In 2010, a 21-year-old Romain Clavel, the grandson of Aimée Millo (the former chef at the Auberge de La Madone) and Bernard Clavel (winner of the Prix Goncourt in the 1960s), opened a bistro in the former home of Claude Brasseur and Catherine Sauvage, tucked away in the picturesque fortified village of Peillon. Forteen years later, the classically trained chef (who did stints at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monaco and the Mandarin Oriental in London) continues to delight diners at his restaurant done up with wood, stone and exposed rafters, with its priceless views of the valley below. The day we went for lunch, sent out from the tiny kitchen and served by Marie-José, Romain’s mom, there was all of the following: incredibly simple yet delicious homemade sourdough topped with tomatoes, spring onions and translucent pancetta; top-notch and perfectly crispy pissaladière, or tender eggplant with homemade sausage; slow-cooked beef fillet or pork chops from Breil-sur-Roya, served with a medley of slow-roasted vegetables and incredible gratin dauphinois potatoes; before a perfectly made seasonal fruit tart with a shortbread crust and a strawberry and apricot topping. // Lenny Vega

FEELING THIRSTY? Around a hundred labels from both small producers and big names: Clef de Sol, a Touraine chenin from La Grange Tiphaine (€45 a bottle), a Saint-Joseph red from Christophe Pichon (€48 a bottle), a Savigny-lès-Beaune from Fanny Sabre (€68), or a Cornas 2014 by Clape (€515).
PRICE: : Set menu €23-38.