Il Etait une Fois - Aix-en-Provence

Being regularly in Aix for work, I have been to this restaurant before a few times and I know the food is great. I have been there every time without reservation and so they gave me the high table at the door. This time I did make a reservation and they still gave me the high table at the door!! I assume they believe if you are dining alone, you don’t deserve comfort? When I asked them why I can’t get a table at the back (I speak French , the young lady told me that they have given me the last available table (why me? several couples arrived after me! and that if I am uncomfortable, she can try to get me a table at another restaurant!! Well, that’s not what I call hospitality, and the statement did upset me. However, given that I was exhausted after a long day, the food there is great and that I knew it would be impossible to get a table somewhere else on a Friday evening, I decided to stay. I still don’t understand why a solo-diner should get the high table. I confirm other travelers positive comments about the high quality and creativity of the dishes. But after this incident, I am not sure if I would like to return there next time I am in Aix.

Excellent food, service and wine from start to finish and a well priced menu with choice at lunch time €26 for 3 courses or €20 for 2. Perfectly cooked fish. Beautifully presented and good strong flavours. No outside area but nicely air conditioned inside which was a delight in the heat of the middle of the day.

A great quaint hotel with excellent staff who welcome you and provide a very personal service. The restaurant is unique with cooking at the table and the chef makes lots of homemade food. Great breakfast and comfortable rooms.

We went to this very expensive restaurant in order to enjoy a nice evening and a fine meal. The reason for our selection were the many good ratings and comments on tripadvisor! As starters we chose tatin de tomate (a kind of tart with tomatoes ; they unexpectedly contained calamri/octopus on the top, but were nevertheless very good. At this point of the evening the service was still very fast, as the restaurant was almost empty. The good impression changed, when our main courses were served. My wife chose the fish, which was a smart move: The cod was not overwhelming but tasty and nicely decorated with asparagus. I however made the mistake and ordered the meat dish. The menu promised it to be chicken/rooster, however the waiter announced, that they run out of stock (we were the first customers of the evening... . The replacement meat would be pork side or something like that. What arrived was inedible, stringy, hard and full of fat. I even was unable the cut the rubberlike stuff with a steak knife. It helped little, that that mashed potatoes the came with the meat were o.k. Also, the service deteriorated as more guests arrived in the restaurant. We decided to skip dessert and leave right away. Waited quite a long time for the check. Would not recommend it, leave alone go there again.

This is a beautiful, elegant restaurant in Aix's center. Too bad I was traveling alone as it is a wonderfully romantic place to share. I had monkfish in a foam, which was served with pork belly and slivers of cheese. While it never sounds good fwhen I describe the ingredients, the dish was wonderful every taste complimented the fish beautifully. I give it my highest recommendation. Enjoy!