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

I meant Tuesday 25th - sorry!

We went to Portsmouth (Gunwharf quays) today at 4.30pm. 2 adults and ds(4) and dd(20 months)

Generally - the restaurant was lovely and clean and had a lovely feel to it with lots of decorations that reminded me of France. It's large and airy in a good location. However, there was no staff member greeting people on arrival. So we just stood around not sure what to do for a while, which was rather unexpected for a restaurant. The waiting staff we polite and willing.

Children's food- sadly I was very disappointed with this. My children have egg and dairy allergies and I even mentioned this in my email. We eat out a fair bit and normally these days find there is plenty of choice for them and a detailed allergy menu. The allergy menu provided was very unclear and not enough for me to work out whether some components of a dish would be safe. They couldn't have bread so just veg as a starter, which made it had for us as adults to feel we could sit and enjoy a starter. The cucumber and carrots looked like they had been cut a long time before. They only had one choice of main that was safe - plain chicken and boiled potatoes. The staff couldn't tell me whether any parts of the other dishes eg sausages etc were safe. The pudding they were a bit more helpful and said we could do sorbet from the adult menu and pick a safe topping from the kids list

Adult food- we (guiltily) shared olives and some delicious tempura moules. Would have loved to have tried more but not fair when kids only had some stale veg to gnaw on. Mains were amazing (and I have been lucky enough to eat in some very fancy restaurants). We had chicken and a mustard mash with a beautiful sauce. And a little lovely beer battered fish with chips

Best part of the experience - the adult food was delicious and I enjoyed looking round at all the decorations etc

Service - ok but not particularly impressive either

Did I know cafe rouge had a kids menu - no but I guess I would have assumed they did

Would I go again? Yes but I wouldn't take the kids! There were so many delicious meals I would love to go back and try. But sadly cafe rouge need to do lot of work to better cater for the rising number of children with food allergies, both in terms of the choice of food that is available and the way their allergy menu is created. Much cheaper restaurants are way ahead of them at this. The growing number of children with allergies means restaurants need to wake up and realise the opportunity! It is amazing as a parent when you can go to a restaurant and have a relaxing fun time even with allergic children.

(I would be happy for cafe rouge contact me about how they could easily improve things. Or they could contact allergy UK perhaps?)

I just tried to add a local review and got a big red ACCESS DENIED stamp. Sorry MNHQ, I tried!

Which Café Rouge location did you visit & at what time of day / day of the week?
We went to Kingsway, Holborn (Central London) on Tuesday 25th Aug at 6pm. There were 3 of us – DH, DS (3) & me

Generally, how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
The restaurant was dark; we were seated next to a window & it was still daylight so this wasn’t an issue for us, but I did wonder if I would need a torch later in the evening at the back. The whole place (including the toilets) was very clean & well maintained. The children’s menu with the colouring worked well & our waitress was absolutely lovely.

How would you rate the food quality?
Very good, but serving olives with the stones in is frustrating & fiddly

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
There was only 1 starter which I was surprised about – the choice of main course & dessert is very good & there is also a good choice of drinks
My DS had – the crudités were fresh & crisp & the dipping sauce tasted like fresh blended tomatoes – a winner. The chicken goujons were tasty & the chips are always popular with DS. For dessert he chose a lolly – it’s nice to have a lolly choice as DS doesn’t like cake, chocolate or ice cream (I know!!)

What about the food for adults?
I had the burger which was tasty but difficult to eat as it was so big & tall. DH had the steak whoch was very tasty but slightly overcooked. We were surprised that the menu had “liqueur latte” but not a liqueur coffee as we might expect to see.

What was the best part about your experience?
Our waitress was lovely, chatted with DS & he was smitten with her

How about the service, was it friendly & welcoming?
The waitress at our table was outstanding & a credit to the restaurant but the waiter who seated us was surly & did not smile once

Did you know that Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No, I would not have thought of it as a family restaurant
And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, certainly

First to say thanks for the chance to go and have a lovely meal out - we thoroughly enjoyed it!

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

• We visited Weybridge on Sun 23rd August at 12pm

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

• It was good, I was pleasantly surprised, if I'm honest I hadn't really thought of it as a place to take the kids before but they were very welcoming. My only criticism would be that as it got busier the service slowed, we ended up being in there 2 and a 1/4 hours which if the children had not been in the right frame of mind could have been far too long!

