Les Chants d'Avril

Rating: 14
Author: Gault&Millau

44000 NANTES

14/20
Chef's Restaurant

9 PHOTOS

Chef: Christophe François
Cooking: French | Gastronomic
Services: Pets allowed | Terrace
Style: Bistro/Brasserie

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

23 to 45

Gault&Millau's review 2026

Located in a small, discreet street not far from Nantes train station, this restaurant cultivates a warm, "home-like" atmosphere, where you quickly feel at ease. Christophe and Véronique François uphold a personal vision of fine dining, based on surprise, trust and sharing. The menu is deliberately left to mystery, as are the wines, which are served and commented on after tasting, in a playful, no-holds-barred approach. The cuisine unfolds in a coherent, well-constructed manner, with textures, broths and long cooking times structuring the meal. The head pâté appetizer, accompanied by a gherkin, ravigote and mustard gel, plays with precision between mellowness and liveliness. The beef tongue cromesquis, served in a long-infused onion broth with a touch of truffle, adds a comforting, gourmet dimension. Rascasse, served with a vegetable minestrone and caper broth, seduces with its precise cooking and the balance between the melt-in-the-mouth flesh of the fish and the crunch of the vegetables. Blanquette de cochon, served on a bed of mashed potatoes, continues this generous style, with meat that has been simmered for a long time, melting and enveloping the palate. The dessert, combining citrus mousse, yogurt ice cream and candied apple tatin, concludes the meal on a fresh, balanced note, without breaking the coherence of the whole. Wine is a natural accompaniment to this cuisine, with a wide selection carefully chosen by Véronique, an award-winning sommelier committed to discovery and exchange. Service is committed and attentive, with the chef visiting the dining room at the end of each meal, reinforcing the inn-like spirit that characterizes this address.