Situated in an area some would harshly call ‘the middle of nowhere’ in the sleepy town of Gaujac, in the quiet wine country of the Gard, La Maison appears to be slightly out of place; in the best way possible. The food is creative and modern rather than the traditional French fare you would probably expect even from a good restaurant in this kind of area – you’re more likely to taste wasabi than garlic. It is an absolutely wonderful place and is clearly a well loved establishment throughout other local towns and villages.
We found out just how popular the restaurant is when we initially tried to make an impromptu visit to it on a Friday night. This was a mistake as the restaurant was fully booked that evening and the next and the night after that. Eventually we managed to squeeze ourselves in a reservation for the following Thursday. We found it to be well worth the wait.
French not being my strongest suit (in fact, I can distinctly remember my French teacher shaking her head in despair as I stuttered and stammered through my GCSE oral) it’s hard to give a precise translation of the dishes. But I do know that delicious swordfish tartare and lamb shanks featured prominently. Generally, the menu tends to include Asian inflected recipes with local ingredients and an amazing list of local wines to accompany it. It’s all very innovative and relatively well priced too – earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation.
Along with the remarkable originality of the food, another thing that you often don’t often see in more remote venues is good disabled access and at La Maison it is generally very good. Although there are a few tables nestled up a couple of steps there are plenty of others which are accessible. There is a designated disabled parking space outside and the toilet is spacious enough for wheelchair users, with a lowered sink and a handrail (although only one of those). The main door is up a couple of stairs but they have an alternative step free side entrance with wide doors. The restaurant is mostly on one level and there is a terrace which looks like it would be possible to get to in a wheelchair – there are a couple of very low steps which seemed manageable, if not ideal.
Overall La Maison has good access and really enjoyable food and wine. If you’re in the area we’d really recommend this restaurant and we give them a provisional 2.5 BBS Ticks.
