Magalas: O Bontemps

A wonderful example of the way that a new generation of young chefs who've chosen small towns over big cities are animating the remotest corners of France with terrific, inventive, affordable cooking, O Bontemps in tiny Magalas in the Hérault more than makes good on its name with food that offers a good time indeed. Arriving after a wonderful day of visiting some of the most beautiful villages in France, starting with St Guilhem le Désert, we began our meal with a complimentary amuse-bouche of mussels in a delicious bacon foam. Chef Olivier Bontemps formerly worked with Thierry Marx, the Gallic prince of molecular cooking, but he has the smarts to keep this high-concept notion on the right side of wonderfully edible, as befits a country village. We continued with a suite of five different gazpachos; a galette of pig's trotters with pistachios and hazelnuts; and deconstructed paella, which included skewered shrimp and some luscious Spanish charcuterie. A terrific melon gazpacho with red berries and tonka-bean-flavored whipped cream concluded this first-rate feast, offering further proof that the French really do "modern" better than their Spanish challengers. O Bontemps is a restaurant I'd happily eat in every other day.

Place de l'Eglise, Magalas, 04.67.36.20.82. Lunch menus €15-€20; dinner menus €24, €32, €50; à la carte €45. Prices are per person without wine.

Originally published in the May 2008 issue of France Today

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