The Vendée – the department south of Nantes – stands for kilometers of sandy beaches, charming seaside resorts, culture and excellent food. And yet this corner of France was unknown to me until recently. What a discovery! Of course you know the Vendée Globe, the toughest single-handed regatta in the world, which sets sail from here. But if you look away from the sea and into the town Les Sables d’Olonnea world full of enjoyment, art and maritime lightness opens up.
The coastal town is relaxed, but with a touch of maritime nobility. In the original district La Chaume You can also get there on foot – but the short transfer with the “Bus Maritime”, a small ferry, is much more charming. There are also winding streets, mosaic art on the walls and a remarkable restaurant scene. You should allow yourself at least three days to discover the best spots and immerse yourself deeply in the culinary character of this Atlantic city. 
Arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne
Late summer days on the Atlantic, a wide promenade along the beach, this incomparable savoir-vivre – it’s only when I arrive that I realize how much I’ve missed it. Twilight is already settling over the small streets, but I still have to walk a few meters to the sea. I’m here! And it quickly becomes clear why a visit in the off-season is particularly worthwhile – it is not overcrowded. The days are still warm and sunny here and yes, you can still go into the sea. The Atlantic is known for its rather crisp temperatures. Or you can look for a lonely place by the water and let everything around you sink away. But I don’t want that yet. I want to discover this adorable little town! 
L’Abissiou – where fish takes center stage
The first dinner takes me to L’Abissiou, where Boris Harispe (1* in the Michelin Guide) serves modern Atlantic cuisine that is entirely dedicated to the sea. The “Euphotique 4 temps” menu begins with oysters and Maquereau brûlé – salty, clear, lively. The Rouget confit is my personal highlight: texture, iodine, elegance. Then the break, deliberately placed: Poitrine de pigeonneau royal – a powerful counterpoint, perfectly composed. The name of the restaurant is a homage to the “Abissiou”. tiny fish. What I particularly like here is that a little extra sauce is always put on the table without being asked. I love Saucesespecially the sauce with whey, grapefruit and pepper that is served with the mackerel. A start that sets the tone for this journey. 
L’Abissiou
81 rue des Halles
85100 Les Sables-d’Olonne
Out and about in the mosaic alleys
The artist Danielle Arnaud-Aubin started with it, the quarter L’île Penotte to transform it into a small open-air museum. She created large and small works of art from countless mosaic stones and shells, which adorn the walls of houses in the pretty little streets. The light in the alleys is enchanting, everything seems to be bathed in a bright orange this morning. Apart from me, there are only a few tourists walking through the streets. Please don’t touch the works of art is written in many places, but some do it reverently anyway – as if you can only understand the works of art if you gently stroke them. 
On the market and where to get the best sausages
The old market hall with its Art Deco charm is currently being renovated. Naturally, the temporary solution isn’t nearly as atmospheric, but if you ignore the temporary and concentrate entirely on what’s on offer, you’ll go into raptures. Oysters in abundance. Here I learn that the N1 – N5 classification is determined by size. I discover black, strange cakes, a special specialty – La Tourteau – which is made with cheese. The most interesting thing for me in a market is always watching the customers. I always imagine what kind of meal they must have planned. The older, very elegant lady, for example, who buys shrimps and mussels on a large scale, is obviously planning for a larger company. She carefully checks the goods. I meet her a short time later in the cheese shop. And then I discover “La Halle aux Sausissons” – Sausages from all parts of the country and beyond. I try a terrific sausage with Roquefort, then an air-dried one from wild boar and one with smoky spices. I’m in sausage heaven! Conveniently, you can have your purchases shrink-wrapped and I have my first souvenir to take home. 
