Providence

After Elsa Marie (ex-Pères Populaires) in 2017, it’s now the turn of the extraordinary Céline Pham who’s making sparks fly in Guéthary until September 3^rd. She’s taken over Antoine and Caroline Piechaud’s sophisticated bistro which is anchored to the former whaling port – the facade ressembles the prow of a boat and inside you’ll find antique furniture and checkered black and white tile floors. At the top of her game and sporting espadrilles, the French-Vietnamese chef who trained at Ze Kitchen Galerie, Saturne and Septime, will invent a brand new short and striking menu every day, with powerful Asian influences: incredible wolfish fillets with a puffed rice breading, electrified by a breathtaking sauce (mayo/mirin/soy/toasted sesame seeds), purple basil and cilantro (€8); fresh line-caught hake from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, pan-fried to perfection and served with haricots verts, cherry tomatoes, wild purslane, blackberries (both the fruit and their juice), and crushed Piedmont hazelnuts (€16); and for an imperial finale, ripe nectarines and apricots served raw, topped with a sublime buttermilk/fromage blanc/marigold ice cream and a muscovado sugar cookie (€6). As for the wines, they’re about as natural as they come: a glorious Trepat white from Partida Creus (€6 a glass), a fruity Sicilian Susucaru Rosato (€6), a Languedoc white, Page Blanche, from the Domaine Monts et Merveilles (€37 a bottle), a Côtes-du-Rhône En Attendant Les Copains (€31), etc. During the day, opt for a freshly pressed juice (€5) and some light snacks – banana bread (€4), avocado toast (€7), sardinillas (€5), Basque pâté (€8), sheep’s milk tomme (€5), etc. À la carte €30-34. No reservations. // Philippe Lafon