Saint-Malo: Le Bénétin

With a superb location on a high point overlooking the English Channel, Le Bénétin, recently reopened after a fire, is one of the best summer addresses to be found anywhere in France. Not only are the views spectacular—especially on a sunny day when they serve on the deck outside—but the simple, fresh cuisine du marché of young chef Arnaud Beruel makes for wonderful seasonal dining. The menu changes constantly, but a recent dinner began with sea bream tartare and langoustines grilled with star anise—a surprisingly good combination—and continued with impeccably cooked sea bass with baby vegetables and sole with new potatoes. Treat yourself to a bottle of the superb Bardin Pouilly-Fumé 2008 for a very reasonable €32, and finish up with one of Beruel’s sublime soufflés.

4 chemin des Rochers Sculptés, Saint-Malo, 02.99.56.97.64. Fixed-price menus €24-€44, à la carte €45. Prices are per person without wine.

Originally published in the June 2010 issue of France Today

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