On the money

I SOMETIMES WONDER if there might be a simple rule of thumb for reading menus and, from doing so, getting a handle on what kind of place you’re in. Perhaps with a view to getting out before it’s too late.

There are certain obvious danger signals, of course. It’s rare to have a great gastronomic experience if the words “sweet chilli sauce” appear. Deep-fried mushrooms in crispy breadcrumbs, in my thankfully limited experience, give an unerring indication of horrors to come.

And while I don’t want to damn an entire national cuisine on the basis of how it’s represented in the Emerald Isle, anything that sounds even vaguely Mexican is generally worthy of a wide berth.

The first duty of a cheap menu is to be cheap, but too many restaurateurs, a breed not known for their lateral thinking, leave it at that. You won’t find a lot of imagination in the average expensive menu so what’s the hope of finding it in an inexpensive one?

Well, this is what makes La Mère Zou such fun. You can have a two-course lunch for €16 and you won’t nod off while reading what’s on offer. It offers such good value and such delightful food that the upper echelons of the Department of Finance are to be found there in large numbers while they take a break and re-fuel. I’m not sure what effect this will have on your appetite but it didn’t blunt mine.

Ham hocks are a godsend for creators of cheap menus and here they are fashioned into dense beignets, encased in a crisp jacket of breadcrumbs and served with a kind of sauce gribicheand a terrific little salad of baby carrots and mixed leaves (lamb's lettuce, infant spinach, beet leaves), with a delicate, orange-based dressing.

Deep-fried brie (this kind of thing is making quite a comeback) came with a roasted piquillo pepper stuffed with a mirepoixof vegetables, and, once again, an impeccable little salad that was not just an afterthought.

A generous chunk of salmon was cooked perfectly à point(in other words, not raw in the middle but moist and barely done throughout), which takes skill. It came with braised endive and a proper potato puree (as distinct from just mash). The bitterness of the endive was balanced simply but cleverly by a little compote of onion.

Our other main course was a vast helping of steamed mussels, plump and succulent, not overpowered by garlic but scented by it, in a cast-iron casserole which seemed to weigh half a ton. I managed barely half of this mountain of shellfish but scoffed the side dish of crisp skinny chips.

The pièce de resistance, the tour de force, if you can have such things on a bargain lunch menu, was the shared dessert: chunks of pineapple with flakes of chilli, topped with a coconut crumble layer and baked until the juices flowed. On top there was a sphere of luscious mango chutney.

It probably would have made more sense to order a bottle of wine but, instead, we each had two glasses (at a reasonable €5.75 apiece). With a bottle of Evian, a regular coffee and a blisteringly strong double Illy espresso, the bill came to €70.30 before the tip.

The menu includes the likes of oxtail and ox cheek, bouillabasse and braised rabbit. And you can have three courses (which, to be honest, is hard to resist) for €20. The cooking here – sound, solid, French and skilful – is right on the button. And the lunchtime prices are right on the money. tdoorley@irishtimes.com

THE SMART MONEY

Two courses, glass of wine, coffee for under €25

Read Megabites, Tom Doorley’s blog at irishtimes.com/blogs/megabites

WINE CHOICE

This European wine list contains quite a few wines I would gladly drink. Domaine de Terre Mégère Viognier (€29) is a pleasing white and Domaine Alary Cairanne (€29.50) would do the trick when it comes to red.