Meet three people who’ve mastered the art of taking it easy – with an Alsatian accent. After a professional spark at Cafoutche, the bistro inside the Théâtre National de Strasbourg, they’ve joined forces to launch a place of their own: Emmanuelle Verger Monteil (ex-Marcus in Strasbourg) and Brice Murit (ex-Cerf in Marlenheim) in the kitchen, alongside Pauline Schirmer (ex-Au Bien Boire in Obernai) in the dining room. The result? Comforting dishes with self-styled neo-grandma soul, flowing effortlessly from the semi-open kitchen to warm both heart and appetite. That evening, in the shadow of a large corner bar where a bottle of Picon lounged near the beer tap, beneath ornate, traditional wooden ceilings, we happily gave in to: hearty, from-scratch pappardelle with leek tops and a creamy bechamel-style sauce laced with horseradish, lemon and almonds; followed by (slightly under) smoked beetroot with Alsatian tofu mozzarella and a perfectly seasoned purslane and samphire salad; then brazenly crunchy cubes of sticky rice paired with a trout-stuffed cabbage roll (a touch bland), quickly redeemed by an unctuous miso mayo. Dessert closed on a playful wave of nostalgia: a hulking homemade écolier biscuit – nothing more than a thick biscuit base, a slab of chocolate and a glass of milk. Because why not? · Pascal Diagonale

FEELING THIRSTY? Perfectly thirst-quenching bottles, popped open by Pauline: Sur Un Trapèze, a riesling-gewürztraminer blend from Domaine Rieffel (€7 a glass), Gentil Monstre, a Rhône red from Étienne Seignovert (€6.50) or Virose, an Alsatian skin-contact wine from Léo Dirringer (€30 a bottle).

PRICE: Set menu €21-26 (weekday lunch), small plates €13-19, large plates €24-38, desserts €14-15.