How would you rate the food quality?

• very good generally. Only criticisms would be that on the kids started they had obviously run out of cucumber and carrot as we just got a bowl of tomatoes and the bread! I suspect my 2 would have ignored the veggies anyway so we didn't moan but was a bit odd! When my husband's side salad arrived we realised why no cucumber as he had a couple of very manky pieces in there which must have been all they had left!

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

• Kids menu was excellent I felt, lots of things to choose from (even if my 2 were boringly predictable in what they chose!). DD1 (5) had pasta with tomato sauce and then chocolate crepe - this was a huge hit as she doesn't like cake or icecream so very rarely likes anything on the dessert menus! DD2 (3.5) had macaroni cheese and then chocolate icecream. They both really enjoyed it - the plates of pasta were large for them but a measure of how much they enjoyed it was how little was left surprisingly!DD1 also really liked the tomato dip with the bread. She told me to say that it was really really yummy!

What about the food for adults?

• DH had the salmon which he really enjoyed and I had the mussels which were lovely. His side salad was good apart from the cucumber. I found my tomato and onion salad a bit disappointing as I prefer it with red onion but it was still nice - perhaps a little too much dressing.

What was the best part about your experience?

• Difficult to pinpoint, was just a really lovely meal. One thing that sounds small but made a big difference was the crayons!! They were the stacking type and it meant they all worked - so often you get a random bucket of non functioning pencils and broken crayons which makes colouring a little harder - the girls had a great time colouring their menus with these!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

• Service was really friendly and the staff interacted brilliantly with the kids too - we all felt very welcome.

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

• I didn't know prior to seeing the thread on Mumsnet.

And lastly, would you go again?

• Definitely - it is probably a bit more expensive as a meal out vs Pizza Express/Prezzo which are our normal places for family meals out but we enjoyed it a lot and nice to have a change.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Canterbury on Wednesday at 6pm

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Absolutely awful, the worst experience I have ever had as a customer.

How would you rate the food quality?
Disgusting, 0 out of 10

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
It was the worst food my children have ever had. Based on the menu we had no idea what the starter was, there was no explanation for a fougasse finger. It turned out to be a cheap tasting bit of white bread, served with some dried up crudités and a spider infestation. I refused to let my children eat it, and when I complained no one did anything about it.
DS1 had the croque for a main. Again, there was no explanation on the menu what it was, or what it was served with. It turned out to be a tiny slice of white bread with ridiculously slimy and pungent "cheese" sauce congealing on the top, and some ridiculously salty chips. Nothing healthy on the plate. DS1 gagged as soon as he tasted it. For dessert he had the chocolate crepe. Well, it said chocolate on the menu, but there was only a smear of chocolate sauce. There was also some ice cream, which was not listed as part of the dish on the menu. All in all, DS1 only had about 3 chips for dinner.
DS2 had the fish cake, which was mainly potato and barely any fish. This was served with the same ridiculously salty chips, and yet again it was an entirely beige plateful, no vegetables at all. For dessert he had vanilla ice cream with popping candy, although he had problems eating it as the candy was covered in chocolate, which was not written on the menu.
We asked for some mayonnaise, and we were given a small dish of it. There was a disgusting thick skin on the top; it had obviously been left out for ages.

What about the food for adults?
I had the french onion soup and DP had the camembert. Pretty average. For the main, DP had burger and chips, which was dry and over seasoned. I had a goats cheese and beetroot tart, with extra mashed potatoes. This was the worst food that I have ever eaten. The mash was all dry on the top and very cold, and the tart was so salty that I actually threw up in the toilet after eating it. I could have bought a very similar tart from Aldi for less than one drink in café rouge, and I would have had a much nicer experience. Frankly, I was appalled by having to pay an extra charge for a side with my tart.
For dessert I had the creme brulee, which was completely unremarkable. My partner had a chilli and lime chocolate thing, which he couldn't eat as there was a massive wedge of lime dripping all over it, so the whole pudding just tasted sour and unpleasant.

What was the best part about your experience?
Leaving.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
It was absolutely awful. First we were seated inside, but it was so hot that I couldn't think straight. We asked to be moved, and the waitress just looked blankly at us. When we sat down outside, DS2 was laughing, and the waitress went over to the table next to us and said "would you like to be moved away from the noisy baby". The couple there were already finished, and looked confused; they hadn't even noticed DS2. This made us feel incredibly uncomfortable and unwanted.

