Review Detail

Having heard great things about Armagnac I decided to visit one sunny lunchtime in September. Armagnac is situated in the fashionable Montpellier area of Cheltenham, and on that day, the outside terrace was in full sun.
We opted for the extremely reasonable lunch menu, which offers 2 courses for £10 from a decent range of choices. The menu is traditional French, but is not red meat dominated, as can often be the case. There were plenty of chicken, duck and fish options, and always a fish of the day on the specials board. For starters, I had the Homemade Fishcake with Harissa and my friend chose the Chef’s Salad. The first thing I noticed when the dishes arrived was how vibrant, fresh and colourful they both were. My fishcake was complimented by a delicious crunchy salad and the tiny smear of Harissa gave the plate a warm depth of colour but also a lovely kick.
In addition to the six lunch options, there is also a daily blackboard special. On this day it was a hefty dish of Pork Belly with Black Pudding and Gratin Dauphinois. Not for me on a summer lunchtime, but my friend thought this sounded amazing and was not disappointed. I chose a lighter leek and blue cheese risotto. So often, the portion size with risotto can be too big, as though over compensating for the simplicity of the dish. However, today at Armagnac the risotto was small and perfectly formed and bursting with flavour. I enjoyed every mouthful.
We are already planning to return for a full priced a la carte dinner (and desserts!) but I would highly recommend visiting for lunch. Incredible value for fine, fresh and delicious flavours.