Phew, pulled back from the brink! The legendary Café de la Mairie, an eighties stalwart in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, was teetering – its liquor license in jeopardy, its walls crying out for rescue. Enter Quentin and Juliette Beausire, formerly of Paris’ 13th arrondissement, who rolled into town with their children, Gaston and Camille, and a clear-cut mission: to raise the curtain and bring the place back to life. Mission very much accomplished. Rechristened Chez Gastille (see what they did there?), the old stone building still hums with old-school charm, but now with a brisk new tempo: bistro tables, walls crammed with mismatched frames, a faint cabinet-of-curiosities charm. In the kitchen, Quentin rekindles the noble flames of old-school French cooking – brains, tripe, sweetbreads – stripped of fuss, full of conviction. That lunchtime: a stunning radish and crab mille-feuille; pan-seared sweetbreads with chanterelles, sprawling over creamy mashed potatoes; and a bright orange and stewed fennel salad, cooled with a scoop of mint ice cream. It’s the kind of meal that gently tickles the taste buds before sending you off for the most contented seaside snooze. · Pascal Diagonale

FEELING THIRSTY? A tight little edit of natural wines: a 2021 riesling from Les Funambules (€36 a bottle) or Grand Large 2022, a red from Vendée winemaker Éric Sage (€32). The entire list is also available in 500 ml carafe (€18) – a nod to Jojo, the former owner!

PRICE: Appetizers €7-12, mains €21-32, desserts €9-12, ice cream €3.50-7.50.