Café Rouge is always pretty packed.

That can be a telltale sign of a good restaurant — although McDonalds gets its fair share of customers most days.

Like all chain restaurants, French bistro is rather inauthentic. Though French food can be intimidating and pretentious, this place loses a peg on the snobbery ladder thanks to the cookie-cutter touches at each location throughout the country. The cheap, bad art and paper napkins are the worst.

Still, the atmosphere is nice overall. The soft lighting, bistro tables and wicker chairs make for an intimate dining room. I grabbed a table for one at the Cambridge location on a recent night after work. And I wasn’t alone in my aloneness. While several tables of friends and couples filled the restaurant with buzzing conversation, there were just as many parties of one like myself having a bite on a cold night.

I fancied a hearty meal and glass of wine and had none of the makings in my fridges. (Yes, I have two fridges and neither works properly. Don’t ask.) There’s nothing better than a hot meal on a cold night when you have nothing to eat at home. Well, there are a lot of things that are a lot better, but let’s stay on track.

I ordered Boeuf Bourguignon (12.95 pounds) and was underwhelmed. The meat was dry and stringy, kind of like tender beef jerky. Tasted like jerky, too. I wasn’t expecting filet mignon but I was disappointed. My friend had the same dish when we grabbed a bite at the Café Rouge outside Harrods in London on a recent shopping trip. That was delicious although my own plate of it was not.

However, the dauphinoise potatoes served with the dish were se magnifique! Sliced and lightly sauced with cream and cheese, it’s basically French scalloped potatoes. Really good. The green beans sufficed for a veg and the hearty portions were appreciated.

I washed it down with a glass of red wine (4.60 pounds) and had a banana-filled crepe (4.95 pounds) for desert. The pancake was kind of chewy but the semi-sweet chocolate sauce made up for it, and I finished every bite.

I was 16 when I visited France. My palette was less than sophisticated at the time and I hated cheese, so I’m no expert on French food. But Café Rouge is a decent place to grab a meal and try something new.

Go between noon and 5 p.m. when they offer prix fixe menus with two- and three-course options for under 10 pounds. The Times newspaper also offers coupons for a new Café Rouge special that gets you two courses and a glass of wine for 10 pounds. Those tables must be booked in advance.

With hearty food, decent prices and a friendly and professional staff, Café Rouge is worth trying. With locations in Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge, London and in more than 80 other sites in the U.K., chances are you‘ll have the opportunity.

To see previous After Hours reviews, go to legacy.stripes.com/afterhours