Ah, la vie est belle in the village of Bellême! The Perche region seems to have found its bird of paradise in Sylvain Parisot, the former chef at Jeanne-Aimée in Paris, who gently embraces the local landscape at Paysages, his wood-fired restaurant. Ah, la vie est Bellême in this subtlety decorated space (waxed concrete, whitewashed walls, an open kitchen), where his wife Keiko reigns over the serene dining room, spreading a little sunshine with every step. The day we visited, among the series of plates available à la carte, we had just polished off an impeccable prune pâté en croûte when the calm gave way to a burst of thunderous flavors: an unexpected combination of beetroot, mussels, goat’s milk faisselle cheese and lemon verbena – boom! Tender braised guinea fowl surrounded by miso-and-apricot-glazed eggplant, sprinkled with hazelnuts and blackberries – bam! And gnocchi stuffed with goat’s milk tomme cheese, plus a pig ear and blackcurrant coulis millefeuille – pow! To round out the meal on just as high a note, there were raspberries cooked on the BBQ and served over faisselle cheese, sprinkled with a lovely cucumber granita, all nestled within a meringue shell. // Anna Elisabeth

FEELING THIRSTY? Carefully chosen wines (Eau Forte, a gamay produced by Jean-Claude Lapalu at €58 a bottle, a Burgundy chardonnay by the Domaine de la Cras at €70), a long list of hard apple ciders and pear ciders (including a Domfront from the Ferme de l’Yonnière made with organic white pears, €6 a glass), and for those of you taking a no-low approach to drinking, a seasonal syrup (€7) or artisanal apple juice from the Cidrerie Lacour-Veyranne (€4.50).
PRICE: : Plates €14-25, cheese plate €12, desserts €9-11, carte blanche tasting menu €68 (five courses).