Les Bains Douches? More like Les Vins d’Ouche! After twenty years making his mark in the French capital – with spots like Les Petites Bulles – Vincent Gordien packed up his knives and corkscrews and headed back to his native Normandy. With terrazzo floors, a wooden bar and tables, and shelves crammed with bottles, the former family-run guesthouse in the small town of Aube has been reborn as a lively cave à manger. Open from morning till night, it’s the kind of place where the whole village drifts – for coffee, a solid lunch menu or a few well-dressed plates to share. Take that evening when chef Jean-Marc Sinceux (formerly of Le Desnoyez in Paris) was cooking up a terroir-driven storm: a simple plate of leeks vinaigrette with diced beets and soft-boiled egg; top-notch cottage pie made with locally sourced beef, served with crisp marinated cabbage slaw; and to finish, perfectly poached pear alongside chunks of chocolate fondant cake and a generous quenelle of tonka bean ice cream. Just popping in for a nibble? The charcuterie board, featuring treats made by Les Petites Fermes in Sainte-Scolasse-sur-Sarthe using pork from La Perche, is hard to resist. · Mimi Mougin

FEELING THIRSTY? Bottle-happy Vincent loves to pop a cork (corkage fee €7): a red Millésime 2021 from Le Chai de Thélème in Touraine (€22 a bottle on site) or Phylactère, a pét nat from Ariane Lesné in Vendôme (€26). Alternatively, there’s Salamandra craft lager from Brasserie de l’Être (€6.50 for 33cl) or Accent gentian-savory tonic (€5).

PRICE: Set menus and à la carte options €17-20 (weekday lunch), à la carte €30-35 (dinner and Saturday lunchtime), charcuterie board €19.