Es/pacio

Another beachside restaurant? Yes, but one that’s decked out in concrete and blond wood, with Technicolor views of the new Port des Lecques, typographic posters and bottles of wine on display! Where the crowd-pleasing plates are sent out by Bastien Cathala (ex-La Chassagnette), who is backed up by Florian Vera (ex-Le Demi Lune Café in Geneva) and Emmanuel Tomatis (ex-Sixième Heure in Geneva), both of whom take care of the service and the wine: Catalan pimientos des Padrón, grilled and then mellowed out by a yogurt-feta sauce dotted with trout roe; giant homemade panisse fritters with a delicious black garlic mayo for dipping; and delightful cubist-style sweet potatoes seasoned with brocciu cheese, Maison Martegale bottarga from Martigues, raw apricots and chives; before veal rump cooked medium-rare and paired with purslane, baba ganoush-style eggplant, fig slices and caper leaves, in a jus de viande sauce – wipe the plate clean with bread from Le Moulin d’Emile in La Cadière-d’Azur. To round things out, there was a seasonal strawberry and raspberry salad shaken up by some brocciu ice cream, marigold leaves and a black lime meringue tuile. // Madeleine Proust

FEELING THIRSTY? : Organic, natural and local options! L’Orangeade, a Languedoc skin-contact wine from the Domaine Opi d’Aqui (€9 a glass), Pur Ju, a red produced by Julien Castell in La Cadière-d’Azur (€36 a bottle) and a few more classic rosés, like one from the Domaine du Paternel in Cassis (€41)… along with local beers (blanche or lager) from the Brasserie Carteron in Hyères (€8 for 330 ml), and a few traditional cocktails – spritz, negroni, etc. (€12).
PRICE: : Appetizers €15-21, mains €28-33, desserts €10-12.