In the heart of Bandol’s culinary desert, experienced innkeeper Pierre Rouvier (Meneau, Troisgros, Boulud in New York…) opened the best wine bistro between Marseille and Toulon back in 2019. It’s an unpretentious spot with bottles of natural wine scattered all over the place (Courtois, Dard et Ribo, Château Le Puy…), a large wine barrel acting as a table and a small zinc-topped bar, upon which you’ll found twenty-some smelly cheeses. Cooked up the night we went by chef Loïc Dubois (ex-Bacquié) and served on the terrace by Ludivine Rouvier, Olivier’s companion: libidinous Aveyron farçou, a sort of pork, chard and parsley meatball that gets plunged into an oil bath for a few seconds; tantalizing homemade foie gras with onion jam; incredible carnaroli risotto topped with shaved Parmesan aged for 30 months and grilled heirloom zucchini; excellent Mediterranean octopus stew; a platter of the aforementioned cheeses (Époisses, Banon, truffle goat cheese from Olivier Nesty, etc.); before a comforting rice pudding with salted caramel. // A.A.
FEELING THIRSTY? No fewer than 130 naturopath labels, which are mainly sourced from the South of France: a Bandol red from the Château Sainte-Anne (€8 a glass), Analepse, an explosively flavorful Provence orange wine from Jean-Christophe Comor (€42 a bottle), Mauvais Temps, an Auvergne red from Nicolas Carmarans (€41).
PRICE: Cheese platters €7-12, set menu €25 (weekday lunch), prix-fixe menu €37.
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