Osma

"Osmazôme is a term popularised by the gastronome Brillat-Savarin to define the principle of the sapidity of game in broths," explains Valentin Barbera. Having worked at Le Lièvre Gourmand in Orléans and Christian Têtedoie in Lyon, this young chef nevertheless elected to set up his trendy "table de copains" – a place for friends to eat together – in an out-of-the-way village in the bocage landscape of the Perche region. The tables, lit by a cascade of pretty designer wall lights, are made from salvaged railway carriage floors. The on-point dishes are made using only local ingredients, or as good as: lentils, pumpkin, wood sorrel; egg, potatoes, pike eggs; turnip, eel. All of the wines are natural.