In this game of musical chairs, L’Éphémère always comes out on top! After Érica Archambault and Antoine Villard, it’s time for the clever Aussie chef Valentine Costuna (who used to work at Astrid y Gastón in Lima) to run this food truck parked outside of the Fondugues-Pradugues winery in the Var department. Under century-old pine trees and a bunch of fairy lights, we soaked up natural wines from the estate with a handful of perfect small plates: oeufs mayo topped with dried bonito and furikake (a Japanese condiment made with seaweed and sesame seeds); baby zucchini from Yann Ménard that were still crisp, tucked into a feta cream and sprinkled with grated parmesan; pieces of plancha-grilled octopus with chimichurri sauce and a smoked eggplant cream that’ll have you licking the plate clean; burrata cremosa given a kick from some sweet chili oil… Unless you’d rather opt for a few solo main course dishes, like the John Dory fillet with sobrasada and patty pan squash, or the trofiette pasta with fennel sausage and fresh basil. // Gwen Jacquère
FEELING THIRSTY? Wines from the estate of course, led by the lovely Stephen Roberts and Laurent Nouvion: Eau de Source, a rosé (€7.50 a glass), 100% Grenache (€40 a bottle), Rouge d’Été, a Cinsault (€65 for a magnum).
PRICE: Small plates €9-16, mains €21.
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