Crepes and Watermills in Bayeux

Bayeux, France

The best way to get from Paris to Normandy is by taking the train to Bayeux, France. As I mentioned in my post about the Normandy Sightseeing Tour, most tour operators pick their guests up at the Bayeux train station. Bayeux’s train station is fairly small for the amount of traffic it generates as the base of Normandy tours. Bayeux was the first French town to be liberated and therefore survived WWII practically unharmed so it was only fitting that after our Normandy tour we would spend some time in this city.

When Adam and I pictured Europe we imagined walking in cities with narrow-brick layered streets and rows of houses – that was exactly Bayeux! Bayeux was surprisingly charming with its picturesque watermill, middle-aged houses and a beautiful cathedral. There is also a Museum of the Battle of Normandy, but opted not to go because we had our fill of D-Day already. Another popular attraction is the Museum of Tapestry, we would have liked to have gone inside, but unfortunately it was already closed. We have been told that it is definitely a museum worth seeing if you get the chance.

The Notre Dame de Bayeux Cathedral is magnificent in relation to everything surrounding it. You can see the cathedral from quite a distance as it stands out in the city. As we walked closer to it we were amazed at its glory and Romanesque-Gothic architecture.

We wandered the streets of Bayeux some more and came across the cutest watermill! It was picturesque next to the quaint building and the water flowing peacefully. The area around the watermill was very inviting, so we walked around the building with the watermill and found that the building was actually a creperie. There was a cobblestone pathway adjacent to the building with a beautiful sign written in a French-Renaissance calligraphy, “Le Moulin de la Galette Restaurant – Creperie”, and it was then that we knew where we were having dinner.

Le Moulin de la Galette Restaurant & Creperie

We were ready to indulge in the French culture, cuisine and enjoy some authentic crepes. Adam and I love crepes and had skipped on buying any the previous days, so having dinner at Le Moulin de la Galette was all around the perfect choice. In addition, the restaurant was the building we found so adorable with the watermill. It was one of those instances where it was just meant to be.

Le Moulin de la Galette had both indoor and outdoor waterside seating. The outdoor patio was as cute as the watermill – the patio was covered by a green canopy and around the patio fence were flower bushes and vibrant green trees surrounding the area with the river flowing towards the watermill. Needless to say, we opted for outdoor.

Again, everything about this restaurants cries out like a fairytale. In addition to the ambience the menu we received was in a form of an antique newspaper and had the history of French crepes (the menu is in both French and English). Crepes were originally called galettes and were made with buckwheat flour (gluten free). Le Moulin de la Galette stays true to the traditional crepe and prepares both sweet and savory ones. The menu also has regular dining options such as foie gras, steak, salad, etc. The average cost of a meal with a savory and sweet crepe is around €20, which is very reasonable and budget friendly in our opinion.

The Galettes/Crepes

Typically we find that crepes in the United States do not generally fill us up, they taste great, but we always leave hungry. This was not the case here. These galettes/crepes are LOADED with delicious ingredients. At last, we finally had crepes in France and they were amazing!!!! We never had a buckwheat crepe before and now we do not think we can enjoy a crepe that isn’t buckwheat. The texture and flavor was amazing – it was thin, crisp and crunchy.

Campagnarde

Camembert cheese with sautéed mushrooms and onions, fillet of chicken and more cheese (goat cheese to be exact)! To be honest, the chicken was a little dry, but there was so much cheese and soft mushrooms that it all tasted delicious.

Viroise

Camembert cheese with andouille sausage, apples and cream. The sausage, cheese and apples all paired so well together! It was our favorite of the two.

Banane Chocolat

White flour crepe with bananas, chocolate and whipped cream. So simple, yet so decadent! The crepe itself is what really makes the dish stand out with its great flavor and texture.

Suzette Maison

White flour crepe with orange zest and flambeed Grand Marnier. This would had been a better show if it was darker outside, but nonetheless it was still a cool experience to watch the server light the alcohol table side. I think I ordered this because of the “show”. I could barely enjoy my crepe – the alcohol was too strong. The crepe soaks in the Grand Marnier and because I am not a big drinker it was very overwhelming. It felt like I had just taken five shots! The whipped cream helped settle the alcohol, but in the end I was content from my main course and enjoyed eating off Adam’s banana chocolate crepe. If you enjoy alcohol, I would say this crepe if for you, but for me!

Enjoying crepes will never get as good as the ones here in France! If you find yourself in Bayeux I highly recommend Le Moulin du la Galette!

Le Moulin du la Galette 
38 Rue de Nesmond
Bayeux, Basse-Normandie, France
+33 2 31 22 47 75
M & Th: 11:30am – 2:30pm
T & W: Closed:
F – Sun: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
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https://www.facebook.com/Le-Moulin-de-la-Galette-397075243729478/