Our favorite summer spot has a surface area of just 12 m2! This pop-up shipping container can be found in the public gardens of Nébian, a small village in the Hérault department with a mere 1,400 souls, where Romain Henry (ex-Gordon Ramsay in London and Comme les Autres in Béziers) puts a sublime twist on the French guinguette. The other night, on the terrace listening to the cicadas, the Béziers native grilled everything he could get his hands on: delightful nearly raw shrimp with a local pepper purée, all dotted with bottarga; a gigantic pork loin with half of a round zucchini, homemade gnocchi and an intense tapenade – or duck breast served pink over a thick slice of beefsteak tomato, with rounds of cèbe de Lézignan, the region’s sweet onion; before an XXLocal peach tart, served with a punchy homemade sorbet. Otherwise, seen on the mayor’s table, a fat Galician blonde prime rib dry-aged for 45 days, served raw… // Antoine Antoine
FEELING THIRSTY? Romain serves local, organic options at friendly prices: a rosé from La Grange des Copains (€3 a glass), a Cinsault from Julien Peyras (€18 a bottle), a Chenin from Nicolas Carmarans (€30)… Unless you’d rather opt for a KvEiZe pale ale from the Brasserie Baudille (€3.50 for 330 ml).
PRICE: Set menu €26, prime rib €60 a kilo.