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

And lastly, would you go again?
No, it was the worst dining experience of my life and I am glad that we didn't have to pay.

I have just rolled home from my meal at Cafe Rouge in Stratford Upon Avon. Absolutely de-flipping-licious! Thanks so much to MNHQ and Cafe Rouge - we had a great time! My dc are 11 and 10.

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

I had stayed away from Cafe Rouge until my children were over 8 as I had always worried that it was too 'grown up' for children. When we first started to visit I was pleasantly surprised and continue to be at just how welcoming the restaurant is.

Our restaurant has recently had a refit and is now much less 90s (!) - clean and tidy always - with a lovely outside area. It had been raining heavily today though so we sat inside towards the back.

I must mention our waiter, Luke, who was excellent. He anticipated our needs beautifully, was very approachable and helpful. I almost suspected a fix, but he seemed just as good with the other tables around us.

How would you rate the food quality?

Delicious. Portion sizes were just the right size. DH and I shared a starter (a spare plate was brought to facilitate this) of garlic mushrooms which were lovely. I had the beef bourgignon which came with vegetables and mash, DH had steak which came with chips but no veg.

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

I should preface this by pointing out that one of my dc is very picky and the other isn't at all. The starter was perfect - a little finger of bread, butter that was soft enough to spread and vegetables that were just the right amount. DS enjoyed the tomatoey sauce, he said it was really tasty.

DD had the chicken goujons, two reasonable sized pieces. She tells me the chicken was tender and the crumb was crunchy which is pretty much all you can ask for really! She is particular about her chips but really enjoyed the ones that came with her meal. It also came with peas and sweet corn.

DS (who is a Type 1 diabetic) had the bangers and mash. He really enjoyed the food - particularly the mash which was flavoured.

Both dc had the ice cream with marshmallows. A tick came when the marshmallows came on the side - for a picky child who probably wouldn't have eaten them had they been covered in ice cream, and for the other for whom I need to keep a count of his carbohydrate intake.

They liked the choice of drinks - with reasonable prices for refills - although the milk was felt to be rather on the warm side.

What was the best part about your experience?

The atmosphere and the food.

How about the service, was it friendly & welcoming?
The service was exemplary. The restaurant was very busy with pre-theatre diners but at no time did we feel abandoned or missed out. Another opportunity to sing Luke's praises - he was key to our enjoyment of a very pleasant meal.

Did you know that Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I did, and think their new menu is a great improvement. The portions are definitely on the generous side and think perhaps if your children are younger they would struggle to finish. Maybe a teens menu and a child's menu?

And lastly, would you go again?
We shall, we really like it. However, could I put a little plea out for some nutritional information online? It would make my guesstimations for carbohydrate (and therefore insulin) far more accurate!

Thank you again MNHQ and Cafe Rouge for a lovely evening.

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

We went to the Sheffield branch on a Saturday at 5pm

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

It's not somewhere I would have thought to take the kids but when we were in there it was fab. Nice relaxed atmosphere, good highchair for the baby, table was at a good height for eldest.

How would you rate the food quality?

The food we had was good quality, a few little issues but on the whole, good.

How would you rate the new kids menu?

I would say it was a good menu. Lots of choice and a good balance of food. I wasn't too keen on it being in French as even a reading child would struggle but the choices were good. It also turned into an excellent colouring and activity page which the eldest loved.

What did your child choose?

She had the starter of bread and vegetables fingers with tomato dip which both her and the baby loved. There was plenty to share!
Then she had the cheese toastie ehicj she was a bit reluctant to try as it looked a little sloppy but when she tried it she loved it. It was cheesy but not overpowering. It came with skinny fries which were shared with the baby and enjoyed. I was a little disappointed in the lack of side salad. I know there was veg in the starter but I felt this dish was quite bland and is always have something even just tomato and carrot. She had an ice lolly for pudding which we were a bit disappointed turned out to be a basic shop bought lolly.

What about the food for adults?

Three of us had steaks which were tasty but all slightly over cooked. Mine was also mostly gristle. Another person had the salad which they enjoyed. The meals were tasty and the portion sizes just right.

What was the best part about your experience?

