Le Mas Candille

Boulevard Clément Rebuffel, Mougins, France

You could say that chef David Chauvac is spoilt, having one of the best natural larders on the planet at the bottom of his pass, but that wouldn’t be fair. The plates he creates at Le Mas Candille in Mougins, a clapperboard snap from Cannes, are nothing short of artistry. The restaurant has held a Michelin star for the past ten years, though Chauvac only took the helm last April. For new chefs with designs on stars, the first visit of the Michelin inspector is often fatal. They were dutifully kind.

His signature Roller Coaster menu shows Provençal cuisine at its superlative best. It doesn’t get much better than the tomato granita to start, followed by a smart take on mushrooms on toast that’s both earthy and sweet, with a citrusy fragrance from the lemons he picks every day. For his fish course, Chauvac uses the local garlic, blackened after weeks spent at a low heat to give a sweetness that doesn’t overpower either the monkfish or fennel it’s paired with.

Puddings are a delight. White chocolate ice cream encased in dark chocolate ganache is just sweet enough, paired with the sommelier’s ripe-fruit Sauternes. It’s a menu that, when eaten on the sun-dappled terrace on a balmy summer evening, is good enough to make you almost want to take your eyes off the rolling countryside beneath. Almost but not completely. MS. 00 33 4 9228 4343