French restaurant Chez Jules has been serving quality food for 18 years with its “daily changing menu” philosophy to always offer something new for foodies.
On a Saturday lunch time, our party of five turned up at the eatery with its seasonal-style cuisine settled in a traditional old-style building on Northgate Street in Chester.
Inside the restaurant had a good buzz, almost full to capacity, but with a few spaces left to accommodate hungry customers in search of midday food.
Chez Jules prides itself on its Gallic flavour and this is certainly reflected in the ambiance, with its French art nouveau posters, Bleu de France coloured walls and dark wooden tables and chairs in the heart of the city centre.
The mood was vibrant more than intimate. It’s definitely a place to go with friends, chatting over a languid lunch with a bottle of wine, mirroring the continentals.
Although France may be more inclined to cater for meat eaters, impressively there is a good selection of savours for vegetarians and vegans to enjoy at Chez Jules. The waiter was quickly over to take our orders for starters and the main course.
In the meantime we requested a bottle of Michel Servin red to whet the appetite, a smooth if not overly flavoursome wine, which was easy on the palette.
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I ordered the mushroom and truffle parfait and pickled carrot, with toasted French bread. My wife opted for the stem broccoli, green bean, pea, chickpea, watercress and toasted almond salad, with lemon dill and poppy seed dressing. Both arrived promptly and were presented beautifully, a consistent feature of all the dishes which certainly elevated the experience.
A generous serving of fresh bread and butter, with water also accompanied the first dishes. The parfait was a tasty appetiser, with a zingy pickled carrot, which got the taste buds going. My wife said hers was a refreshing starter, light and not too filling so a bit of room could be saved for dessert.
Main courses arrived soon after. I opted for the savoury crêpe, stuffed with spinach, ricotta, wild mushrooms and tomato and basil sauce. The combinations worked very well with the sauce being particularly tasty. As a personal preference I thought the crêpe would have benefited with a little more seasoning to elevate it, but a very minor quibble for what was a satisfying main.
My better half ordered Mefeuille of potato, courgette, red pepper, and aubergine, wilted spinach and basil oil, which was again elegantly presented, light and flavoursome. The only other observation was it could have been a little warmer.
And then on to the puddings which were exquisite and the outstanding feature of the meal. Both the chocolate orange delice – white chocolate crumble with lemon crème fraîche and chocolate vegan torte with mixed berry compote, were dark, rich delights, accented by the sharp fruit flavours and a real treat to savour.
One other observation was that the restaurant was very busy, although the staff were helpful and attentive. The starters and main courses arrived swiftly, but we had to attract the attention of a waiter to order dessert after a short delay.
The value for money was excellent and Chez Jules offers a fantastic variety of creative cuisine at a reasonable price.
All in all a very pleasant and satisfying experience which left us all sated and leaving with a warm glow.
Would we book again? Definitely.
Scores on the doors:
Quality of food: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Atmosphere/surroundings: 8/10
Value for money: 9/10
Food brag rating (how good it looks): 4/5
Food hygiene rating: 5/5 (from www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk )
Total: 41.5/50
What does TripAdvisor say? Average rating 4/5. “Amazing Value”
Where is it? 71-73 Northgate St, Chester, Cheshire, Chester, Cheshire CH1 2HQ
Chester Chronicle reviewers always pay for their own meal and we don’t tell them in advance that we’re coming to visit.
