What a joyful mess! After winning over the Belleville neighborhood with his cult-favorite épicerie Ô divin, Olivier Hochedez moved to Nantes with chef Adélie Delajot (ex-Le Citizen) to turn a former neighborhood crêperie into a vibrant fine foods shop. Once inside, you’ll find yourself reaching out towards the shelves that are always filled with carefully-sourced canned goods (Béarn confits from La Maison Argaud, bisque from La Compagnie Bretonne…), natural wines (Julien Rousselot, Jean-Claude Lapalu…), or even the refrigerated glass cases managed by Alice, overflowing with carefully-made dishes: flavorful leeks in sauce gribiche; cabbage stuffed with haddock and green anise seeds; shredded pork, sweet potato and ginger parmentier ; and lovely sandwiches, like this combo of roasted squash / baby spinach / hazelnut cream. And the cherry on top? Sunday’s roast chicken lunch, served with fries and chervil mayonnaise, which has regulars licking their fingers in anticipation once the clock strikes noon, as they wait around the high tables out front. // Thomas Jossin
The hidden gem: The incredible chicken, white wine and hazelnut terrine (€21/kilo).
