Restaurant Hôtel Voltaire

Right near Arles’s Roman amphitheater, Hôtel Voltaire sure catches the eye with its white and ocher, 1960s motel-style façade, and of course its stylish restaurant – terrazzo tables, Tomado shelves, a retro foosball table…. Chef Or Michaeli (ex-Milgo & Milbar in Tel Aviv) keeps hip locals and tourists well fed with his Levantine cuisine. Served à la carte the day we went for lunch: a bright lettuce heart salad with ricotta salata, savory granola and a punchy vinaigrette; leg of lamb that was just lacking a little jus, served with baby zucchini and olives – or free-range guinea fowl thigh with crispy skin, polenta, roasted zucchini and purslane; before a delicious apricot muhallebi topped with crushed pistachios. // G.LeP.

FEELING THIRSTY? Around 15 naturalist regional wines: a Var white from Jean-Christophe Comor (€5 a glass), a Crozes-Hermitage from Matthieu Barret (€7), Bloom, a Côtes-du-Rhône white from Le Vin des Potes (€24)… And a lovely selection of spirits, including an eau-de-vie Syrah from Laurent Cazottes (€9 for 40 ml).

PRICE: À la carte €26-34.