Le Filou de Montpellier

As i mentioned in a previous post, i was waiting for a chance to get to the French restaurant around the corner from us-Le Filou de Montpellier. It's another favourite place of mine (i spend most of my lunch money in mastodonte, allegretto or here). The restaurant is a bit of a Valpo institution, in that it's been around longer than most of the restaurants on Cerros Alegre and Concepcion. It also serves some of the finest food you'll eat in Chile. The French owners who wait tables and watch over the kitchen are friendly, welcoming in their french way and know their stuff.

Run by real Frenchies who serve up real French food (not French food with the typical south american chef's 'twist' or 'toque del autor'). We've never been in the evening when the dining is a la carte, we always go for the lunch menu. The menu consists of 3 courses of invariably delicious food for 3500-4500 pesos/us$7/9. Drinks are extra, 800 pesos for a soft drink which is pretty standard for restaurants in Chile. Anyway, the menu changes daily: this time we had a starter of cous-cous with Parma ham, a main of beef strips, parsely mashed potato, slimy mushrooms (i'm not a mushroom man unless they play with my mind) and onions in an oporto sauce and a dessert of chocolate and orange crepe-all excellent. On other occasions we've had really good fish dishes and the typically French boeuf bourgignon, which was perfectly cooked.

Reservations for the evening (only friday and saturday night) are essential and recommended for lunch any day of the week as well, particularly if there are more than two of you.

Le Filou de Montpellier is on the corner of Almte Montt and Urriola just around the corner from the Iglesia Anglicana, Cerro Alegre/Concepcion. Phone 32-224663. Highly recommended.

**UPDATE: since writing this review we've been for dinner in the evenings quite a few times...and we haven't been disappointed once. Well, maybe once-the girlf had steak one time and it was tough and chewy (but we're used to Argentine steak so comparisons are a little unfair- and the glass of house red wine was a bit iffy). But if you order the beouf bourgignon or conejo a la mostaza (rabbit), or any of the fish dishes then you'll be a very happy camper. And the desserts are really good, especially the chocolate ones. Bon appetit...