Sodade

In a glass and steel industrial building in the heart of the village of Chaudes-Aigues, Serge Vieira (the Bocuse d’Or 2005 award winner and the boss of the Château de Couffour) finally opened up a second spot after years of patient renovations. Named in a nod to his Lusitanian roots, Sodade sits under a five-story hotel (18 bedrooms) in a loft-like space (orange benches, chairs and tables made by a local woodworker) that’s prolonged by a nice terrace with views of the river. Inside, Aurélien Gransagne (ex-Marc Meneau and Philippe Mouchel in Melbourne) serves haute couture bistro cuisine at reasonable prices. The day we went for lunch, on the €32 menu: poultry and foie gras pâté en croute with verbena onion compote; a resplendent Breton cod steamed with lemon zest and caressed by a beurre blanc sauce, bread chips, fennel (salad and purée) and spinach – perfect with a round and fruity Bergerac white from the Château Tour des Gendres (€5 a glass); before an admirable apricot dessert with the fruit prepared as confit, compote and sorbet, plus a lemon-cinnamon cream and a crumble topping for the fatal finale. To drink, there’s a sober but sharp wine list: a Menetou-Salon white from Remoortere (€28 a bottle), Clos Sénéchal, a Bourgueil from Catherine and Pierre Breton (€42). Set menus €23-26, menus €32, kids €9, à la carte €41-50. // P.L.