In the regions, these great restaurants are also pastry counters.

Sometimes, great restaurants have a hidden agenda. Their culinary secrets and the talent of their head chefs are not their only assets. They're also... sweet haunts. In the regions, some fine restaurants choose their adjoining boutique to offer chocolate or honey souvenirs. Others prefer to fill a grocery store with sweet creations. Here's a look at five addresses outside Paris that are not only gastronomic, but also savoury.

In Saulieu, the Relais Bernard Loiseau chocolate and pastry shop

It's the missing string in the Loiseau galaxy's gourmet bow: the chocolaterie-pâtisserie. For a long time, the boutique annexed to the Relais Bernard Loiseau had included a few chocolate victuals, without being truly representative. "We reworked the whole range last year, with beggars and streusels. We also use ingredients emblematic of the region, such as blackcurrants and tansy, to design our chocolate range", explains Lucile Vigilant. The pastry chef also confides in us that, alongside the Valrhona brand, she has developed a couverture chocolate exclusive to the Loiseau house, made from brown sugar and Tahitian vanilla powder. There's no shortage of references to Bernard Loiseau's rose des sables, with a two-layer chocolate incorporating orange. As for pastries, Relais Bernard Loiseau's toque pâtissière has sculpted a range of four desserts that evolve with the seasons. The boutique is also a not-to-be-missed last stop after an experience at the hotel, where you can find the breakfast cakes and vanilla flan. "And for local customers, it's a way to get a taste of our savoir-faire," hammered Lucile Vigilant, who sees this new business as a neighborhood boutique. " We wanted to offer something for the inhabitants of Saulieu, for passing customers and for those who don't have time to sit down for a meal," she concludes. Prices are deliberately affordable, starting at 4.50 euros each for pastries.

The Auberge du Père Bise boutique in Talloires

Flan pâtissier, cookie de Savoie, cake à la livèche, tarte aux pralines or even homemade ice cream... The experience at theauberge du Père Bise (4 toques) is tantalizing from the moment you enter, even before you step through the doors of this prestigious hotel. A boutique welcomes all visitors, guests and visitors alike. Jean Sulpice invites you to take a first taste of this Ali Baba's cave dedicated solely to good taste. " I wanted to create a delicatessen with the ambience of a village patisserie, where you can find individual or family cakes for special occasions or celebrations," explains the Talloires chef. There's even a range of chocolates made by master chocolatier Stéphane Bonnat. This is a great way to extend the tasting experience, if not find memories as indelible as a gourmet dinner at Jean Sulpice's table when you're sitting on the shores of Lake Annecy.

In Eze, takeaway pastries from La Chèvre d'Or

For the moment, it's a well-kept secret known only to customers of the prestigious five-star establishment, if not to the curious onlookers passing through the sublime Provencal village. La Chèvre d'Or (4 toques) has also been a pastry counter since the arrival of its new pastry chef a year and a half ago. "Attached to the gourmet restaurant, Table les Remparts has always had a display case to replace the plated dessert menu. I wanted to make better use of it to enhance our customers' experience," explains Florent Margaillan, who was trained in this type of exercise during his stint at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat.

The range includes six cakes, with a new recipe every two weeks. For the end of the season - the Chèvre d'Or closes on October 13 - the range includes a dark chocolate and green cardamom tartlet, a fig and raspberry tartlet and a lemon/mint crisp, while a dessert in the spirit of a barquette will be garnished with chestnuts. Price: 18 euros each.

In 2025, Florent Margaillan plans to refresh taste buds with homemade ice creams, accessible to customers who have neither stayed nor dined at La Chèvre d'Or. "With this project, we're hoping, among other things, to ease the minds of customers who might not feel comfortable coming to our restaurant," stresses the chef. He goes on to explain that "just as consumers are returning to quality bread, they want to eat well-made desserts, with the aim of consuming less but spending better".

Tignes / Maison Bouvier grocery store

Since 2021, Clément Bouvier has been continuing the culinary history of the family home by bringing together a host of good products in a grocery store, including a well-stocked range of pastries and sweet treats. On the menu: wild blueberry tarts, jams, Savoy cakes, cookies and homemade spreads... "It creates a link with hotel guests, but also allows us to offer our expertise to everyone in the heart of Tignes. The mountains are all about gourmet delights. And gourmandise is something to be shared!" says the Ursus chef. Right in the center of Val Claret, the former student of Jean-François Piège, among others, offers another opportunity to sample his talent, which he also plans to deploy through a bakery when the resort reopens in December.

Blois / Fleur de Loire pastry kiosk

Paris-Brest with Piedmont hazelnuts, Saint-Honoré, citrus desserts with lemon and yuzu from the chef's own greenhouses... In Blois, Christophe Hay has not forgotten snack time, welcoming sweet tooths to a delicate setting designed like a tea room. In a hushed ambience, inviting carefree enjoyment of the suspended time suggested by the term "kiosk", the Loire toque delights with his Madagascar vanilla flan pastry Madagascar vanilla, its "Loire flower" éclair made with 70% cocoa, or pastries sculpted around local produce such as Pithiviers almonds or Sologne blueberries. Takeaway or sit down to share a moment of indulgence, all the more so as Christophe Hay offers an adapted formula including a pastry and a non-alcoholic drink for 15 euros.