Maison Serghi

Saint-Martin-de-Ré’s fine dining restaurant Le Serghi has set sail for the land of coffee shops! Chef Philippe Tredgeu (ex-L’Entredgeu in Paris and Le Serghi) and his partner Marie Foulon opened a café / boutique on the ground floor of this bourgeois pale stone town house located on Place de la Mairie – decked out with parquet flooring, botanical wallpaper, a fireplace, marble-topped bistro tables and plush rugs. Supplied straight from the source of their main restaurant on the port, they craft a short but mouthwatering menu here, featuring everything from organic tartines on bread baked by Laurent L’Hénaff to matcha lattes, not to mention the swoon-worthy lunch plates. The day we went, that week’s lineup was far more appealing than the fare from neighboring restaurants: a focaccia sandwich filled with cured ham, tomatoes, pistachio pesto and burrata; plump little gnocchi in tomato sauce and Parmesan; salmon gravlax with citrus and a lemony dill cream; a beautiful slice of strawberry shortbread tart; a soft and fluffy orange blossom madeleine… Devour it all under the elegant crown mouldings of this boudoir-like space, served in a cardboard take-away container with real silverware and Murano glassware! // Tosca Billaud

FEELING THIRSTY? All the classics (espresso, Mariage Frères teas, etc.), a few fashionable drinks like the Charcoal Latte or the Pink Collagen Latte (both €6), a fruit of the moment smoothie (€7 a glass) or rosé from the Domaine Arica (€30 a bottle).
PRICE: : Mains €9-15, desserts and pastries €1-6.