The kids meal came with a good package to keep the kids entertained and their food was served quickly. My eldest was really happy with the food and seemed to be happy for the whole trip which was good.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

The staff were very friendly and helpful however no one knew anything about the Mumsnet visit apparently and I had to get out my phone and find all the emails, explain to staff and then the manager what was happening. To be honest it put a sour note on the visit as it all got quite embarrassing at the end.

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

No and it wouldn't have crossed my mind to try there as I always assumed it was more for adults.

And lastly, would you go again?

We would try it again.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Haywards Heath branch at 6.30pm on a Wednesday

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
We enjoyed eating there – it was my husband and myself, our 6 year old son and my parents. We all had a lovely time

How would you rate the food quality?
The food was good quality and well cooked.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
There seemed to be a good choice of main courses and puddings, although I would have liked to have seen a choice of starter as well. Having said that, my son did enjoy the bread that came with the starter very much (although no butter arrived contrary to what the menu said). He then chose the chicken goujons with vanilla ice cream and marshamallows for pudding. He enjoyed it all, but the portions were very large

What about the food for adults?
My parents and I enjoyed ours – I had the smoked haddock fishcakes, my mum had the minute steak and my dad had the beefburger. My husband didn’t enjoy his so much – he had the poulet Breton which he said was quite dry. He though the mash was “powdery” and the veg was quite watery. He didn’t have a pudding, but we had the chocolate and banana cake, crème brulee and chocolate fondant, which were all delicious.

What was the best part about your experience?
My son enjoyed being in a ”grown up” restaurant ane very much enjoyed the crayons and activity sheet.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
The service was great – although sometimes bit hit and miss! For example my husband was running late, and although they were more than happy to wait for the adults to order, they wanted to bring the kids starter straight away. At the time, we hadn’t realised there was no choice and hadn’t even opened the menu, which we thought was a bit rushed, although I can understand why they offered this. However later on when my husband did arrive, we struggled a little to get anyone’s attention to order at all.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I didn’t, but I would have assumed that they did

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, we will most likely make use of the breakfast voucher they gave us

Thank you to MN for selecting us

We went to Bat on 22 Aug at 1 pm.
The restaurant was busy but friendly. We got a nice table and the setting was pleasant. Tables were well set out and location was convenient for shops in a Bath. Ambience was good for kids as not too formal but still good for adults.
Food quality was good for all. Nice sized helpings and tasty food.
Kids menu offered lots of choice. Really was something to please all. Nice to have more than 3 choices which is usual. Also a good choice of drinks and puddings. My youngest daughter had pasta and chocolTe pancake. My older daughter had burger then profiteroles. All tasty and generously sized portions.

My husband and I both enjoyed our meals and are quite fussy usuLly. Beef bougignon for me and steak for him. Very good.

Service was quick and friendly despite how busy the restaurant was. We did not know there was such a good kids menu and would visit again in the future. It offers a real alternative to other chains like pizza express.

DP, DD(7), DS (5) and I went to the Birmingham Bullring branch on the 24th August at 12.30pm. We were given a warm welcome and quickly shown to an upstairs table. There was a couple of other family/friend groups with children and I found the atmosphere relaxed.

Thee quality of the food we ordered was very good, all of us enjoyed our meals. The DC were offered a choice between the bread roll or the veg sticks, which differs from previous reviews so perhaps they have listened to the feedback regarding portion size. DD the veg stick and liked the
Tomato dip, whilst DS chose the bread which he are about half of just with butter as he wasn't keen on the dip. For main Dd had the chicken with frites. Both DP and I tried the chicken as it was too much for her and agreed the quality was very good. The veg was also nice and fresh. DS had the sauages and it was no issue to swap rhe mash for frites. He at almost all his meal. The children's frites were unseasoned, which I liked although DD was a little put out when she noticed. Perhaps better to offer the choice when ordering?

I liked that the childrens menu was part of the colouring/wordsearch sheet which the DC both liked and this kept them busy for a good length of time.

For desert Dd had the chocolate crepe (waitress happily swapped to strawberry ice cream) and DS had the chocolate ice cream with jelly beans. Both were very happy and ate the lot.

Drinks were offered and brought quickly. However the cups were tiny and they did need refills.

The adult food was also very good and portions were generous. DP had the steak bagette with frites and I had the salmon croque. For desert i had the banana & chocolate torte which was delicious and DP had the chocolate fondant which he said was amazing but too small

I really enjoyed the children's reaction to eating somewhere slightly more grown up. They both have already asked if we can go again so I would definitely recommend. The service was excellent (not sure how much the was the mumsnet effect, but our waitress was equally attentive and friendly to the tables around us). I wasn't aware of the children's menu before.

