L'Oiseau du Temps

Blanche, the youngest daughter of Dominique and the excellent chef Bernard Loiseau, who passed away in 2003, was entrusted with the latest addition to the small family empire, based in Burgundy (Saulieu, Beaune, Dijon). Here, under the spectacular arches of an 18th-century wheat barn, the Burgundy and Franc-Comté terroir is ever-present. Consider the Morteau sausage in brioche, the Comtois steak, the trout fillet from the Jura slow-roasted in olive oil, or the beef bourguignon with crapiaud du Morvan potato pancakes… We opted for a perfectly made Comtois pork terrine, steamed inside a red kuri squash; followed by chicken in Gaston Gérard-style sauce, aka a rich combination of cream, mustard, Comté, vin jaune and paprika, which you sponge up until there’s no bread left on the table, served with some lovely glazed vegetables as a vegetal counterpoint (zucchini, carrots, spring onions, new potatoes and cherry tomatoes); before, the ultimate show-stopper, a dessert cart featuring desserts made using “the recipes of Le Relais Bernard Loiseau,” including a Paris-Besançon made with rather dull pastry and an overly compact caramelized hazelnut cream. // Adrien Nouviaire 

FEELING THIRSTY? : Burgundy wines of course, from the Irancy by Richoux (€45 a bottle), to the 2013 Romanée-Saint-Vivant from Romanée-Conti (€2,500)… Served by the glass (€7-17), a superb Coteaux-du-Grésivaudan verdesse blanc from Finot, or a Côtes-du-Jura white from the Domaine Courbet, which pairs perfectly with the chicken. 
PRICE: : Set menu €28-38 (weekday lunch), à la carte €50-64 (dinner and Saturday lunch).