By Emma Berry
Once the important business of horse-trading has finished for the day, the equally important business of dining can begin. In Deauville, you're certainly not short of options, particularly if you love seafood.
We might as well start with Le Drakkar because during the sales that's usually where it all ends, eventually. The popular bistro, handily situated roughly halfway between sea front and racecourse, is packed nightly and, once the food is out of the way, resembles a raucous pub, with a high percentage of its August clientele being English and Irish.
To wind down after a long day at the sales, it can be preferable to dine somewhere a little quieter, though if you do end up in Le Drakkar, the salmon rillettes are recommended as a starter (and it's such a huge portion that it would easily serve two). Wherever you eat in Deauville, the chances are that when you leave your restaurant, one of your party will say, seemingly innocently, “Shall we just go for one in the Drakkar?” Experience warns that it's never just one, that there will often be communal singing (usually led by Con Marnane) and that sometime later you'll look at your watch and groan, “How on earth can it be 3.30am already?”
Yup, welcome to Deauville. Strategic planning is key before attending either the August or December Sales at Arqana. This ageing sales reporter has prepared for the forthcoming yearling season with a tedious nine-day detox, all of which will be undone in a heartbeat upon reaching Normandy. Ah well, I tried.
Just a quick skip next door from Le Drakkar is another famed Deauville eatery Chez Miocque, which comes highly recommended, along with the newer La Cantine de Deauville across the road. Largely unheralded but equally well worth a visit for great food is La Flambée, which is particularly handy for anyone staying in La Trophée hotel right next door.
Leaving the sales, you'll stumble across Le 21 first on the corner of Avenue de la Republique and Avenue Hocquart de Turtot. This has been the scene of many a riotous night with plenty of dancing on tables but there's often a long wait for food and the fun of the evening rather depends on the mood of the Basil Fawlty-esque frontman.
Le Spinnaker is superb, quiet, and on the culinary front offers something a little different to the more traditional Normandy fare, which can also be said for Villa Gabrielle, which opened last year and is very central. We were happy to put slow service during last year's August Sale down to teething troubles, and the food was certainly worth the wait.
A TDN favourite is Le Comptoir et la Table, a little off the beaten track down by the marina, with an excellent menu, especially if you're a truffle-hunter. This year, as last, we'll be celebrating Sue Finley's birthday there.
It's not all about Deauville, of course, and its across-the-bridge neighbour, Trouville, is only a short walk away and worth exploring. Where better to enjoy a vast seafood platter than directly opposite Trouville's fish market on the harbour front at Le Central or Les Vapeurs? During the day you can stop at a number of the market stalls for a quick glass or two of wine along with a dozen oysters.
In the winding back streets off the harbour, L'inattendu offers much meatier fare and the tiny wine bar Les Etiquettes has a limited menu of mostly tapas-style dishes along with an unsurprisingly decent selection of wine.
The one restaurant guaranteed to provoke an argument among my regular travelling party of Liam Norris and William Huntingdon is Trouville's Les 4 Chats. In my view it's the best restaurant for miles around, but William won't set foot in the place, citing low seating and small wine glasses as his major bugbears. Fortunately, he's not coming to Normandy in August.
The beachside Les Ammonites, just a little along the coast from Deauville at Benerville-sur-Mer has become really popular with the sales crowd, and boasts a great atmosphere along with the perfect location to watch the sun go down of an evening. If, like me, you have a fairly violent aversion to mosquitos, make sure you go armed with bug spray. One unfortunate bite on the forehead while dining al fresco there last month left me looking like I'd gone several rounds with Mike Tyson. Despite its proximity to the sea, try the steak at Les Ammonites–the carnivores among you won't be disappointed.
Arqana's excellent communications director Alix Choppin took us even father afield last year to the beautiful medieval village of La Touques, which is home to another culinary gem, Bon Thé Bonheur. It's small, it's quiet, and the food is fussy but sensational.
Earlier in the day, Le Cyrano is the perfect place for breakfast on your way to the sales. If you're in there early enough, you're likely to spot a number of trainers, heads buried in the Paris-Turf, in between overseeing morning exercise on the training track at the racecourse.
Le Meeting, formerly Le Yearling, has undergone a new look in the last year. It's right next to the entrance to the sales complex and very close to the racecourse, making it a good pitstop for a quick lunch. The set menu is invariably good and service is swift. Large TV screens show live racing and there's even a PMU betting counter.
When in Deauville:
DO call into Le Brok café after racing or before dinner for a cheeky mojito.
DON'T agree to after-dinner drinks in Le Drakkar. Well maybe just the one…
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
