Le Gabriel Hotel

10, Place de la Bourse - 33000 BORDEAUX

The fountain in the middle of Bordeaux’s Place de la Bourse looks like it has been standing there for centuries. In fact, it was cleverly installed as part of the recent spruce-up of the city’s waterfront, adding to the Regency splendour of the smartly paved square. At the far side, Le gabriel restaurant is also part of the renovations, and makes the most of its waterfront location with large windows and a light, airy feel. Set over three floors in a traditional limestone building the restaurant has consciously styled itself to appeal to a wide range of visitors. Where you sit depends on your mood, appetite and wallet. The ground floor has a
bar-lounge for wine (with over 300 references on the list, many by the glass), cocktails and aperitifs.

As you head upwards to the first floor there’s a relaxed bistro, serving up good-quality fresh salads alongside classics such as perfectly grilled steak à la bordelaise (in red wine and shallots),local oysters and crème brûlée. Head up again and you reach the gastronomic restaurant, where chef and restaurant director François Adamski has just received his first Michelin star. Adamski has worked alongside famous-name chefs such as Thierry Marx and Eric Briffard, and here he changes his menu every season, serving up regional and French food – from Breton langoustines to milk-fed Pauillac lamb – with an imaginative, deft reworking. His signature dish is riz de veau (veal sweetbreads), ‘a dish I just love to share’. And for anyone with children, the gastronomic restaurant offers a brilliant tasting menu for little ones, just smaller portions of the grown-up version. (00 33 5 56 30 00 80; bordeauxgabriel.fr)