Thanks for choosing us.

Café Rouge

We were really pleased to be chosen and six of us went to try the new menu: two adults and children aged 8, 6, 4 and 2.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/day of week?
We went to Birmingham Brindley Place at lunchtime on Friday 14th August.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
There was plenty of space between the tables and the Children liked the French look of the interior. We like the round tables as a big-ish family. The service was good (we did have quite an early lunch but it was busier by the end of our meal).

How would you rate the food quality?
We were very impressed by it. The bread and butter was especially delicious, the meat cooked perfectly and the salad dressed.

How would you rate the new kids menu?
What they did was done really nicely. There was only really one more obviously French dish on it (I think I was expecting some French dishes made accessible for children) but it was all done well. The portions were a decent size, so my 8 and 6 year old felt full. They would have liked a choice of starter, as there were things on the platter they would not have chosen. I thought the desserts were especially good, with the ice cream and the sweets on the side. The lollies were good quality fruit juice ones, as well.

What did your child choose?
One had the poulet goujons, one the burger and two the sausages and mash. Two had the ice cream with sweets and two an ice lolly.

What about the food for adults?
We both ate from the Menu Rapide: I had the pâté, and my Husband the avocado and bacon salad, followed by the poulet escalope and fries for both of us. The portions were a good lunch size and arrived quickly. The bread was delicious and the chicken and the fries cooked perfectly. My Husband had the pot au chocolat, which he said was nice but rather sweet.

What was the best part about your experience?
The Children were really pleased to be trying a new restaurant. The food came out promptly, and they brought out the Children's mains as soon as it was ready, as we asked.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes. It was prompt and unobtrusive, as it should be. The waitress was friendly. As we entered, something the person who seated us said made us think she knew we were there to review it, but it was a different waitress who dealt with our table. The Children were Dwight ed with the balloons but I would eat her have had a choice and they arrived before they had all finished eating and caused havoc ...!

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Yes, but it has been some time since I saw what was on it.

And lastly, would you go again?
The Children were asking to go again before we had even left this time! There is a closer, but smaller, branch we might try. The portions are generous: we might order one between the two youngest ones next time, though it was nice the older ones (6 and 8) were satisfied by the meal the had. The elder one spent quite some time looking at the main menu and wants to try something from that next time. We enjoyed the adult menu and will certainly add it to places we would go to. They were welcoming to the Children and served tasty food.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week? Liverpool One, Saturday lunchtime 12pm with 2 adults and 2 children - a 3 year old and a 6 month old
Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family? The restaurant was already pretty busy when we arrived but I didn't realise they opened at 9am to serve breakfast. We were very warmly welcomed as soon as we entered and both children were made a fuss of. The 3 year old was brought crayons and an activity menu immediately and a balloon brought not long after we ordered, which kept the baby amused. The only negative was the tables were quite closely packed to manoeuvre the buggy through
How would you rate the food quality? It seemed really good
How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose? There was plenty of choice on the children's menu and I think it would suit most children from babies to older children. The starter of bread roll, carrot and cucumber sticks and salad with tomato dip is actually quite a big portion and the waiter arranged for it to be brought to the table before we had ordered which I thought was a nice gesture. Unfortunately the 3 year old ate most of it and was then pretty full so a smaller portion would have been better for him, especially the bread roll. He chose the poulet goujons which consisted of 3 large breadcrumbed pieces of chicken with fries, peas and sweetcorn, but he wasn't able to eat much of this so I asked if we could take it home but they didn't have anything to wrap it in except paper napkins. Funnily enough he then found space for the dessert which was included in the price and chose the profiteroles, which he said were nice. I pinched one (and some of the chicken goujons) and have to agree with him. Overall, the children's menu is pretty good value especially considering the portion sizes.
What about the food for adults? We shared the garlic fougasse bread for starter then had the ribeye steak with pepper sauce and chips and the slow cooked duck leg. The meat was really tasty and cooked beautifully but I found the potato and green beans a little uninspiring and a bit dry.
What was the best part about your experience? without a doubt the staff and service especially the way all the staff chatted to the children and made us feel welcome. I thought maybe they knew we were there to review the menu but when the bill came it was clear they didn't and we received their standard service.
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? Very, including giving us another balloon when the 1st one floated off into the sky
Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this? Not specifically but I would have guessed they did as I've seen their restaurant at Centre Parcs but never been.
And lastly, would you go again? Yes, but I felt the adults menu was quite expensive and may choose the lunch menu or fixed price menu next time.

