L Atypique

Located in the Manoir de la Mortière, this bistro’s inviting decor mixes textured lime-washed walls, old beams, terracotta floor tiles and a period fireplace. The food smacks of heartwarming sincerity, thanks to carefully crafted comfort food: organic poached egg in red wine; free-range chicken à la basquaise; tournedos of beef cooked over embers with a béarnaise sauce and a warm cappuccino-flavoured soufflé to finish.

This fine dining restaurant is tucked away in a quiet back street between the indoor market and the beautiful church, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Port. Its name, in the local dialect, refers to the small fish caught by children in the port. At the helm, a talented pair, Mélanie Roussy and Boris Harispe, trained at Michelin-starred restaurants (including La Villa Madie), have decked the place out in a contemporary style (navy and white walls, designer furniture etc). The menu is packed with seafood dishes (among others) and constantly changes, as the chef scrupulously follows the seasons, works with all

Seated behind the restaurant’s floor to ceiling windows, admire the sun’s rays glinting on the ocean. A talented skipper has dropped anchor here in the person of Jean-Marc Pérochon who went to sea at 17, crossing the channel to Scotland, before cruising around Europe and as far as the West Indies. In his hotel-restaurant, his cooking is both minimalist and sprinkled with exotic flavours, extractions, stocks and emulsions, leaving our tastebuds aching for more. He believes in working only with first-rate goods, namely fish and shellfish from the fish auction at Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie (which

In the heart of a charming village in the Bocage Vendéen, chef Tanguy Rattier cooks up contemporary cuisine rooted in his terroir, underpinned by brilliant finds sourced from local producers. The hearty dishes are packed with bold flavours: hake steak with aubergine pulp and artichokes, a full-bodied jus; peach and blueberry tartlet with a sweetly tart flavour.

This superb medieval stronghold, which was once a coaching inn and then a family home, now houses a fine dining establishment depicted by elegantly refurbished lounges whose solid parquet floors, lime-rendered walls and bare stone are contrasted by a subtle modern edge. The name "Gaia", goddess of the Earth, hints at the chef's ethos: fish and shellfish from the town's fish market are combined with vegetables, flowers and herbs from Beauregard farm to create polished cuisine, characterised by bold, spot-on flavours.

Opposite the fishing harbour, it is well worth keeping an eye open for this low-profile restaurant. The chef unashamedly crafts textbook French recipes with the objective of showcasing first-rate ingredients in dishes that hit the spot every time. Diligent service.

Ceviche of seabass, coconut milk, ginger and sweet potato guacamole; lightly seared wild prawns in Espelette pepper, artichokes glazed in tarragon with a langoustine emulsion… In this dinky quayside restaurant, whose terrace overlooks the port, chef Xavier Audren pursues a bistronomic quest that takes its cue from the seasons and the fish market just down the street. A concise menu, flawless craftsmanship together with lashings of flavour and colour.