Le Jardin

Rating: 12.5
Author: Gault&Millau

06670 LEVENS

12.5/20
Gourmet Restaurant

3 PHOTOS

Chef: Flavien Fortuné
Cooking: French | Local
Services: Garden
Style: With family | With friends

Gault&Millau's review 2025

What if this was the recipe for happiness? A couple in tune with their desires, a bucolic little village a few kilometers from the hustle and bustle of the city, with a house as blue as the sky, a few tables with good bottles, a shady patio with a breathtaking view and a simple kitchen, a kitchen of the kitchen garden. While it may not be the Garden of Eden - there are no apple trees on the horizon, replaced by a young pear tree in the making - there's something a little heavenly and soothing about the Jardin. And far from being a spiritual retreat, chef Flavien Fortuné, a Maître Restaurateur by trade, has succeeded in bringing together good food, good drink and a warm welcome, thanks to his partner Chloé. The permaculture vegetable garden, just a few yards from the restaurant, offers its benefits on a daily basis, and all it takes is a salad of freshly picked fennel in the morning to realize this. Of course, the terrine de campagne is in ambush, to be savoured religiously with its goat's cheese espuma and red onion pickles. As for pasta, it's a family affair, homemade from ancient flour, eaten with pistou, ragù (yes, Bolognese), or ravioli à la daube, or generously stuffed with Italian cheeses, topped with a walnut sauce that you catch with village bread. The homemade clafoutis, with pitted cherries from the garden (pardon the Limousins), is just as generous and tasty. The wine is natural, and as local as possible. The couple's locavore approach is an encouragement to the younger generation of restaurateurs. Come and help them on Monday evenings to tend their garden, and you'll get a discount on the bill, which is already so easy to digest.