Hot in front

• Sands

The seagulls of the 16th are in for a treat. Léopold (Imbert, Jean's brother) and Hippolyte (Talaya, ex-Crillon) have joined forces to cast off Mamie, Jean Imbert's former traditional restaurant. With this bistro as casual as a beach bar, they opened wide their window on the ocean: a small counter, a large family-style table on vacation, and a few more intimate units in the back next to the lazarette. Then it's Florian (Giacalone) at the helm, sending out tapas that look simple and pleasant, but taste just right: clams au gratin with wild garlic, crab plancha with sauce vierge, crabmeat rillettes and avocat bouillon végé(the only element we found superfluous that evening), the delicious white asparagus mayonnaise with bulot and shallots and, on the mainthe fish and chips (as the lady next to us said, "there aren't even any chips, they're French fries!") and the pea and snow pea risotto with scampi that were too small, and therefore a little linty. Between the decor, the ambience and the plates that spin at full speed, there's enough to make for a great time. The wine cellar is well stocked, without revolution but with pleasure: Pesquié, Ancienne Cure, Pellé, Jacky Blot...

35 bis, rue de la Fontaine 75016 Paris

• Opaline

Alexis Guillon and Charlotte Troi, winners of the Dotation Gault&Millau, have brilliantly launched their restaurant in La Rochelle. Close to the Place de Verdun, on the threshold of the old town, the contemporary-style establishment inspires commitment and character. In the dining room, Charlotte energetically manages the fifteen or so covers. In the kitchen, Alexis has opted for sequences (vegetable, fish...), with a triptych based on local products for each theme. It's daring and quite successful, as in the case of the aillet coulis with spinach and trout roe, the potato, in a rather unusual texture, and the vegetarian tacos.dite texture and vegetable tacos, or the combination of pollack, celery and beurre blanc with vegetable charcoal, whelk and Colonnata bacon, crab roll and obione. These ideas need to be fine-tuned, particularly in terms of flavors, and a few details remain to be worked out, such as the creation of a cellar over time. But the strengths are there. The offer is original, well-priced (five or six courses for €49 or €59 in the tasting format), and the two young professionals are full of determination.

20, rue Rambaud, 17000 La Rochelle

• Le Mimosa

Just 20 minutes from Biarritz, the Basque countryside has many charms, like this village with a pediment right in its heart. Mathieu and Mathilde met at Guy Savoy's restaurant and each knew a few beautiful houses before settling down not far from Mathilde's native village, Espelette, the chili capital. In Sare, then, they acquired a large Basque house, whose authenticity they have preserved, as in the beautiful dining room extended by a terrace under the trees, with its huge bar, old fireplace and antique cupboard serving as a china cabinet. Their cuisine is of course rooted in its roots, but their savoir-faire encourages escape, with dishes brimming with character and personality. For example, they twist "arroltze ta xingar" (Basque egg and bacon) with talo, also very local (corn cake), runny egg, ossau-iraty mousse and xingar chips, to offer a very fine and gourmet dish.The fine, gourmet dish of roasted turbot, marinated zucchini and lemon myrtle-roasted bone juice is followed by the classic, highly successful fontainebleau with strawberry confit and basil meringue. The wine list is generalist and well-stocked, with a few regional productions, and the choice of spirits is substantial (gins, rums, whiskies...). The service is pleasant and natural, and Mathilde participates when she can forsake her pastry-making.

Place du Village, 64310 Sare

• Les Cadets

Charles in the kitchen, Tristan and Lucas in the dining room. A wonderful adventure begins for the two brothers and their pal in this gourmet rue des Hauts-Pavés, just above Talensac. Charles Bernabé spent a few years working alongside Christophe Hay at La Maison d'à Côté, and Tristan is no stranger to the world of wine, thanks to his experience with Greg Marchand at Frenchie. With their heads screwed on straight and their ambitions well-reasoned, here they are, at home in Nantes, partly thanks to the Gault&Millau endowment. The fundamentals are there: simple, precise cooking, one product, one sauce, one accompaniment, the right gesture, sobriety on the plate and rigorous attention to cooking and textures. The result is a fine first taste of red mullet with crispy kohlrabi and mayo au jus de tête, pollack fumet with muscadet and grilled asparagus, Vendée ham and Kalamata olives, and rib steak with jus court and vegetables of the moment. This finesse of taste continues through to dessert, with a beautifully updated childhood baba with rhubarb. Les Cadets is a restaurant of today, a beautiful plant that just needs watering to grow. The cellar is already richly constituted, with a choice of wine by the glass well distributed between regional vineyards and other terroirs.

15, rue des Hauts-Pavés, 44000 Nantes