Lens: a selection of addressesBy Georges RouzeauOur selection of hip, typical or gourmet addresses in Lens so you can make the most of your stay. Where to have a drink/watch a match? La Galerie 45, rue de la Gare 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 28 08 08 A pretty café recently renovated in modern colours and materials. Ideal for a coffee when getting off the TGV. Big screen, live broadcast of matches. Irish Tavern 6, avenue Raoul Briquet 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 78 79 20 This typical pub proposes seven draught beers, Irish dishes such as Irish stew, darts, and a big screen. At weekends the already loud sound is pumped up a bit more with the presence of a DJ. Pub Mac Ewan’s 10, avenue Raoul Briquet 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 28 44 88 Beer is a serious matter in this pub offering fifty varieties. Snacks (toasted sandwiches and pizzas). Pop-rock background music not too loud so friends can talk. Big screen. Brasserie Saint-Germain 26, route d’Arras 62160 Aix-Noulette This small artisanal brewery produces unfiltered and unpasteurised beers including a variety, the Page 24 blonde réserve Hildegarde, a pale ale brewed solely from regional malt and hops, which as a fresh at it is long in the mouth. A success. Where to lunch/dine? L’Arcadie II 13, rue Decrombecque 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 70 32 22 www.restaurant-arcadie2.com Bang in the town centre, this eatery with a discreet contemporary decor bathed in subdued light is a favourite with foodies who appreciate its classical cuisine and regional recipes. La Vylla 15, rue Diderot 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 67 10 10 The hip address of Lens that opened a year ago. Design decor, waxed concrete floor, flashy paintings by the owner on the walls. At the stoves, Sébastien Morand, the former right-hand man of Michelin-starred chef Marc Meurin, prepares a pleasantly creative cuisine (gambas fritters on tomatoes tartar, half-cooked red tuna, banana nems)... NB: slowish service at lunch, much swifter in the evening. Le Pain de la bouche 41 bis, rue de la Gare 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 67 68 68 A renovated eatery serving classing Flanders dishes: chicken with Maroilles cheese, beer-braised cock, gratinated faluches (big slices of generously filled toasted bread). Coffee is traditionally served in a tin coffee pot left on the table like that which always awaited guests at miners' homes. Le Bistrot du boucher 10, place Jean Jaurès 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 13 09 59 Retro ambience, slowish service and traditional French dishes at this franchised restaurant. Master-patigoustier Jeanson 42, place Jean Jaurès 62300 Lens Tel. : 03 21 28 24 21 Fax.: 03 21 67 46 36 www.les-recollets.com patisserijeanson@aol.com The son of a caterer, ardently supportive of the Lens area, Jean-Jacques Jeanson the patigoustier (local term for a high-class confectioner-cum-caterer) makes many gourmet specialities like the 'coeur de braise' (heart of embers) chocolate made with achillea millefolium, a plant that grows on the slag heaps. This meticulous artisan, who looks like Gyro Gearloose, also works in close cooperation with future engineers. For the 2007 Rugby World Cut he is going to make a selection of dishes paying homage to the respective gastronomies of the different teams. At lunchtime you can sit down to the day's regional dish with a drink and a cake. At 12 €, it's worth a detour. |
Tourism and Gastronomy
Send to a friend
Print this article