Hotel Le Bellevue

My wife and I make a two-hour trip every year just to have lunch here. It's our favourite restaurant in the region, even though our home is close to a Michelin-starred restaurant in the next village. This three-star hotel has a restaurant with a Michelin-quality meal and a "Bib Gourmand Michelin 2023" recommendation, at an unbelievably low price. The place is run by a married couple, Mme Patricia Visellach as Maître d' and Mr Denis Visellach as the brilliant chef. From what we gather, he has chosen to avoid Michelin stars and the effect they can have on prices, especially since Prats is a little out of the way for many people. That gives him the freedom to be inventive. The food is always creative, with a wonderful mix of flavours. We usually choose the top fixed-price menu, which this year cost €72 including wines. One example is our 2019 meal: first, exquisite foie gras layered with apricot purée and served with nectarine slices. The next course looked extraordinary, a jet-black cod mash mixed with garlic and shaped into a solid wedge that looked nothing like fish. It came with little pieces of seafood and a sauce, and tasted fantastic. After that came perfectly cooked beef steak in mushroom sauce, then a selection of cheeses. Dessert was a mix of delicately flavoured meringue with just a hint of aniseed, lemon ice cream, a soft biscuit, and apricot. We also had amuse-bouches before and between some courses. You definitely won't leave hungry! We've stayed overnight at the hotel as well. The rooms are clean but basic, suited to a different clientele, namely people staying longer for the mountains. Half-board and full-board stays don't include the kind of menu I've described; the food is good but more basic. If you want both a night at the hotel and a great meal, book bed and breakfast and pay separately for lunch or dinner. My wife and I can't recommend the restaurant enough. We'd give it ten stars if we could!