, apple and banana.

What about the food for adults?

We liked the selection in all courses, plenty of dishes we would have been happy to choose. Haddock fishcakes with cheddar and petits pois inside were divine- I would definitely have these again, same for DH's seabass with new potatoes.

What was the best part about your experience?

Probably the fact that it was so family friendly, along with an appealing menu that was relatively good value for money.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes. Our waitress was great, really friendly and kind to our DD and baby, making it personal service. She was considerate about putting sharp and hot items out of reach of the baby.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No, I didn't really think of it as a family friendly restaurant beforehand.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, definitely will return!

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We visited Cafe Rouge at Birmingham Bullring today (Sunday 23rd August) at 12.30pm. There were 2 adults and 3 children (aged 4, 8 and 11) in our group.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
We had a fantastic time and I would highly recommend Cafe Rouge as a great place to eat with children. From the minute we arrived, the staff were friendly and welcoming and we all felt very well looked after.

How would you rate the food quality?
The food quality was excellent and we were all very happy with our meals.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
There was a good choice of main meals and desserts on the children's menu. There was only one starter choice, but my children all enjoyed this very much. My 4 and 8 year old chose from the children's menu and for starter had the artisan bread with butter, cucumber, carrots and tomatoes with tomato dip. They enjoyed this a lot and ate most of it. For their main meal they both chose the Poulet Gougons which came with chips and peas & sweetcorn. They both thought this was very nice, although my little one was quite interested in the mussels by then and it was difficult to get her to eat! For dessert my 4 year old had the chocolate crepe that came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. She shared a little, but ate most of it up and it was yummy! My 8 year old had chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and also thought it was delicious!

What about the food for adults?
My 11 year old had the children's menu bread starter (thanks to our wonderful waitress for organising that) and Moules for her main meal. She loved it and the Moules had to be offered around a little to her younger siblings who are also fans!
Dh and I ordered from the Prix Fixe menu for £12.95. Dh had the pate starter and Moules for his main. He enjoyed them both, but said he would probably order something different next time as he thought he had made boring choices . I ordered the mushrooms on bread starter and it was delicious - My 4 year old loves mushrooms, so she was also tucking in to this! I ordered the Poulet Breton for my main and was again in mushroom heaven - delicious! Dd and I ordered an extra dessert to share, which was creme brulee with strawberry ice cream. The strawberry ice cream had little strawberry pieces in and it was all delicious! The food was all fresh, looked and tasted lovely.

What was the best part about your experience?
After a long summer break, that has been quite expensive, it was wonderful to be able to go out for a meal and not worry about the cost for all 5 of us eating - that made this experience especially good of course!
Also, we were really well looked after. We had a lovely waitress and waiter who were friendly and helpful. We were given colouring books, extra paper, stickers and crayons to keep the children entertained and that was a great extra! I also thought the food was delicious - I loved the food I ordered and would definitely go back to have it again!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Very friendly and very welcoming. The staff knew we had a reservation and showed us straight up to our table. Our waitress was especially wonderful and we were very impressed with the service.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
We last ate at Cafe Rouge around 9 years ago, so I did remember there was a children's menu.

And lastly, would you go again?
I would definitely go again and I would be happy to take my children again as the menu is good value for money and we all ate well.

Thank you Mumsnet and Cafe Rouge for the opportunity to go there.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Weybridge, Surrey on Sunday August 23rd at 12.30pm

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
The restaurant itself is nicely decorated and the table we were given was spacious. They had the highchair ready with crayons and balloon for our DD (who's too young for colouring at 10 months old but nice sentiment)

How would you rate the food quality?

Overall the food quality was ok - we've had bad experiences at Café Rouge in the past (a different branch) so weren't expecting it to be great but it was ok. It's too expensive for what you get though - I'd class it as similar to a pizza express but its far more costly.

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

My 10 month old DD had the starter (only 1 choice) which was supposed to come with cucumber, carrot and tomato and bread. Only tomato's were given to us which was a shame as its the one thing she won't eat (and she'll eat practically anything!)

