What more could you ask for? The people have spoken: Populus, by Jove! Back in September 2023, chef Louise Canonici (a graduate of the Hélène Darroze, Michel Bras and Michel Sarran schools of excellence) joined forces with Sébastien Mathieu, a former electrician turned sharp-eyed restaurateur, to take over what was once Potos 12. The setting is bright and unfussy: pale wood tables and bar, still-life paintings devoted to food, gleaming exposed ventilation ducts, a skylight peering down on the open kitchen, plus an upstairs dining room for lingering. With long-term partnerships with local producers, their sourcing game is spot on and honed weekly at Rodez market – resulting in cooking that’s local, precise and deeply satisfying. And to prove it: a rich and creamy ajo blanco topped with flaking confit Albacore tuna, parsley oil, kasha, green beans, basil and sun-sweet tomatoes; veal breast braised to the point of collapse, scattered with pickled mustard seeds and flanked by butternut squash and carrot purée, roasted zucchini, new potatoes and a parsley-lemon relish to keep things lively; and finally, a textbook Fontainebleau marbled with stewed blood nectarine (from star grower Yannick Colombier), plus shortbread for full surrender. · Aya Bouriole

FEELING THIRSTY? Wallet-friendly pleasures abound: a marcillac from Domaine l’Albinie (€2.50 a glass), a smart line-up of natural wines, and – should you feel like flexing – serious bottles too, like Court Vit, a Burgundy chardonnay from Jean-Hugues and Guilhem Goisot (€39 a bottle) to the mythic Grange des Pères 2016 from the Hérault region (€330).

PRICE: Set menu €16-24 (lunch) and €33-45 (dinner).