The Pleasure of Dining in South West France

There are numerous and varied fine restaurants in the south west of France, a region well-known for its excellent cuisine that serves the most refined dishes. Let’s take a tour of two of the best restaurants in the region.

L’Auberge Basque

Set in the Basque countryside at the foot of the Pyrenees and not far from St. Jean de Luz. Here, chef Cédric Béchade shows off his talent with refined and wonderfully adorned dishes.

The duck foie gras is served with talou, corn and tomato cream and French beans in sherry vinegar. The puffed rice is prepared with almond milk, marmalade and raspberries. The Castilla lamb is grilled and served with paella-style bulgur, tomatoes, celery and thyme. The Ibaïona suckling pig, the cod, the tuna take on unusual and wonderful flavors thanks to Cedric’s guiding hand.

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Les jardins de l’Opera

Stephane Tournée invites us to discover one of the finest tables in Toulouse. The elegance of his recipes highlights the flavors of the regional produce by combining the ingredients in surprising ways.

The fricasé autour de la volaille is delicious, the cassoulet, the typical dish of Toulouse, has been adapted with refinement and the glazed lemon pompe is a true delight.

Besides these four masters, we can recommend other wonderful restaurants in the area, such as La Corde, in Toulouse, Esprit du Vin, in Albi, Lacs d’Halco, in Hagetmau, Moulin de Poustagnacq, in Dax and the Asador, in Bayonne.