For main I ordered her the Poulet Oh La La which was supposed to come with Chicken, New Potatoes and Peas and Carrots. We got given salty chips instead of new potatoes which wasn't suitable for a 10 month old. We asked for them to be swapped but it never was. The portion was tiny - I'm not sure if altered due to her age but it wouldn't have fed a baby much older than her.

For dessert I ordered her the Fruit Salad - which arrived covered in strawberry coulis! Again, not suitable for a 10 month old so I had to retrieve what I could of the fruit to give to her.

I was really disappointed that none of the food for her was as on the kids
menu and there seemed to be no understanding of what a very young child can and cannot eat.

What about the food for adults?

My DH and I shared a bread platter (Plateau à Partager) for starters which was ok - nice pate, bread and garlic butter, nothing amazing though and a bit steep at £12.95. My DH then had the Demi Poulet for main which he enjoyed, I had the Champagne Risotto which was ok, but a bit bland. My husband then had a Chocolate Fondant (Fondant Aux Chocolats) for dessert which he said was nice.

What was the best part about your experience?
The décor of the restaurant was nice, and it was nice to get out for lunch just the three of us.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
The waitresses were very kind and accommodating but then they got unexpectedly busy and it seemed to fall apart a bit. I heard other tables complaining that they'd not got what they'd ordered - much like us not receiving our new potatoes in replacement for the chips. Service was slow and we had to eat our main with no drinks as they took so long to arrive. They seemed very understaffed for the number of tables.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No - I assumed they didn't.

And lastly, would you go again?
No unfortunately not - at least not until our DD is considerably older. We eat out a lot and almost unfailingly she is very well accommodated and food is provided as dictated on the menu, unfortunately it was not the case here. We did have a nice time but overall its very expensive for what you get (we spent £70 on a shared starter, two mains, 1 dessert, 2 glasses of wine, 2 diet cokes and a kids meal) and they got all our DD's menu choices wrong!

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

We went to Kingsway, London on Sunday at 12.30 for lunch

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

We found it very welcoming for families, the staff were lovely, the kids menus with puzzles and colouring crayons were very popular with the LOs.

How would you rate the food quality?

Food quality was good.

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

Kids menu seemed excellent - a good choice, reasonable price, included veggie and fish options and three courses plus drink. We don't eat meat. Starters were fresh and healthy, although after such a big piece of yummy bread, main course was more of a challenge. DS1 (age 6) chose the fishcake and chips which he didn't like the look of (that's the case for most new foods he gets) but surprised himself and enjoyed it. DS2 (age 4) chose the pasta and tomato sauce. The portion was enormous, almost adult sized. He thought it was "good, but had too many bits in it" - he still ate a lot of it though! For dessert one had profiteroles (delicious) and the other had chocolate ice cream with jellybeans, which was a nice twist to a standard dessert. Great to have fruit as an option. We were generally very impressed.

What about the food for adults?

DH had the super salad with salmon, which he enjoyed (particularly the little peppers) but said it needed a dressing and I had the fish and chips which was good - though I think it should have come with peas. Pea shoots weren't what I was expecting and not really a vegetable. The waitress should have recommended I choose a vegetable side dish, but for the price I would have expected some veg. Dessert was a tarte tatin (good not great) and a crepe aux fruits (also good not great, wanted something fresh and fruity). A friend who joined us for dessert had the chocolate fondant, which she loved.

What was the best part about your experience?

The staff - great service - made for an all round enjoyable experience.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

As above, a resounding yes!

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

No

And lastly, would you go again?

Yes definitely. A good and slightly different kid-friendly menu.

Thank you MN and CR, we had a great time.

Firstly, have name changed for this due to recent site problems!

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week? Cheltenham, Saturday early evening (5.30 pm ish)

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family? Really enjoyed it. All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The only negative was that it felt a bit more grown-up than places we might normally go and we did seem to get a few disapproving looks from the diners at the next table. They were the only ones though and did seem generally a bit grumpy!

How would you rate the food quality? Really good.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
DS 1 (4) had pasta and crèpe with ice cream. He's notoriously fussy, but actually ate most of the bread which came with the starter, some pasta and most of the pudding!

