L'Evasion Restaurant - Salers

This was probably not a fair test as the visit was lunch for about 50 people. The service was excellent especially considering the size of the group.We had an amuse, a choice of starters, a nice lamb dish for the main & a nice dessert with homemade sorbet. All the dishes were good, but none really stood out.We'll go back with a much smaller party to give Paysanne a fairer test. Its certainly worth a try.

Free wifiLack of pillows and no power adaptersRoom had a musty smellRestaurant food not very good but inexpensive, with very slooooow service.

Stayed here for a week with my infant son, 10 year old daughter, wife, and mother in two rooms.

Salers is a beautiful, if touristy town. It has many restaurants, but if you are looking for something other than the Auvergne staples of pancakes, truffade and ham the field is a lot narrower. Having checked over the menu, L'Evasion looked like it could offer something different. The set menu was slightly over 20 euros - more expensive than the competition, but more interesting. The trouble was, the starter (falafel) did not appeal to me. I asked if I could change that for one of the other starters on offer but was told very firmly that I could not mix menus. Why? If that is what makes the customer happy, then why not let them. I fully accept that I would pay more, but the waiter was not to be moved.As other diners came in they would be shown to a seat but then made to wait some time for a menu. I noticed the waiter twice take menus from people after they had ordered and walk back to the bar to put them away instead of giving them to the new arrivals who in one case he had to walk past to get to the bar. After receiving a menu there would then be a ten to fifteen minute wait for the waiter to take the order.My wife had the set menu, which she very much enjoyed. I went off menu and ordered the croustillant de gambas. This was lovely - stir fried vegetables in a sort of crispy tube with gambas and a thai-style coconut milk broth. As my wife could not eat all of her main course (salers beef with lentils and aligot) I helped out. It was also very good. Her desert was a sort of cheesecake with ice-cream whilst I went for the excellent cafe gourmande. I can't really fault the food. With an apero, a glass of wine and a coffee for my wife the bill was about 60 euros. Quite expensive by local standards, but worth it. The quality of the food deserves a "good" rating, but the service, I'm afraid, drags the overall rating down.

This is a pretty little bistro in a quiet street away from the main tourist area. Its noticeable that this restaurant soon fills up with people at lunchtime whilst the one opposite remains empty, although they have very similar menus and style. My mum, who is normally a fussy eater, thoroughly enjoyed the Tartiflette (a "sheperds pie style" dish of mashed potato, cheese and bacon/ham bits), my wife had a lovely Pounti (pork meatloaf with prunes in middle) and truffade (sauteed potatos mixed with cheese). Whilst I had a superb fillet steak donated by the local prize-winning Salers cows. Don't ask for well done steak as the chef will come and attack you with his meat cleaver - the French think we are barbarians if we have our steak well cooked. The piece de resistance is the ice-cream menu - you must have a Kilimandjaro - this mountain of chocolate, vanilla and caramel ice-cream is superb. Finally the service - our waitress was an extremely jolly girl who looked after us very well. For three of us having main courses, deserts and a jug of wine came to 66 euros. Excellent value for money.