What do a local lass, a British turner and a winemaking couple have in common? The little church square in Padern, high in Hautes-Corbières, where the whole local cast of characters converges after hairpin turn after hairpin turn, ad nauseam. A long way from their California Snail Bar, Colombian Andres Giraldo Florez (in the kitchen) and Singaporean Jules Butt (manning the rest) have put the Café des Sports (passed on by Pierre Jancou) back on its feet at the heart of the village, and gathered a lovely little world around it: a typical bar-tabac sign minus the logo, art-bistro interiors (a Frank Ocean portrait, an Anthony Bourdain illustration, paintings by Jules) and a menu made for sharing. Or not. And suddenly, you want in on this merry little gang, kept well-watered with bottles sourced within a hundred kilometers. · Nora Furia

Ate: Crispy smashed potatoes with a dollop of sea lettuce mayo; a rather heretical pan con tomate that owed more to an open BLT sandwich; pot-sticker-style gyoza filled with local lamb; and a memorable pithiviers made with the same meat, served with liver draped in meltingly soft peppers.

Price: Plates €8-18.