In the kitchens of this timeless taverna (XL rafters on the ceiling, tired tiling, paneled walls), the nimble footsteps of Masahiro Kawai blend seamlessly into the path carved out by Thierry Breton. After working for Yves Camdeborde, the Japanese chef eagerly continues his tour of France’s bistronomic scene, serving up complex, brutalist dishes, which sometimes appear simpler than they really are. The last time we went, we had all of the following: punchy tourteau crab salad with avocado, celery and buckwheat chips; a noble and multi-textural bouillabaisse with lobster cooked in broth, sea bream and palourde crabs swimming in a perfectly concentrated saffron-spiced soup that would make chefs from Marseille blush; perfect skate à la grenobloise under a sprinkling of capers, served with new potatoes; before an (almost too) traditional vanilla crème brûlée or a minimalist cherry clafoutis. Depending on the chef’s mood and the season, there’s the occasional abalone, pigeon from Poitou or even soubressade. // Ninsu

FEELING THIRSTY? A few notable bottles comfortably tucked away in their arched cellar: a Condrieu from Julien Barge (€81 a bottle), Montée de Tonnerre, a Chablis premier cru produced by Guy Robin (€70) or a blushing Saint-Joseph red from Bernard Gripa (€64)…
PRICE: Set menus €40 (lunch) and €48 (dinner).