Le Relais du Val d'Orbieu

The place is named after Abbé St Crescent, who in the Middle Ages opened his doors to pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. The arcades and bare stones may be a throwback to the distant past, but today the decor is ultra-modern, with finely crafted black and white polished concrete floors and sculptural one-piece seats. Lionel Giraud, son of a restaurant owner, is a strong advocate of locally sourced produce. An inventive chef, he honours ingredients from the most noble (Mediterranean red tuna) to the most modest (green beans) and everything in between, such as an authentic Corbières buffalo moz