Crêperies
- BREIZH CAFÉ
This creperie is renowned for its gourmet crêpes and galettes made from organic flours. The cappuccino-and-cream decor gives it a fresh, modern feel and the crêpes are really first-class. Where else could you savour a galette stuffed with langoustines and cheese? Wash it all down with a local cider.
- LA SAINT-GEORGES
Most crêperies play on the twee old-Breton style, but this one in Rennes takes an eccentric approach. Although it occupies a heritage building, its purple, green and gold furnishings, fluffy carpets and luxurious chairs make the place look more like a glam Ibizan chill-out club. Funky decor is matched by food with an experimental edge, such as crepe with marshmallows.
- CRÊPERIE AHNA
Run by the same family for four generations and with unusual delights such as galette with duck and snail butter, this place deserves its reputation as one of the best creperies in the quaint walled medieval town of Dinan. It also serves grilled meats and excellent ice creams. Reserve a table in advance if you can, particularly on Saturdays.
Seafood
- MARCHÉ AUX HUÎTRES
The idyllic little fishing port of Cancale, near St-Malo, is famed for its oyster beds and seafood at the Marche aux Hares. Locals sell their catch from stalls by the Pointe des Crolles lighthouse. Oysters are numbered according to size and quality: they’ll be shucked, dashed with lemon and served before your eyes – voila, one perfect lunch.
- LE VIVIER
This convivial eatery is perched on a small cliff on the wave-lashed Cote Sauvage; bookings are essential for the top tables, squeezed onto a sun-trap terrace hovering above the rocky coastline. The menu is unpretentious – salads, mussels and smoked fish – and you couldn’t ask for a better spot when the sun is shining.
- TY KORN
On day-trippers’ favourite lle d’Ouessant, Ty Korn has a ground-floor bar serving Breton black-wheat beers and an excellent restaurant upstairs where seafood is a speciality. Save room for the divine tiramisu breton – biscuit with apples, mascarpone and salted caramel sauce.
Bistros
- LE BISTRO DE JEAN
The enthralling mast-filled port town of St-Malo and its historic walled core is a beautiful spot. Peer through the windows of this lively bistro and you’ll see it’s packed with loyal regulars. The flavourful cuisine includes duck breast, lamb shanks and sea bass.
- L’ATELIER DES GOURMETS
Rennes has no shortage of cooking talent yet the chef at this smart bistro is still managing to garner serious accolades. L’Atelier is a hidden institution, adeptly blending the best of high-end bistro fare with solid regional cuisine. It’s good value, too.
- LE MUTIN GOURMAND
This restaurant in Crozon is one of the region’s top gourmet experiences, with an intimate dining room and delicious cuisine. For a more affordable option, head to the annexe nearby where you’ll find lunch from £13.50 at Le Bistrot du Mutin.
Brittany essentials
- TRANSPORT
It is relatively easy to get to Brittany. From Singapore, fly Air France with one stopover in Paris. For those flying from Kuala Lumpur, Air France will fly to Amsterdam first, then Paris, before heading to Brittany.
Brittany’s bus network is broad but infrequent, meaning that having your own wheels is the best option. Expect to pay about US$90 per day for car rental from Europcar, which has pick-ups directly at Brest Bretagne Airport.
- WHERE TO STAY
A quirky little hideaway just outside Crozon, Kastell Dinn offers accommodation in decommissioned fishing boats, a roulotte (caravan) and a traditional Breton longere, or long house.
Le Keo adds a touch of glamour to Ile d’Ouessant, with four individually decorated rooms in a coolly refurbished townhouse. One features a traditional lit clos (enclosed bed), and two have sea views.
Plume au Vent, a two-room b&b in Carnac town centre, exudes class with mellow shades, hundreds of neatly bound books, knick-knacks, and polished cement showers and sinks.
The know-how
- THE GREAT BRETON MENU
Brittany is a paradise for seafood lovers and you’ll find lobster, scallops, sea bass, turbot and mussels, as well as oysters from Cancale.
Kids will love eating crepes, ubiquitous in the region, and galettes— a traditional savoury buckwheat pancake.
Apple-rich cider is a Breton speciality, too. Pair une bolee (a stubby terracotta goblet) with a crêpe or galette and your taste buds will enter gourmet heaven.
Also on the drinks menu, you’ll find local beer Coreff; lait ribot (fermented milk); and chouchen, an aperitif of fermented honey liqueur.
Breton butter naturally goes into crêpes, galettes and the outrageously a buttery Breton cake — kouign amann.
