Page 335 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Eating & Sleeping

Le Pont Napoléon (%05 63 04 01 55; r/ste
Le Puy-en-Velay 1 €62/75; pW) is one of the best places in town
to dig into beautifully presented Tarn produce,
5 Restaurant such as duck nestled in a bed of artichokes or
Tournayre Auvergnat Cuisine €€ scallops surfing an asparagus risotto. Talented
(%04 71 09 58 94; www.restaurant-tournayre. chef Patrick Delaroux runs occasional Saturday
com; 12 rue Chênebouterie; mains €25; hnoon- cooking courses (€55), from Lebanese
1.30pm & 7.30-9.30pm Wed-Sat, 12-1.30pm Sun) food to the art of macaron-making; enquire in
This is one of the best addresses in Le Puy for advance via the website.
food and form. Its atmospheric setting, within a 4 Le Moulin de Moissac Hotel €€
12th- to 16th-century hôtel particulier (historic (%05 63 32 88 88; www.lemoulindemoissac.
town house), sets the tone. But the four-course com; 1 promenade Sancert; d €105-179, ste from
menus will dominate conversation. Savour €164; paW) Housed in a 15th-century grain PYRENEES & SOUTHWEST FRANCE
seared cod or succulent lamb on the great-value mill overlooking the Tarn, this hotel is a riverside
lunchtime menu du marché (€29) or try the treat. Rooms with distressed wallpaper, lovingly
‘Compostelle menu’, featuring scallops and painted furniture and tall French windows
zander with gnocchi (€42).
open onto river-view balconies. The restaurant
4 L’Epicurium Guesthouse €
(%06 24 41 56 10; 5 rue du Bessat; s/d/ tartare and beef in miso soup, among other
tr incl breakfast from €58/64/99; W) This French-Asian fusions. There’s a smart sauna-
gastronomy-obsessed guesthouse in the city’s spa and a romantic Jacuzzi, too.
historic centre is Le Puy-en-Velay’s trendiest (lunch/dinner menu €25.50/43) dishes up duck 30 CHEAT’S COMPOSTELA
address. Its five spacious rooms have been
freshly renovated in minimalist chic: ceilings are Condom 6
high, bathrooms are vast, breakfast involves a 5 La Table des
toothsome range of fancy jams, and you can add Gastronomy €€€
a three-course meal of local specialities to your Cordeliers
stay (€18). Wooden floors are rather creaky, (%05 62 68 43 82; www.latabledescordeliers.
but background din is part of L’Epicurium’s com; 1 rue des Cordeliers; menus €23-75;
old-world charm. hnoon-2pm & 7-9pm Tue-Sat) Condom’s
premier restaurant is run by Michelin-starred
Eric Sampietro, a culinary magician known for
Moissac 5 seasonal ingredients assembled in surprising
combinations. Tasting menus come at a price,
5 Le Table de Nos Fils French €€ but the adjoining bistro offers a three-course
(www.le-pont-napoleon.com; 2 allée Montebello; menu for just €23, with beguiling dishes such
menus €29-45; hnoon-1.30pm & 7.30- as ricotta-and-lobster ravioli. The setting is
10.30pm; v) The restaurant attached to hotel gorgeous: it’s inside a 13th-century chapel,
complete with cloister garden.

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