Report on the Black Bear and his grilled piglets, at the Saint-Romain fair in Rouen
Through Adrien filoche
Published on
“Friendliness! »It is with this simple word that Agnès Poetschke, the patron saint of the black bear, sums up the spirit of his restaurant with traditional cuisine, made around the grilled piglet and fresh fries.
Installed since 1952 at the Saint-Romain fair from Rouen, the Black Bear has marked its territory over the years. Some come to the fair for the rides and the thrills … and others come to have fun with fuss, croustillons or a plate of meat, accompanied by potatoes.
Meat, fries and beer
Apron and shoes matching the brand’s colors – red and white checks – Agnès is in place from 9:30 am with her teams to prepare the restaurant. Everyone is busy. Objective: to have everything ready by 11:30 am, when the rotisserie opens for customers. It must be said that many of them salivate in front of the grills, before finally giving in and taking a table at l’Ours Noir.
The flagship product is obviously the grilled piglet, even better with fresh fries – 30 tonnes of potatoes are delivered to L’Ours Noir for the duration of the fair – not to mention a small beer! “That’s why we come, and come back! », Launches the boss. Every two days, a hundred piglets are received to keep up with the customers’ appetites. They are fired in wood for two hours in the restaurant’s 18 stoves.
To keep up with the cooking rhythm, the brand has a large quantity of wood delivered every day. “On a 200 cubic meters for the fair. Cooking with wood is not at all the same as electric, the taste is really different, ”insists the owner.
The most greedy who should not be satisfied finish the meal with a dessert, homemade. “We have ice cream, tiramisus, and also chocolate mousse”, lists Agnès.
“Here, we eat well, in the good franquette! “
Inside the restaurant, a large space can accommodate around 400 eaters. “On average, we make between 700 and 800 covers per day. It varies, of course. On weekends, we always have more people, and we can reach 1000 seats. »Difficult, in fact, to restrain his hunger once caught in the olfactory whirlwind of the smells of braised meat. “Here, we eat well, and in good franquette! », Insists Agnes, all smiles.
Between conviviality and a family atmosphere, the recipe for the Black Bear is well licked. Unpretentious wooden benches and tables are set up to accommodate the hungry. “Everyone mixes up. People come to eat, do not know each other, and leave together. This is the spirit of our rotisserie, ”emphasizes Agnès.
“We are very happy to find the regulars, after two difficult editions with Lubrizol and the health crisis. On a good echo. The people of Rouen are delighted to see us again, ”she continues.
From generation to generation
If you take a seat inside the Black Bear, you will probably come across a portrait of a lady between two strokes of a fork. (see photo below). This is Suzanne, Agnès’ grandmother and founder of the restaurant. “With her husband, they started by opening a simple French fries stall, before moving to the Elbeuf fair,” says Agnès.
Since then, the restaurant has been passed down from generation to generation, first to Agnes’ parents, then to her and her husband. Today, the Black Bear has become an emblematic and essential place of the Rouen fair.
However, the spirit of the brand has not changed: simplicity and conviviality. “My mother is always in the kitchen, preparing the terrine in the morning with the same recipe,” says Agnès. His son helps out in the kitchen, cutting. In total, around forty employees work in the restaurant, and see in front of them the old and new generations who have made, and who continue to make the Black Bear roar.
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