High up in a village on a volcanic neck overlooking the Aubrac, there’s an inn that buzzes with regional flair: wooden rafters, a monumental fireplace (dormant), ash tables, basalt and granite stones… It’s the perfect setting for Magali’s terroir-ist cuisine which is brought out by Alexandre: farm-fresh Aubrac beef fondue with beef fat, local veal cooked in white wine and even local cheeses; gourmet plates of pork, duck and trout from the fish farms in Estaing or La Canourgue – we opted for the latter which featured a huge combo of terrine, rillettes, fillet, sweet Cévennes onion, sweet potato purée, slow-roasted endives and carrots! There are also farm-fresh cheese platters you shouldn’t miss (made from cow, sheep and goat’s milk, plus a memorable buffalo milk tomme cheese), which were also gleaned from nearby, before digging into the sheep’s milk brosse cheese flogne, a sort of fluffy flan topped with whipped cream and raspberry sorbet. // G.D.
FEELING THIRSTY? Wines from the Centre and the Occitan, in addition to a craft beef from Les Brasseurs de la Jonte (€6). Served by the glass (€2.50 to €5), there’s a rustic Mansois and Cabernet franc blend from the Domaine Viguier in Entraygues. By the bottle, there’s an Entraygues white from the Domaine Mousset (€18), a Lozère red from the Domaine des Cabridelles and a Faugères from L’Ancienne Mercerie (€21)…
PRICE: Menus €24 and €32, kids’ menu €12, gourmet plates and fondues €19-25, à la carte €14-45.