We went to the Greenwich branch at 2.30 on Thursday 27th August.

The decor was lovely on the inside. It added a lovely touch. I think it's a suitable place to go with the family. I saw some mums there with their babies, so possibly all on maternity leave who were there for a long time and they seemed to be having a good time as well.
We had enough space and it was a bit busy as we arrived but gradually got quieter. We felt quite relaxed in the environment and welcomed once we entered and at our table by a different waiter to the one serving us.

The food was tasty. The starters were well enjoyed by the children ds2 and dd 6. Especially the tomato sauce to dip the vegetables into but the bread was quite hard to cut into to apply butter into. My 2 old found it hard to bite into as well so he mainly licked the butter off!

The kids menu was great as it was quite varied. We picked non meat options of the salmon fish cake with frites and vegetables which was enjoyed but my son wasn't able to finish. I tried some as a result and it was tasty. I ordered the pasta with a tomato sauce but received mac and cheese. I don't know if this misunderstanding was due to my ordering or their mistake. I mentioned the error to the waitress who then offered us the option of keeping the dish. We declined as I didn't think any of us would want to eat it. I asked for the pasta in the tomato sauce and received mac and cheese again which was brought to us by someone else ( so didn't realise the error) and we only received the correct dish on the third attempt. This did mean my daughter who had been having bits of the other meals having to eat her own meal a bit later.
They enjoyed the drinks and the dessert especially the ice cream with popping candy. Good choice of drinks and I like the fact they had milk as an option.
One point to mention would be that smaller cutlery for younger children would be useful as it would make it easier for them to eat. My son struggled a bit initially so we gave him a fork by itself.

I had the smoked haddock fish cakes which I enjoyed. They were a good size and well made. My mum had the salmon with vegetables which was also tasty. We tried the trio of desserts. I really enjoyed the tarte tartin.

Th best part was that children were catered for. They were kept busy before the food arrived with their colouring sheets which makes the experience more enjoyable for the adults as well. Also the fact they had starters to eat more or less soon after we had ordered which also prevents melt downs if they had been quite hungry.

The service was welcoming and friendly. The waitress was helpful but gave us time to think and eat before appearing again. We only missed her when we had the wrong dish delivered the first time. Other staff were also helpful when we needed new forks due to current ones having fallen on the floor.

I didn't know Cafe rouge had a kids menu before this but would have assumed they may have offered something aimed at children.

It was a bit pricey, but I think the children's menu was quite varied which isn't always an option, so I probably would go again but I would be limited in what I could eat ie fish or vegetarian options.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Cafe Rouge Wokingham, at 5pm on a Wednesday.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
BRILLIANT. DS1 loves to speak French there, and I love the huge booths that we can all sit in as a family. We have had "special" family dinners here before, with kids, grandparents, uncles, etc all together. There is something for everyone, kids and grown-ups.

How would you rate the food quality?
Good. A different branch of Cafe Rouge used to feel like it just heated up pre-made food (with things like the classic specials, onion soup, boeuf bourgignon, etc... But at this branch, it all seemed cooked to order.)

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
The (one) starter, the macaroni cheese, lemonade, and then we upgraded to a puffing off the adult menu.

What about the food for adults?
I had the smoked-trout salad which was surprisingly bland! My oldest son had mussels.

What was the best part about your experience?
How much the kids liked it.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
VERY! Everyone was lovely.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No, we were very happy.

And lastly, would you go again?
We already have!

Which Café Rouge location n did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Loughton, Sunday afternoon- about 5ish.
Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Staff were very welcoming, a very friendly environment, children liked the menu design and the multicolour crayon/pencil thing.

How would you rate the food quality?
Very good, both the childrens and adult meals were really tasty and the deserts were delicious.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
I thought it was excellent. Both my daughters are a bit fussy, but there were a few things they liked the sound of. The starter was good. They both had chicken goujons followed by ice cream. The only problem was that DD2 ordered popping candy on her ice cream and they didn't have it, so only a minor issue.