Ds2 ( aged almost 2) had the same pudding, but sausage and mash first. He ate quite well ( much less fussy!) Portions seemed huge, but then my dc are only little. Thought the menu offered a good choice and the starter was great and was served straight away, which was ideal for us.

What about the food for adults? Again, delicious. Dh had chicken and I had a vegetable risoto. Both had tarte tatin for pudding. Really enjoyed our meal
.
What was the best part about your experience? Very friendy and welcoming staff who really engaged with our dc plus a delicious meal.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? Very!

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this? No, I had no idea. I've eaten at Café Rouge pre dc, but never would have thought to go there with children.

And lastly, would you go again? Yes, definitely. We had a lovely time and it makes a nice change from Italian which is our normal choice when eating out with dc.

Thanks mumsnet and Café Rouge for letting us take part.

Firstly I would like to say thank you for selecting us for this test. I was looking for somewhere to go this week that we haven't been to as a treat for one of my dd's landmark birthdays.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Greenwich, Sunday 23rd at 5pm.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was a nice friendly welcoming place where children did feel welcome. Staff spoke to my son and took his order from him, rather than us.

How would you rate the food quality? the chips cooled really quick and tasted really oily. They were also salted which we didn't like. We don't all like salt on our chips and I was disappointed the children's meal chips were salted.

How would you rate the new kids menu?
The three course for a set meal was a good idea. However, it wasn't anything different to any other chain. There was nothing authentic and it seemed bland. Son aged 9 was unimpressed when he saw the regular menu.

What did your child choose? he
Went for the burger and fries. With icecream and popping candy. If there had been a choice of veg with the chicken he would have chosen that. When the ice cream came there was no popping candy. We also asked for a refill and this never arrived.
What about the food for adults?
We had the snails followed by the burger and chips. The burger was massive,
We looked at it and wondered how we were going to eat it. It was however dry which was dissapointing.

What was the best part about your experience?
There was a mix up with the booking and two children and two adults. Staff quickly came with another menu for the adult, plus and extra balloon and colouring set for
My other daughter. ( did I mention they are 17 and 19?)

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
We found the staff very stifling and really ott. We felt they knew why we were there, and when observing with other customers they weren't given the same attention as us. Staff constantly coming over and asking if we were ok, both during and between courses. When bringing next course two members of staff to do this. But other customers unless called or to serve, were left alone. When we asked for the bill, the discount hadn't been deducted, the waitress spoke to the manager after I had explained and shown her emails. She went to speak to the manager and when she came back she confirmed the manager knew why we were there and it would be deducted when we paid. Although we had enjoyed the experience this made it all feel fake.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No we didn't.

And lastly, would you go again?
Not that branch, we would try a different branch to see how the service differed to regular customers.As well as the stifling staff, as we walked into the place we were greeted by uncovered cake and crumbs on the counter around this. And also urine on the toilet seat which was really off putting.

I just wanted to add, I have had a name and email address change since being selected for this - I hope it can all be matched up to me.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Dorking, Surrey on Saturday lunchtime, 12 noon

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
We enjoyed it. It was comparable with other smarter places we have been to, similar menu although we felt they were making much more of an effort to be welcoming and accommodating to the children. We had a good meal and a nice time. The children were well behaved which I think is because Cafe Rouge managed the experience for us very nicely.

How would you rate the food quality?
Overall very good. Very tasty and perfectly cooked.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
It was surprisingly grown up, which I liked. My children are 4 and 2 and I do get fed up that all they have to chose from in most places are fast food options with chips and no veg. I felt they were getting a good selection of balanced meals and had the opportunity at least to eat like grown ups. I imagine older children may particularly appreciate that. My 4 year old had macaroni cheese and my 2 year old had fish cake (and chips!). The macaroni cheese was quite strong - my daughter did eat it but couldn't manage much. I thought it would have been better if the also very strong grated cheese on the top had come separately so that she/we could have controlled that. I was a little disappointed that hers didn't come with veg given that they appeared to be pushing that aspect in particular, but we ordered peas and sweetcorn on the side and in the end I don't think they charged for it. My 2 year old had fishcake. They apologised profusely for not having the salmon one on the menu and asked if the smoked haddock one from the adult menu would be ok. He wolfed it down. I tried a very little (he wouldn't let me have much!) and it was really tasty and delicious. They both had fruit ice lollies for pudding which they loved.

