Do you speak vegetarian ?

Parlez vous vegetarian?  (Do you speak vegetarian ?)

This weekend just gone I was out for a meal with my significant other and a few of his friends. Our plans to go to Dublin for the weekend had been thwarted as work wouldn't give me the time off off and it was decided instead we would have dinner in a French restaurant that my boyfriend liked. I was somewhat dubious about the prospect given that we had eaten there before and I found the menu to be less than accommodating. As a vegetarian, I find that French restaurants don't generally open up the welcome wagon upon news of your arrival but I haven't eaten in enough of them to make anything other than broad generalisations on the matter.

Last year when we had the very expensive meal out ( as a fussy eater I need to be absolutely blown away to not begrudgingly pay the bill for my dinner while muttering that I could have just eaten at home) I gave two of my courses to himself. I didn't like the starter and established at the same time I most definitely was not a fan of goats cheese and I was off sugar so I gave my dessert option away. For main I got Hake and it didn't taste too much different from the one I'd have steamed myself at home. I think the vegetarian option that night had wheat (and yes there was only one) so unless I got a sudden taste for meat then I wasn't faced with a whole load of options.

So you can only imagine my trepidation on returning to the restaurant. We were going to be ordering from their set menu which covers three courses and I knew already I would probably be giving at least one of mine away. Once we arrived I immediately scanned the menu as everyone else ordered drinks. I didn't really want fish, I will eat it when coerced but I can't say I enjoy it enough to be willing to pay restaurant prices for it. On their specials they had listed the vegetarian dish as vegetarian carpaccio. It's a dish that is usually made with beef or fish so the vegetarian equivalent is really dependent on how the chef chooses to make it. I thought I might have made my most important decision of the night, what main to have. I was a bit unclear as to what I might be ordering so I did try googling it which was no help and then I asked the waitress for further clarification. I felt reassured after speaking to her and asked for the mushrooms to be left out. Everyone got meaty and fishy starters and I got the soup as it seemed a safe enough bet. It was cream of cauliflower and it was nice but I'd have preferred a soup from Momo. 

Then we all received our mains and I was surrounded by people getting steaks and fish and my dish arrived (see picture above) I was intrigued. I have been so selective about what I eat for so long that even now it feels strange to be making my way through a dish where I could not readily identify most of the contents of the plate. As far as I could tell it was comprised of cooked artichokes on top of layered artichokes ( it may have been another vegetable I had not previously encountered) with some kind of spicy butternut squash puree, picked beetroot and what ever that green stuff was. All I know about the dish is that it wasn't for me and it seems the chef had a love affair with fennel. That was all I could taste, hard uncooked fennelly bits with soft overcooked fennelly bits. With that description I don't think I would cut it as a food critic. I had a hard time believing other vegetarians had declared this dish to be delicious, at best it was a glorified salad. There was a whole lot of chewing going on from my side of the table and one of the others remarked that the base of my dish looked like a plastic bag, truth be told it tasted like one that had been soaked in fennel. 

Everyone else seemed to really enjoy their meal and I wondered was I missing out as a vegetarian or just missing the point. Once again I skipped dessert as I attempt to veto sugar for a little bit longer so my boyfriend was treated to those two beauties below. As for now I am not sure where do I go. Should I avoid French restaurants altogether? or just dine more cautiously? Maybe I should make by bookings with the enquiry, do you speak vegetarian. Just to be on the safe side.