What about the food for adults?
Really good. Plenty of choice- I'm vegetarain, so sometimes don't have a lot to choose from, but I had the superfood salad and it was great.

What was the best part about your experience?
How family-friendly it was- the staff were really welcoming and very tolerant- my daughter's were both given balloons which they managed to lose/pop, and the balloons were replaced without us having to ask. DD1 also managed to break a glass (sorry ) and again the staff were very helpful and understanding. (We sound like a nightmare family, but we weren't that bad, honest!)

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes- see above.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
No.
And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely. My DDs usually like Pizza Express- being quite fussy, they like to go to familiar places sonthey know what to expect. But we all agreed that we'll return to Cafe Rouge.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We visited the Blackheath branch on Sunday at 6pm.

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was excellent. The staff were really friendly and it was an enjoyable experience.

How would you rate the food quality?
The food was surpringly good. We haven't visited a Cafe Rouge in a good while and I don't recall having been particularly impressed with the food in the past but we really enjoyed it.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
The kids menu was good there was a really good focus on veg and the portion was big. However, it would have been even better if there had been an option of kid sized mussels on offer. DS chose the fish cake which was excellent, I know as he swapped a fair chunk of it for a large number of my mussels... He also tried the snails which he liked. He had the profiteroles for dessert which beat him!

What about the food for adults?
Adult food was very good and the lemon tart was excellent.

What was the best part about your experience?
The whole experience was very good. DS is four and the staff treated him like a proper customer which he loved.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Service was excellent, attentive, friendly and is the main reason we'll go back.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
I didn't. I hadn't really considered eating there with DS.

And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely.

Many thanks to Mumsnet & Cafe Rouge for this delicious treat!

We visited the London James Street restaurant last Tueday @ noon - I went with my 4 and 11 year old. I hadn't really considered Cafe Rouge as somewhere to grab lunch with the children before as rightly or wrongly didn't really associate it as somewhere child friendly and whilst there were no other families there with children the staff were friendly and accommodating and we certainly didn't feel out of place.

The children had Petit Croque for their mains and the portions were very generous. I had beef bourgnignon for my main and tarte Tatin for my desert, all of the food was delicious and could not have been better. My only feedback would be to include some other starter options on the kids menu to give more choice but my two were very happy with what was on offer for the mains & desserts (both had ice cream with marshmallows/ jellybeans).

The whole experience was very enjoyable for us, the restaurant was busy but still welcoming and cosy, the good delicious, and waitress helpful and included the children. Before the visit, I difnt know Cafe Rouge did a kids menu but now I do will definitely consider it as an option and think it is great value for money.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Café Rouge in Gun Wharf Portsmouth at 6pm on a Saturday

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
I was pleasantly surprised how welcoming and well set up for families they were as we have only been in for breakfast at the airport previously.

How would you rate the food quality? The food was all of an excellent quality and a good choice on the menu. we liked that you could have a set meal too.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
A good choice on the kids menu of not just the everyday food burger and chips, my son chose the toasted sandwich, dad chose mussels and I had chicken. Everything was fresh hot and well presented. I liked that they had proper drinks for my son to choose from and not just fizzy (which he cant have)

What about the food for adults? see above
What was the best part about your experience? We loved the nice friendly atmosphere, and the waiting staff were very helpful. my son loved the bench seating and we could sit out of the way of other diners.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? the service was excellent, and there were enough staff to help if you needed anything.

Did you know Café Rouge did a kids menu prior to this? no we had not eaten a meal here, and I was impressed with the kids menu

And lastly, would you go again? I would defiantly take my family again as as it would make a nice treat and we all enjoyed our food.

Which Café Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Portsmouth, Gunwharf Quays.
Tuesday 11th August, 17:30

Generally - how did you find Café Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
The restaurant was very quiet so I was a little concerned daughter might be a bit noisy and upset the few customers that were there. However, the staff were very welcoming and accommodating. Friendly start to our dining experience.

How would you rate the food quality?
Good. I was disappointed with my mussels - there were a lot of them but they were way overcooked and mushy.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
My 7 month old had the crudities to start followed by the fish cake and then the fruit salad.
Menu was pretty good. No choice for starter however.

What about the food for adults?
Menu for adults is very extensive. Good selection and variety. OH and I shared a duck starter which was excellent and each had snails. Very delicious. I had mussels which was a generous portion but not the best. OH had the beef bourguignon which was excellent - very tasty.

