44 DEPARTURES TRAVEL ON
44 DEPARTURES TRAVEL ON LOCATION Paris interior designer Sarah Lavoine, and the Café Basque, an excellent restaurant by chef Cédric Béchade. Tucking In Recently, la bistronomie, or modern French bistro cooking, has arrived in Biarritz, and one of the best addresses for a very local take on this Parisian style is Aiete (restaurant-aiete.com) – don’t miss the braised monkfish cheeks with smoked-paprika butter. For a seafood feast, Chez Albert (chezalbert64.fr) in the pretty little Port des Pêcheurs below the Église Sainte Eugénie, a grand neo-Gothic cathedral, is a local favourite, which is why it’s imperative to book in advance. The most fashionable restaurant in Biarritz right now is chef Anthony Orjollet’s Epoq (restaurant-epoq.com), which has a DJ and serves delicious dishes like a terrine of octopus and hibiscus, smoked trout with burned lemons and succulent local Aldudes lamb. Good, simple Basque cooking and beautiful views of the ocean, meanwhile, can be had – at Anne Israel’s recommendation – at La Plancha d’Ilbarritz (instagram. com/laplanchailbarritz) in Bidart just south of Biarritz. For pre-prandials, the views are spectacular from the rooftop of Olatua (olatua-biarritz.com), which serves delicious hors d’oeuvres like arancini made with Basque Ossau- Iraty cheese, squid tempura and spring rolls stuffed with preserved duck. To discover a range of biodynamic wines from small French producers, head for stylish L’ArtNoa (lartnoa.com), which serves a superb selection of pours by the glass from the best French Basque Country producers. Browsing Around To look the part of a native Biarrot, stop by Art of Soule (artofsoule.com), a boutique that sells a brilliant variety Anchovy tart with kombocha jelly at Epoq From left: the rustic-chic offerings at Magasin Central; L’ArtNoa owner Antoine Vignac of espadrilles, the de rigueur footwear here. In the heart of Biarritz, Magasin Central (magasincentral.com) looks like a jaunty holiday house and carries everything you’d need to inhabit one stylishly, including rain jackets for wet days, tromp l’oeil faience made to resemble cabbages, heavy-duty pressed-glass globlets, Portuguese pitchers and mugs and wicker side tables. And don’t miss the delightful little shop of Michel Pujol (1 rue Champ Lacombe), which specialises in vintage posters of the Basque Country suitable for framing, antique postcards, stamps (yes, some people still collect them) and more. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © MAGASIN CENTRAL, © L’ARTNOA, © EPOQ PLEASE CHECK THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE BEFORE BOOKING TRAVEL OR DEPARTING ON ANY TRIP
CHRISTMAS COLLECTION The ultimate in holiday gifting - a selection of covetable items to have, hold and to gift your loves ones this festive season
