The story
Pluviôse is a bistro at 3 rue du 17-Pluviôse in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where chef Luke Dolphin cooks a modern cuisine menu that changes with the produce. Le Fooding named it best one man chaud in 2024.
Dolphin, formerly of L'Antre in Bidart, handles most of the work himself, from foraging to dishwashing and baking. The kitchen cooks with named producers: dayboat fish, meat from the Belaun cooperative in Aldudes, and organic vegetables from the Xotildeia farm in Armendarits. Michelin lists the restaurant as Recommended for 2026.
The €25 lunch menu has included a Mendigorria tomato with homemade red wine vinegar and curds, and veal shank cooked at a low temperature with baked potatoes and chimichurri. Dessert has been a Gers nectarine in homemade elderberry syrup, served with honey gelato made from nectar from the Gauella honeybee farm in Briscous. Diners can also order a freestyle menu that differs from table to table, with dishes such as black seabream crudo with ponzu.
Recognition
Details
History
Is he a chef? A boss? An octopus ? With his finger in many pies, chef Luke Dolphin (ex-L’Antre in Bidart) wears every apron, including that of forager, dish washer and baker at this teeny-tiny joint complete with twelve seats, spread over two floors. Packed in like sardines and packed with emotion, the Aussie cooks up the crème de la crème of the region’s bounty, like dayboat fish, meat from the Belaun cooperative in Aldudes, and organic vegetables from the Xotildeia farm in Armendarits. The day’s €25 lunch menu featured: a dapper Mendigorria tomato intoxicated with homemade red wine vinegar, tasty curds, chives and toasted bread crumbs; jubilant veal shank cooked at a low temperature, with baked potatoes and zucchini doused in the meat’s juices, plus chimichurri sauce; and a succulent Gers nectarine marinated in elderberry syrup (also homemade), accompanied by honey gelato – courtesy of nectar from the Gauella honeybee farm in Briscous. Otherwise, opt for the menu that goes totally freestyle, varying from one table to another. For example: cured albacore belly, red mullet liver and caramelized onions; black seabream crudo with ponzu; browned butter French toast and chocolate ice cream… // Gérard Roubeix
Is he a chef? A boss? An octopus ? With his finger in many pies, chef Luke Dolphin (ex-L’Antre in Bidart) wears every apron, including that of forager, dish washer and baker at this teeny-tiny joint complete with twelve seats, spread over two floors. Packed in like sardines and packed with emotion, the Aussie cooks up the crème de la crème of the region’s bounty, like dayboat fish, meat from the Belaun cooperative in Aldudes, and organic vegetables from the Xotildeia farm in Armendarits. The day’s €25 lunch menu featured: a dapper Mendigorria tomato intoxicated with homemade red wine vinegar, tasty curds, chives and toasted bread crumbs; jubilant veal shank cooked at a low temperature, with baked potatoes and zucchini doused in the meat’s juices, plus chimichurri sauce; and a succulent Gers nectarine marinated in elderberry syrup (also homemade), accompanied by honey gelato – courtesy of nectar from the Gauella honeybee farm in Briscous. Otherwise, opt for the menu that goes totally freestyle, varying from one table to another. For example: cured albacore belly, red mullet liver and caramelized onions; black seabream crudo with ponzu; browned butter French toast and chocolate ice cream… // Gérard Roubeix
Location
Instagram