What was the best part about your experience?
The waitress who served us was so lovely and helpful. She gave our daughter loads of attention and was understanding re. the fact i wanted our Daughter’s starter and main to come asap. she gave our daughter a balloon which our daughter loved.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
It was amazing.

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

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes. However, i think the kids menu is a bit overpriced. The portion sizes are not big and so an older child may need more food. There are other restaurants that offer free food for children with paying adult/cheaper children meals which may make those restaurants more attractive. If Cafe rouge had a cheaper menu for kids it may attract more customers with children (if this is their goal). However, the 3 courses is a nice touch but makes the dining experience a bit more formal than just going out for a bite to eat.

Which Caf?? Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
We went to Caf?? Rouge in Liverpool at 4.30 on a Sunday

Generally - how did you find Caf?? Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
It was very friendly and the kids were soon settled with excellent quality activity sheets and crayons which incorporated the menu.

How would you rate the food quality? The food was good, fresh and good portion sizes.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
The kids menu was okay, but nothing out of the ordinary. It didn't veer too far away from what you expect to see on children't menus. This is good for fussy eaters, but didn't really impress my eldest DD who wanted my mussels! They both chose the chicken goujons (had to call them nuggets when ordering my DD2's meal!) and the elderflower presse for DD1 and apple juice for DD2.

What about the food for adults?
I chose mussels and a salad. The mussels were delicious - coated in crunchy breadcrumbs. The salad (butternut squash, beetroot and goat's cheese) was bland and I had to ask for a dressing. Good variety on the menu otherwise.

What was the best part about your experience? The activity sheets, mussels, it felt like a treat.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? Staff were excellent although service was very slow (desserts took more than 25 minutes to arrive)

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

And lastly, would you go again?
Definitely

Which Caf?? Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Birmingham Mailbox, 12pm on a Tuesday

Generally - how did you find Caf?? Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Pretty good - they used to do some nice dairy free options when DD was lactose intolerant and were always knowledgeable about the ingredients. The colouring / activity sheets have always been nice.

How would you rate the food quality?
OK. The steaks in the steak baguettes can often be on the tough side but otherwise it's pretty good.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
DD felt the starter dip was too sweet and so didn't eat it. She had the petit croque for main and said it was boring. The bread was barely toasted (crispy, but no colour) and the cheese sparse and on the outside so not melted really. She stole various bits out of my salad, most of OH's chips and had half of my new potatoes which she said were lovely. The chocolate crepes were really hard - she couldn't cut it up at all and even I struggled to do it for her - but she said they tasted yummy.

What about the food for adults?
OH liked his steak and I had the superfood salad which was lovely. I also some boiled potatoes which were nice although very buttery.

What was the best part about your experience?
The table was all ready for us with a balloon, which DD loved. Also, the toilets were spotless and nice hand soaps / cream :)

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes - always is good and this was no different.

Did you know Caf?? Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
Yes - we've been many times. I didn't think this version of the kids menu was much different to previous?

And lastly, would you go again?
Maybe - it's always been a pretty safe bet when we're shopping, but actually this experience has put me off rather based on DD's food.

Which Caf?? Rouge location did you visit and at what time of day/ day of week?
Grenwich, evening of Saturday 8th August with DD - 7

Generally - how did you find Caf?? Rouge as a place to visit with the family?
Friendly and welcoming to children - we have been before and DD enjoys the location.

How would you rate the food quality? Food quality was average, I had the moules which did not taste fresh.

How would you rate the new kids menu? What did your child choose?
DD liked the new stacking crayon. this gave her hours of fun, and she took it home for future use.
DD chose the chicken and potatoes, she said it was ok, but did not enjoy it as much as the previous menu's prefered child choice of salmon fillet which is no longer on the menu.
She had chocolate icecream and sprinkles for pudding which she found delicious,

What about the food for adults?
I had the moules which did not taste fresh, the sauce tasted prepared

What was the best part about your experience?
An excellent service, feels more sophisticated than our default option of Pizza Express which is usually full of screaming children

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
We were given a very warm welcome by the staff, the staff were all very attentive and friendly.

Did you know Caf?? Rouge did a kids menu prior to this?
And lastly, would you go again?
We would definitely go again, but would probalby choose different options from the menu.

Thanks for all the feedback: am pleased to say the winners of the £75 Cafe Rouge vouchers are Csv85 and Chicinwellies