"On arriving at the restaurant in Tours Nord, the car park was very full. We actually took the very last parking slot. A full car park is usually the sign of a very good restaurant, but, in my opinion, this is certainly not the case...with “L’Arche de Meslay”. I immediately disliked the location of the restaurant, though I accept that it is very well situated for those who work in Tours Nord. I also immediately disliked the mishmash of decoration in the restaurant. I accept that the location and the decoration do not change the taste of the food, but, I believe, they can add to the ambience of the restaurant. Not a great ambience in L’Arche de Meslay! It was also very noisy the day we were there, as the restaurant was full. The menu is one of promise. I chose a menu at 29 Euros and my friend one at 41. I considered that mine was better value. I started with a selection of aspic of tomato and basil, a stuffed courgette flower, and a crab terrine. All sounds very nice and it wasn’t too bad, BUT, as they say in French “il y avais trop d’information”. There were too many different textures and the tastes were fighting against one another. The taste of the tomato aspic over-powered everything else, especially the delicate taste of the crab. There was a lot of work in making the starter, but it just did not succeed. The main course was OK. The monkfish (what there was of it) was slightly over-cooked for my liking, but I know that it is a difficult fish to get just right. The vegetables were fine. The dessert was a disaster. The pastry for the chocolate tart was as hard as a rock and difficult to cut. The filing was very sickly and the ice cream had the consistency of Chantilly cream. I was not impressed by the other bits and pieces on the plate, so I failed to eat them all. My friend was also very disappointed with her dessert. The initial promises were not fulfilled. The service was very slow. The lady that took our order was charming and chatty. However, our waiter was surly to the point of being rude, especially after my friend stated her opinion of her starter. I worked in a people facing job for years, the solution is to keep on smiling, even though you may find some clients a pain. Those clients are helping to pay your wage and you should be thankful for that. AND clients are allowed to express their opinion, especially after they have been asked! I am amazed that this restaurant consistently gets such good reviews. I found the food only just above average. I consider that the menu, like the decoration of the restaurant, needs a long objective look at what is being offered. It needs simplifying and kitchen time needs to be used more profitably. However, it’s obvious from the reviews, many people like the restaurant. Personally, I would not return; there are too many negative aspects to it. There are many better restaurants in Tours for a comparable price."