What about the food for adults?
We bread to start, a burger and trio of puddings, and a salade nicoise and ice cream. About as I would have expected.

What was the best part about your experience?
They seemed to have thought carefully about what the children would want and what the adults would find helpful when coming out with little ones. For example, they asked straight away with the drinks orders whether we would like the starters for the children. They then were able to eat those while we were making our own choices. The crayons were stackable with square sides, meaning (as others have mentioned) they didn't roll off the table once, and the children thought them really exciting. They couldn't believe they were allowed to keep them as a present! The children had coloured plastic cups for their drinks which meant we weren't having to constantly monitor them with heavy glass tumblers (this may seem patronising however if your kids are older!) The table was set up when we arrived with the crayons and colouring mats so they were keen to sit down nicely and could get stuck in straight away.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
It was. We had expected good service as the staff knew why we were there. It was perhaps a little over friendly at times, we were asked almost every 15 minutes how everything was. But they were very nice, and friendly to the children.

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

And lastly, would you go again?
Probably, on a par with other generally nicer restaurants, depending on what we wanted to eat on the day we were choosing. As most of the other places we go to are Italian though, its nice to expand the options.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We visited yesterday 23rd August at 2pm at the James Street branch in London.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Lovely. it was fairly quiet, only 3 tables occupied, but this was probably as it was pouring down with rain! A fairly grown up atmosphere with no other children in the restaurant. We were two adults, DS12 and DD10.

How would you rate the food quality?
Excellent quality food. Extremely delicious. We all loved the food.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
A better choice than some restaurants. The starter had bread, crudites with a dip. My DD choice the macaroni cheese which was huge. She finished off with the ice cream which came with mini marshmallows which was a nice touch. She said the portion was too big for her, and she has a fairly healthy appetite (especially when it comes to pasta!). She also found the cheese a bit strong but that didn't bother her. It would have been nice to have a bit of veg with the pasta to add a bit of variation.

What about the food for adults?
We shared a Camembert for starters which was delicious. I ordered the slow-cooked duck leg with French beans, dauphinoise potatoes and cherry sauce, DH had the rouge burger and DS had the half-chicken with chips. We shared a trio of desserts. My food was exceptional. It was on a par with French food I had eaten in a good Parisian restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised.

What was the best part about your experience?
The delicious food, lovely french decor (see pic of wall above our table) and ambiance plus exceptional service.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Wonderful, friendly service. Very attentive but not too obtrusive. Staff made an effort to talk to DCs too which was nice. They also got balloons and colouring pens and an activity sheet. We were all very impressed.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No we didn't.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes definitely. Lovely, tasty food at reasonable prices. I'd only ever visited a Cafe Rouge for coffee and dessert. I would go again without any hesitation.

I visited Greenwich at 1pm last Thursday with my sister and our 5 children aged 4, 7, 8, 10 and 10.

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

Good, they were expecting us and had our table ready with balloons on. Our waiter was very nice and quickly learnt the 4 year olds name and had a bit of a banter with him.

How would you rate the food quality?

Ok. Didn't love it but it was fine.

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

They all enjoyed the starter, loved the tomato dip. Said the bread would be even nicer if it was served warm. 3 of them had the burger and said it was ok. One ordered salmon fish cakes but it turned out to be haddock and pea fish cakes which caused disappointment. The other one had chicken goujons which seemed quite nice. They all liked the chips and loved getting a tiny jar of ketchup each. But then said the ketchup tasted weird!
It's good to get a drink as part of the childrens menu as sonetimes you have to pay extra. All they portions were very generous. Maybe too big!

