This is the kind of place that’s well worth the effort! Deep in the Roya Valley, this old stone farmhouse has been lovingly (and stubbornly) brought back to life by a determined duo: Camille Burle (ex-sommelier at Lai’Tcha in Paris and Le Canon in Nice) and Thomas Guernion (ex-Arpège, and a worthy heir to the Maison Barale pasta dynasty). Together, they’ve transformed this far-flung patch of countryside into a bucolic gastronomic hideaway, where the views are as arresting at the plates. And what plates! That evening, the menu spoke the local dialect: meltingly eggplant caponata-style, tucked beneath a blanket of caramelized onions; glorious fresh tagliatelle glossed with a creamy sauce scented with sage from the garden; stunning celeriac ravioli stuffed with John Dory and celeriac purée, lifted by a lightly creamed fish stock; superb La Brigue guinea fowl, cooked twice (poached and grilled), doused in sauce poulette spiked with dried oregano, alongside carrot and sweet potato purée; before cheeses from the valley and a soft landing via a floating island with caramel and pear sauce. And if you don’t want this dream to end, two rooms sit beneath a glassy geodesic dome facing the mountains, reached by lantern once night falls. · Annie Zette

FEELING THIRSTY? Choose straight from the wine cellar: Brut Nature Champagne 2011, 2012 or 2013 from Ruppert-Leroy (€80 a bottle), Experto…R, a sublime chenin blanc from Dominique Dufour in Rablay-sur-Layon (€55), generous rouge du causse from Le Petit Gimios in Languedoc (€42), Strangenberg, an elegant Alsatian pinot noir from Pierre Frick (€47) or La Pente, a jacquère from Côtes Rousses (€6 a glass).

PRICES: Set menus €35 (lunch), €50 and €65 (dinner)