Cassis Bistro

A new chef has taken over the stoves at Cassis, giving an Italian tilt to the otherwise French menu (albeit a thoroughly contemporary one), marrying the two cultures with the addition of pistou to ribollita soup, for instance. The décor remains as classy as ever, with a wooden floor and tables, comfortable chairs and banquettes, and walls displaying some vivid artwork. There's not much of a bistro feel to the intelligently assembled menu, with luxury products no doubt de rigueur for this moneyed part of town: caramelised Landes foie gras, for instance, with rhubarb marmalade, followed by lobster with fennel and tarocco orange. Less exalted materials are handled equally well, among them cod brandade with olives and confit tomatoes, or tongue salad with French beans and pickled onions, then saddle of rabbit crepinette with potato gratin, or plainly poached turbot fillet with sweet mash. Classics from France and Italy show up among puddings: crème brûlée flavoured with lime and rosemary with citrus sorbet, and tiramisù with a scoop of coffee ice cream.