La Table de Dinan

La Table de Dinan is the finest restaurant in the medieval city of Dinan, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, occupying a stone-walled ground-floor room at 15 Rue Apport in the old town. Dinan is one of Brittany's most complete medieval cities, its 14th-century ramparts enclosing a network of half-timbered houses and cobbled streets that descend to the Rance river port below; La Table de Dinan positions itself as the restaurant that does justice to this exceptional setting with cooking of genuine ambition. The kitchen operates a market-driven menu combining the coast of Côtes-d'Armor — which runs from the pink granite Côte de Granit Rose in the north to the Baie de Saint-Brieuc in the east — with the inland farm produce of the Rance and Dinan river valleys. Caramelised Saint-Jacques scallops are the most ordered dish: two or three large noix from the Côtes-d'Armor beds are seared until a bronze crust forms and set on a cauliflower purée seasoned with a trace of curry, the simplicity of the preparation emphasising the exceptional sweetness of the shellfish. Breton veal, the côte de veau de Bretagne, arrives with seasonal vegetables and a light jus; a chocolate tart finished with the region's celebrated salted caramel closes the menu with authority. The wine list is well-assembled across French regions, with Loire whites — Muscadet, Pouilly-Fumé, Sancerre — forming the core. The dining room is intimate, seating no more than thirty, with the stone walls and beamed ceiling of a building several centuries old providing an atmosphere that few contemporary restaurants can replicate. Service is thoughtful and knowledgeable. Reservations for dinner are advisable; Wednesday through Sunday is the operating schedule.