They all enjoyed the puddings - icecream with a side of sweets or marshmallows, and profiteroles.

What about the food for adults?

We both had an omelette from the quick lunchtime menu as we are veggie and its a quite meat heavy menu. It was fine. Nothing to rave about but ok.

What was the best part about your experience?
The staff were very attentive and the kids enjoyed themselves.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes, very.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Yes, we have been a few times before

And lastly, would you go again?
At some point probably yes but it's wouldn't be our first choice

Thank you.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Oxford, 12 noon, Tuesday

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

How would you rate the food quality?
Good- better than expected!

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
Sausage and mash and fish cakes and chips. Nice starter, a lot of bread but was nice and fresh. No choice though which is a shame. Food was good, large portions so will be good for older kids as well. Fish cakes were very tasty and a bit different to normal kids menus.

What about the food for adults?
Burger and duck - both very nice, well cooked and tasty. Chocolate fondant and tarte tatin for pudding. Good as well but not as good as the mains.

What was the best part about your experience?
The surprisingly good quality of the mains.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes, very much so. Attentive and friendly.

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

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, we would happily come again

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We visited the one in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth on a Monday lunchtime

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was very child friendly. The atmosphere was good and everyone seemed to expect kids to be around

How would you rate the food quality?
It was ok. The kids carrots for their crudités were dry and had obviously been cut the previous day though and the butter never arrived. Their chicken was beautiful though, really soft and tender. Our steaks were good and the creme brulee was very well done.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
The children had breaded chicken and chips followed by profiteroles. The menu is a bit dull, with nothing to tempt them to try something different. I love restaurants that offer half portions of some of the a la carte menu for kids. The activity sheet was very good for our 5 year old, but held very little interest for our 2 year old. There's a lot of small colouring on there.

What about the food for adults?
A good selection of dishes between baguettes and full meals so it's very flexible. The food is good but not outstanding.

What was the best part about your experience?
Watching the children eat their profiteroles with a chocolate dip. They loved that and it was messy!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
The waitress we had was excellent. Unfortunately no-one told her we had arrived so we had a long wait to get served at first, then the drinks took a long time, then each course took a long time. I don't know why everything took so long but it took 2 hours from start to finish which is a long time for children. At one point I walked through the restaurant and out of 18 tables, only 1 had food on, everyone else was waiting.

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

And lastly, would you go again?
Possibly. But Brasserie Blanc is round the corner and is properly french.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Salisbury at 5.30pm on a Friday evening. It was fairly quiet.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Very good. It has a nice calm atmosphere and felt like a “proper” restaurant rather than just somewhere good for children (for this reason we usually go to Pizza Express or Prezzo, DH and I preferred the atmosphere of Café Rouge). We weren’t given proper children’s menus with crayons etc though like pp seem to have been offered which is a shame. The menus were mini cardboard ones that didn’t have the full menu (i.e. just said “pasta” when there are three types available, which I knew from checking out the menu online before we went). DD had bought a small activity book with her and the waitress brought crayons over after about ten minutes, but DD2 was a bit bored. Pizza express do fab colouring in menus/stickers etc so maybe this area could be improved, as it definitely benefits other diners by keeping DC quiet!

How would you rate the food quality?
Very good. It all seemed fresh and was tasty. We all enjoyed it.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
I thought it had a good range of options. They both enjoyed the crudités as a starter. For mains DD1 chose macaroni cheese (more of a pasta in cheese sauce) and DD2 had the tomato and basil pasta. DD1 had the crepes and chocolate sauce for pudding and DD2 had ice cream. They both really enjoyed the meal, DD1 particularly the macaroni. It would have nice to have had some vegetables on the side though (I always think this when a fairly plain pasta dish is the same price as those with chicken/fish as the cost for the restaurant is so much lower). The portions are very generous so would suit older children as well, both DDs ate well but it looked like they’d hardly dented their mains. The menu offered great value for money I think, you get a lot for the price.

