Auberge Sauvage

Sandwiched between pastures and salt marshes just 10 kilometers from Mont-Saint-Michel, terroir-ists Thomas Benady (ex-Orties in Paris) and Jessica Schein teach an incredible lesson in locavorism to those visiting this remote region. At their restaurant Auberge Sauvage, which is cleverly decorated in wood and white tones, everything comes from the bay – and they wouldn’t know how to do it any other way! The night we went was a fine demonstration: Canadian horseweed tempura with a divine honey-infused mayo for dipping; sublime flowers sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and a smoked mackerel head jus; a shot of onion water as a palate cleanser; incredible slow-roasted eggplant with ginger from the garden; tender beets cooked in a clay crust, concealing fig leaf and slow-roasted fennel; a mouthwatering mallow tartlet with preserved egg, pickled mustard seed and homemade yogurt; a perfect medallion of lamb from Avranches, electrified by a sweet and sour tomato and celery sauce; pazzo gnocco fritto (a lighter version of fried dough) with aged sheep’s milk cheese; before the final flavor-packed course, elderflower ice cream served with charred bread, pollen and honey bread. // James Patisson

FEELING THIRSTY? A top quality Poiré produced by Jérôme Forget (€5 a glass), a Loire red from Jean-Christophe Garnier (€7 a glass or €28 a bottle), a skin-contact white from Jean-Yves Péron (€12 or €79)… Not to mention the non-alcoholic drinks: apple kombucha and strawberry-elderberry or rhubarb kefir (€5 each).

PRICE: Menus at lunch €33 and €65 (6 courses), dinner €45 (4 courses), €65 (6 courses) and €85 (8 courses).