RESTAURANT WITH ROOMS

La Beaugravière

MONDRAGON – NEAR BOLLÈNE

N7
84430 Mondragon
04 90 40 82 54
www.beaugraviere.com
PRICE RANGE – MODERATE TO EXPENSIVE

If you’re wondering where to enjoy the double pleasure of fresh truffles and stupendous wines, La Beaugravière may be the answer. In their modest hotel beside the motorway, oenophile chef Guy Jullien and his wife Tina have established a stellar reputation for both. With logs blazing in a massive fireplace the scene is set for a cosy winter evening of indulgence which may cost a lot or surprisingly little, depending on what you choose.

As this is a bastion of traditional Provençal cooking, generous and robust, it’s important to arrive with a healthy appetite. My five-course dinner included a divinely rich cream of pumpkin soup with truffles; pan-fried foie gras with caramelised apples; a brilliant grande assiette de poissons (five or six kinds of fish and shellfish in a buttery tomato reduction); an excellent cheeseboard, then pud. It might have been way too much had not every dish been so deftly cooked.

As for the wine list…you’ll struggle to find a more exciting Rhône treasure trove. Endless vintages of treats like Beaucastel, Rayas, Clos des Papes, Chave Hermitage and Guigal’s single-vineyard Côte-Rôties are on offer at prices well below the restaurant norm. (‘I’ve been buying all the top wines for 30 years,’ shrugs Guy Jullien). At the other end of the spectrum there are plenty of affordable, everyday gems.

Four recently refurbished rooms – comfortable if a bit soulless – and a simple but well-executed breakfast make an overnight stay an option worth considering. Weak-willed wine buffs certainly won’t want to drive.