What about the food for adults?
DH ordered the sirloin steak and chips and I had the minute steak. Unfortunately they got our orders the wrong way around (I ordered medium, DH medium rare and mine came out quite bloody) but we just swapped. We both really enjoyed it. DH had a summer fruits crepe basket for pudding and it was lovely (I may have sampled it, having already polished off DD1 macaroni!).

What was the best part about your experience?
The food and the lovely atmosphere.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes, the staff were very nice and attentive. The girls were chuffed with their balloons to take away

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Yes but we hadn’t been for a while since the DDs were a bit smaller.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes definitely.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to The Trafford Centre on a Friday evening. It was fairly quiet.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Very good. It has a nice calm atmosphere and we all felt instantly relaxed and enjoyed our visit

How would you rate the food quality?
Very good. It was tasty and well cooked. We were very happy.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
I thought it had a good range of options. They both enjoyed the crudités as a starter. For mains they both chose goujons which they enjoyed. DD1 had the crepes and chocolate sauce for pudding and DS had the ice lolly which was lovely.

What about the food for adults?
DH had the fried cheese to start and I had snails. Both were fab. I had the minute steak and frites which was nice and dh had the burger which he really enjoyed.

What was the best part about your experience?
The food and the friendly staff.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes, the staff were very nice especially Ben who welcomed us and talked to my ds about minecraft.

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

And lastly, would you go again?
We would but not on a shopping trip but more for a nice evening meal with the children.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to the Salisbury Cafe Rouge at 6pm on a tuesday. The party was me, DD (10), DS (10) my sister and her kids (8 and 6) and my parents.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
The restaurant was lovely - spacious, nice decor and atmosphere (DD was especially impressed with the fancy gilt mirrors in the loos!)

How would you rate the food quality?
The food was excellent, good portion sizes, fresh and well presented and nice and hot.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
Two kids had pasta, DS had sausage and mash and my nephew had chicken (he wanted to swap the new potatoes with it for plain pasta but that wasn't possible though they did offer chips instead). The desserts were a high point with a fab range of ice-cream flavours and toppings.
The only slight issue was the mash had lots of coarsely chopped green parsley through it which DS was initially put off by (he has ASD) but he did eat it so it must have tasted ok!

What about the food for adults?
I had salmon croque monsieur which was delicious, dad had deep fried mussels which he really enjoyed and my sis had beef bourginon which was lovely too. Mum's fish and chips was a bit ordinary but fine.

What was the best part about your experience?
It was a lovely relaxed atmosphere, the colouring in for kids was fun and engaging and it felt like a lovely non-stuffy place to take children that have a tendency to be a bit loud excitable!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
The waitress was lovely - very friendly and helpful. They seemed slightly understaffed so there was a little wait for clearing/ordering but any request was quickly dealt with and we were made most welcome.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Yes but I haven't been for a few years (and never to this branch) and I felt the new kids menu was better than the previous version i'd seen and was excellent value for money with portions that were plenty big enough for a 10 y.o child and lovely fresh bread with the starter.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes - and I would recommend it to friends; a lovely, relaxed place for a fun family meal with freshly prepared good food.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Birmingham bull ring, Monday 12.30

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
I was really impressed with how accommodating they were with my toddler. The waitress was lovely and spoke to him too. We had balloons on a chair on our table and he was given a special colouring pen which kept him busy. It made they experience more relaxing than I'd anticipated.

How would you rate the food quality?
Overall I thought the food was very good

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
My son had chicken gougons, chips and beans which was well presented. He had a bread dough stick to start which I think filled him up as he didn't eat as much as I hoped although he is also going through a stage of not eating as much as usual. He had icecream with marshmallows for pudding.

What about the food for adults?
I had a cheese and mushroom croque and husband had a burger which we enjoyed. I really enjoyed the trio dessert and my husband enjoyed his creme brûlée. I would have liked more vegetarian options as I found my choices were quite limited.

What was the best part about your experience?
We all enjoyed the food and that it was a relaxing fun experience.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Very friendly, we were treated very very well

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I didn't know

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes

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

We visited Solihull on Saturday 22nd August with my husband, DS1 (3.5) and DS2 (10 mo).

