Suzanne

No! This place wasn’t named after the chef’s aunt, or the Leonard Cohen song, it’s simply a cool cave à manger in Clermont-Ferrand. The mastermind behind it all? Nicolas de Sousa, a former self-employed nurse with a passion for natural wines, who left the medical field behind in order to quench people’s thirst in this beautifully-designed spot with unfinished walls, concrete floors and succulents. Fancy nibbling on something as you drink? There are a dozen or so well-made small plates: shrimp rolls that’ll have you licking your fingers clean (plump buns, lemon mayo, fennel, pickled cucumber); a trio of buffalo cheeses (mozzarella, burrata, scamorza) with a drizzle of salsa verde; hearty chicken katsu with vinegary cabbage and a sweet and sour sauce; and chocolate mousse with just the right texture. // Gwen Jacquère 

FEELING THIRSTY? : A few cocktails, including a sparkling Fresh Yuzu combining gin, yuzu syrup, lemon juice, absinthe and fresh basil (€11), and around 30 natural wines: Bloom, a lively Rhone white produced by Rémi Pouzin and Les Vins des Potes (€6 a glass), Festejar, an Auvergne pet’ nat’ from Patrick Bouju (€36 a bottle), or Rita, a highly-drinkable Languedoc red from Mylène Bru (€46). 
PRICE: : Plates €8-14.