Le Café de la Poste

In the village of Nâves-Parmelan in the Haute-Savoie department, the historic Relais de la Poste is back in service under the leadership of Maxime Chevardé. Formerly the sous-chef of Daniel Baratier at L’Auberge sur les Bois, he’s scaled the heights of upper Annecy to make his mark with joyful, precise cuisine, in this spot filled with a jumble of vintage finds. Behind the postmaster’s counter, where the old-fashioned stamp machine and postcards sit alongside the day’s menu, he dispatches crisp, polished dishes at second-class rates – but with the quality of registered mail. That evening, it was Jules Chazal playing postman, providing table-to-table delivery with a warm, genuine smile. And what a round! Superb roasted asparagus under a moussey hollandaise sauce spiked with Kalamata olive oil and a zing of wild garlic kimchi (picked from the meadow below); then roast cockerel to share, doused in poulette sauce with a vin jaune base, streaked with the meat’s rich cooking juices and served alongisde braised fennel; before some beautifully soft stewed rhubarb, served with a divine dollop of elderflower-infused mascarpone whipped cream and a sprinkling of almond streusel. Signed, sealed, delivered! · Sofia Lorraine