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

It was a great place to go with the family - the restaurant was busy and although there didn't seem to be many other families in there, we didn't feel out of place. It had a lovely atmosphere. I'd say it's a little tricky to manoeuvre buggies around but the manager was really helpful and whisked it away for us immediately which was good. We were brought a highchair promptly and kids' menus / crayons were waiting for us on the table which went down well with DS1. The waitress also brought out the starter for DS1 whilst we were still deciding which was a great touch as it kept him occupied.

How would you rate the food quality?

We were all really impressed with the food. It was much better than I'd expect from a high street chain.

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

The kids menu is fantastic. The starter went down a storm with DS1 - he loved the mini baguette type bread and ate it all, along with the carrots. He wasn't a big fan of the tomato dip but I tried it and thought it was lovely! There's a good choice of mains for children and he chose the poulet goujons (menu edited by me so he didn't have the full choice!). He really enjoyed it (as did DS2) and I also tried it - it was delicious. I think the portions are pretty big but I suppose there is a big difference in appetite between a 3 year old and a 10 year old so it probably covers all bases well. DS1 also loved the ice lolly - I think he would have enjoyed other desserts too but was too full. I think it's great value for £6.95.

What about the food for adults?

I had the breaded camembert and superfood salad with goats cheese, and rosemary potatoes. DH had pate and moules, followed by the trio of desserts. We both really enjoyed our meals - they were really tasty. I liked the fact that the salad dressing was given separately in case you were being really healthy and didn't want to add anything. A couple of small niggles - I only realised partway through my salad that there wasn't any beetroot in it as per the menu. This isn't a big deal and I wasn't particularly bothered but I guess some people would have been. Also DH was disappointed that the chocolate fondant wasn't available as part of the trio of desserts so he doubled up on another one. I think the adult menu is pretty expensive.

What was the best part about your experience?

Kids' menu - it's great quality and a really good deal.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

The service was great - our waitress was very friendly and helpful, and although they knew we were there as part of the product test, they were giving the same service to everyone. The waitress paid attention to DS1, although he wasn't very chatty that day, and it was nice for him to be acknowledged as a customer as well. The manager was also very helpful.

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

I didn't know they did, but would have assumed so.

And lastly, would you go again?

Yes, probably, but only if it was in the week as there seem to be good lunch offers on. I wouldn't come for an evening meal as we don't get much opportunity to go out together with such young children and we would typically go to somewhere a bit more special. I was surprised at how expensive it was for adults.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Cheltenham on Friday 21st August at 12pm. It was me and DH and our 2 DS aged 3 and 6.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
I had never been to Cafe Rouge with my family before and we were really impressed. The manager was expecting us and took us upstairs where there was lots of space and it was quiet. The decor was lovely and we sat by the window. I don't like cramped busy restaurants and really appreciated the space between the tables.

How would you rate the food quality?
Excellent. Everything was delicious and beautifully presented.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
We all enjoyed colouring them in. My mum had sent us with her 'restaurant pack' of crayons and pencils so we had a lot of equipment, even though CR gave out nice crayon stick things. DS(3) wanted to order mash and chips, but had sausage and mash. Huge portion. At first he was wary of the gravy. Perhaps it would be an idea to have it in a dish on the side in case children don't like gravy, but once he tried the mash he loved it and ate nearly all of his portion. DS (6) had the burger and frites. He liked how it looked when it arrived, but said it tasted a bit funny, then ate the whole lot! They both ate nearly all of the starter and enjoyed that. I was amazed at how much they ate over all. We were impressed that they had elderflower cordial on the children's menu as my three year old had recently discovered it and loved it, calling it cauliflower juice. We had just got back from France where my other son had discovered Orangina, so he ordered that, even though it wasn't on the children's menu. The nice waitress went to find the bottle so he could take it home. They were very excited about the option of jelly beans on the ice cream. The ice cream tasted lovely.

What about the food for adults?
DH had the steak and really enjoyed it and I had the salad with salmon. It was fresh and delicious with lots of unusual ingredients and oil/vinegar/mustard for dressing.

