Sharing boards at Côte in Peterborough - definitely something for the weekend

“French food as it was meant to be enjoyed,” said the website promoting the “Weekends à la Côte” experience.

And it wasn’t wrong.

A time for gathering around the table – in this case just me and daughter Jasmine; sharing stories – football of course after that morning’s match; and delicious things to eat – a sharing board of meaty delights and more.

If you haven’t been it is a vibrant restaurant on Church Street in the city centre. A very modern, all-day French brasserie chain, serving regional specialties and traditional classics.

Nice decor (it opened in 2016 and was only refurbished two years ago), very comfortable, and even at 12.30pm on a Saturday afternoon there was a wonderful buzz about the place as it got busier.

The delightful sounds and smells of a vibrant restaurant – not to mention the anticipation of the food – that make it an exciting place to be.

So, a friendly welcome from our waiter (an ex-goalkeeper in Romania it turned out) who added to the football chat, drinks orders taken at our table (a lovely bottled French lager called meteor I haven’t tried before) and the easy decision of what to eat.

For £25 a person, there’s a sharing board, served with Dauphinoise potatoes or frites and an extra side dish each.

And here’s how it went down.

The sirloin steak came with a little pot of peppercorn sauce. Recommended medium rare, which was fine with me, it was the star of the show. Beautifully cooked so there was a hint of smokiness and crunch from the caramelisation of the fat on the grill and pink inside.

Not often I have steak with a sauce but the creamy, peppery offering more than met with both our approvals.

The confit porkbelly received mixed reviews! Too soft and moist for an 11-year-old’s tastebuds, but right down my street. Sweet and juicy and the fat with crisp, crackling in places a little decadent. The pot of Calvados jus was masked by the flavours of the meat.

Finally, the poulet Breton roti – corn-fed marinated half chicken – was a treat.

Crisp skin and very meaty, nicely cooked and it went down well with a thick, rich and creamy mushroom sauce.

Between bites we also tucked in to the sides, of course.

I’m a big fan of Dauphinoise potatoes (I was inspired to cook them with Sunday lunch) and wasn’t disappointed. Nice, soft potatoes and lashings of cheesiness. Lovely.

The French beans amandine were unexpectedly good too. The humble beans elevated to another level with an almost fried onion flavour, from the shallots and onions, with flaked almonds on top for good measure.

The tomato, basil and shallot salad was cooling, fresh and sweet while the triple-cooked truffle chips, which spent most of the time across the table, were crisp, soft inside and the coating making them totally moreish.

•Brad Barnes was eating at Côte in Church Street, Peterborough city centre – book at www.cote.co.uk