Fabrice Lextrait has struck again! The owner of Les Grandes Tables opened this brasserie inside the old Clermont-Ferrand bus terminal, which has been transformed by celebrity architect Eduardo Souto de Moura (winner of the Pritzker award in 2011) to house La Comédie theater: a 200 m2 space bathed in natural light, with red faux leather benches, pink marble tables and bistro chairs. Come dig into the locavore menu crafted by Frédéric Pinto (ex-Spoon in Paris), like we did one lunchtime: a thin and crispy mushroom tart with radiant raw and cooked porcini; delicious trout from Arde-sur-Couze cooked in bacon and styled with mashed potatoes; a glistening Brayaude-style lamb shoulder that was a little too medium-rare, over a bed of oven-roasted potatoes; before an irresistible mocha sponge cake and cacao nib nougatine. It’s also worth exploring the market menu served at both lunch and dinner (eg.: celery rémoulade; chicken fricassee with rice pilaf and glazed carrots; apple pudding with a peppery crème anglaise), along with a few snacks served between meals – pork frittons, rillettes, sow ham, saucisson, local cheeses… // N.B.
FEELING THIRSTY? There’s a beautiful selection of local wines to choose from: a Côtes-d’Auvergne red from Vincent Auzolle (€4.50 a glass) or from the Abonnats (€21 a bottle), a Saint-Pourçain white from the Domaine de la Sourde (€27)…
PRICE: Menus €17-19 (weekdays) and €20-25 (Saturday and Sunday), à la carte €21-30.