What was the best part about your experience?
The combination of the environment/great food/colouring seemed to make our children behave really well, so the whole experience was really enjoyable. There were some children at a nearby table who were younger and did a bit of moving around the restaurant but it didn't seem to matter so we felt very comfortable.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Very. The manager welcomed us and our waitress was lovely and friendly and talked to our boys in a really nice way.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I did not.

And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely. We all enjoyed the experience very much.

We visited the Salisbury restaurant on Monday 24th August for lunch at 12.30pm.

We really liked it as a family restaurant. It felt grown up enough but welcoming for the kids. The kids loved the "bistro" decor and my ds was fascinated by the checked floor and all the tiles in the bathroom! The loos were very clean too. The staff were all wonderful with the baby as well, we got lots of fuss!

The food quality was great, we all really enjoyed it.

The children's menu went down a storm. All 3 loved the starter, especially the tomato dipping sauce, and hoovered it all up. Dd1 and dd2 went for the mini croque with chips and loved it. Ds chosen mac cheese, which was the biggest children's portion of pasta I have ever seen! He managed most of it, and it was delicious, both dh and I had a taste. For pudding, dd2 had the crepe, which looked fab with ice cream, chocolate sauce and grated chocolate, quite a sophisticated children's pudding, which made her feel very grown up. Dd1 had vanilla ice cream with jelly beans and ds went for chocolate ice cream with popping candy. Both went down very well. They liked the fact the toppings were served separately so they could chose how much to add, dd1 ate most of her jelly beans after the ice cream. I was impressed by all of it, and really liked the fact that the children's food was just smaller portions of the adult menu. They loved all the additional bits and bobs too, the menu, balloons, stacking crayon etc.

I has the salmon croque, which was gorgeous! So creamy and delicious. It came with chips and garlic mayo, both of which were lovely. Dh had a steak baguette, which he loved. He was asked how he wanted the steak cooked, it looked great and he really enjoyed it.

We had a great meal and really enjoyed all of it. I think the best element was the staff, the were great, really chatty and friendly but not over the top. They were so helpful with the baby made it all a really pleasant experience.

The staff were very friendly, but in a bit of a flap when we got there and our table wasn't ready. They were very apologetic though and got thing sorted Asaph. It was a busy day in the restaurant, as lots of people were taking shelter from the awful weather and there was a party of 45 booked in. The service as great though, very efficient and friendly.

I had no idea they did a children's menu so had not taken the children in before. With 4 children under 8 I have to be sure places are child friendly before venturing in!

We will definitely be going again! It has been added to the list of child friendly places that feel adult enough for dh and I to enjoy. Loved it, than you Mumsnet!

Thank you MUMSNET for choosing us!

Which cafe?- We went on Tuesday 26th to the Oxford branch at 6pm.

Generally - the decor was nicely done and everything looked clean ( including the toilets). It was very quiet though so it made us a bit self-conscious being with 2 chatty children. We were the only family there. Others were either on their own or a couple.

Food Quality - Good. Nice sized portions and very tasty.

Kids Menu - my 8 year old chose the dip for starter, macaroni cheese for main and chocolate ice- cream and jelly beans for pudding. He ate the lot which is a good testament as he normally has a small appetite! It would have been nice to see a child's portion of mussels included on the menu.

Adults Food - all the food was very tasty and had a home made feel to it (not reheated). I had beef for main with veg. The veg was cooked to perfection. My husband and my elder son had the set menu which was good value for money. They had pate and French onion soup for starter, minute steak and mussels and chips for main, and lemon tart and creme brûlée for pudding. All plates were cleaned and the mussels were particularly lovely.

Best part of the experience - it was really nice to go to a more adult restaurant that caters for children.

Service - our waitress was lovely and attentive. The only issue was when it came to pay the card machine refused to work so we had to pay the extra in lots of change

Did you know Cafe Rouge had a children's menu prior? No it was not a restaurant we had previously considered child friendly. Now we know!

Would we go again? - Yes we would. We had a really nice time and the food was great.

Thank you Cafe Rouge and MUMSNET