I have written before about an amazing bar near the Easy French School in Montpellier called Rhum Runner which has become a go-to place for me and my friends when we want to have a bit more of a sophisticated evening during our French language stay in Montpellier. It’s not the cheapest place in Montpellier to grab a few cocktails after a day of French immersion lessons but that’s the point, you get a bit of extra class. We had never eaten there however and one of the guys from a little study group I have been involved in since I started learning French in Montpellier is leaving this week and he kindly offered to buy us a bit of grub at this lovely Caribbean bar.
The guy leaving was called Joel and he was another Brit! Joel is one of the most ambitious guys I have met since I came to learn French in Montpellier and he was doing a French language stay in order to pass his DALF exam and get right into working here in France. He had recently got a job with a marketing firm in Paris and so had to move his plans forward a bit. Joel has been a great learning partner and has a talent for languages, before starting his French immersion course in Montpellier he had been working in Oman and Saudi Arabia teaching English. Like I said he was an ambitious guy who had already done lots of interesting stuff and definitely had many bright things ahead of him.
We met at Rhum Runner in the early evening and started off with a couple of cocktails. This is the speciality of this bar and are really what we go there for. If you decide to go yourself and have an idea of what you like in a cocktail than be sure to have a conversation with the bar tender as they really know their stuff. If, on the other hand you’re not too sure what you like in a Caribbean drink then a safe bet is the self-titled ‘Rhum Runner’.
Practicing French and Making Friends
We weren’t too sure what food we were going to order so the bartender suggested we get the all-round sharing platter which turned out to be a fantastic choice. I always love getting the recommendations of the workers when I go to eat out during my French language stay in Montpellier, for one they really know good food in general and I’ve found that for the most part the people working in the trade are really passionate about what they do. Also, it provides an opportunity to practice what I have been learning at the EasyFrench Immersion School as well as a chance to connect with the locals of this beautiful town. You might be surprised how this might come around to help you in the future, another thing I love about Montpellier is its size; it’s big enough that you have plenty to see and explore no matter how long you stay here for but you will happen to see some familiar faces. At least I certainly have during my 6-month language stay here, it’s a really great feeling when you go out to the cinema or to a gig and you see someone you have spoken with before. It makes you feel like part of the community.
After a short wait our very friendly bartender brought out a big platter of food. The portion was very generous and between three of us we were well filled by it. We had several bowls of different things so it was a bit of a tapas style meal: we had super succulent chicken breasts in bread crumbs, fish filled mini samosas, barbeque beef bites and little chunks of soft baguette with juicy sausage on top. It was great and we munched it down only pausing to get another round of drinks; we opted for some craft beer this time which is another thing that Rhum Runner does very well.
As we enjoyed our meal we listened to all the interested things Joel had lined up. I was particularly interested in his new job as he had got it thanks to his new DALF qualification. This was very inspiring to me as this is exactly what I am hoping to do in the near future.
We left with a hug and a fond farewell to my fellow Brit who was off to make the most of what he had learnt during his French immersion stay in Montpellier and he has certainly encouraged me to go and do the same.