La Chaume, the old part of town and where you absolutely have to eat Choucroute de la Mer
pretty little restaurants along the promenade
I continue walking to the harbor (Les Sables d’Olonne actually has three harbors), from where I can get there Bus maritime in the historic district La Chaume goes. Unsuspecting, I make myself comfortable on the ferry, but the crossing only takes 5 minutes and then it’s time to get off again. In this part of the city you can still see the charm of the old fishing village – the houses are small and colorful and the streets are sometimes so narrow that you can only pass them on foot. There is also a small market hall here (unfortunately closed when I was standing in front of it) and a typically traditional bar right next to it, which seems to be the central meeting point for local residents. Here you can drink a coffee or aperitif after shopping at the market and exchange news. The small promenade is lined with restaurants, including the restaurant Rosemonde. A classic! It’s fully booked here except for the last place. Anyone who comes here wants the best seafood. That’s exactly what I want too. One dish on the menu particularly fascinates me: Choucroute de la Mer. Anyone who has ever visited Alsace knows Choucroute. A hearty dish with sauerkraut and all kinds of meat. But this choucroute is different: the cabbage is not fermented, just cooked and refined with a beurre blanc. On top are lobsters, smoked haddock, salmon and sea bream. The dish is to die for and an absolute must. Before that, you can treat yourself to a fish soup. Culinary “Ocean Galore”!
and that is the bus maritime
the legendary Choucroute de la Mer
Rosemonde Restaurant
10 quai George V,
85100 Les Sables-d’Olonne
+33 (0)2 51 95 25 81
Cooking with Sibylle Naud
Sibylle Naud is a diet chef and cookbook author with a special mission: Cooking without allergens. She also runs a small cooking studio. Here I am supposed to cook a few regional specialties with her. She actually has it easy with me – I’m not allergic to anything, I can tolerate gluten as well as seafood and soy. She asked about this beforehand and adapted the small menu accordingly. She got little pumpkins (“Jack be Little”) that we hollowed out and steamed. They are then filled with a fresh seafood curry. There is that Préfouthe irresistible garlic bread with lots of butter (divine). We also make small tarts with fresh figs, but the dough is not made with eggs but with cooked beans and no sugar. This works great. As a farewell gift, she gives me these beans in a jar and her cookbook. If I can get this together with my incomplete language skills, I will now be well prepared for any intolerance my guests may have.
Sybille NAUD
9 rue des Merciers,
85100 Les Sables-d’Olonne
Sand, salt air and picturesque coasts
And then I have to move somehow, make the best possible use of the time until I go to the restaurant in the evening to combine both the sea and enough exercise. So back to the coast. In the end it will be more of a “relaxation” and watching the sailboats on the water, but since you tend to dine a little later here, that works quite well.
GAIA – new Atlantic avant-garde
In the medieval fortress Manoir de la Mortièrein the center of Olonne-sur-Mer, two special culinary highlights are located under one roof. At first there was just that Bistro Alice with upscale, traditional cuisine. Between thick limestone walls, cozy lighting and lots of wood, you can look forward to traditional cuisine made from the best ingredients from well-known producers, including snails, filet Rossini or confit duck with lentils. On warm summer nights, the small garden, which is also atmospherically illuminated, beckons. But the operators Marjorie and Nicolas Ferre that wasn’t enough. They wanted a very special restaurant, one where creativity meets high culinary art and the best ingredients. And so it opened in the spring of this year GAIA its elegant rooms on the first floor. The interior is focused and exudes an almost zen-like calm. The menu and dishes here follow the ingredients, spices are only used to highlight the outstanding quality of the products. It starts with smoked tuna with a cucumber-kiwi gazpacho, goat cheese and dulse, a seaweed. For the main course, Ferré serves various seafood on Spanish short-grain rice with chorizo and an incomparable chorizo mussel broth. And if you’ve never had confit cherry tomatoes with sweet pesto and burrata ice cream for dessert, you’re clearly missing out. Everything just fits here.
GAIA
1 rue Eugène Nauleau
Center Bourg d’Olonne sur Mer, face à l’église millénaire
85340Les Sables d’Olonne
Domaine Saint Nicolas – biodynamic top wine from the marshland
And then I head out of the city, I leave the coast towards the Marais – the marshland.
In the 1960s, Patrice Michon founded a winery in Brem-sur-Mer, which is now run by his son Thierry. And Thierry loves to talk about his wine. Without much further ado, we go straight to the vines. The grapes were harvested a week before. The best way to understand the unusual location of the vineyard is to climb high up – with a drone. The vines are not far from the marsh. And it is precisely this mixture of marshland, sea, salty air and clay, slate and quartz in the soil that offer the best conditions for exceptional wines that can be found on many wine lists in highly award-winning restaurants.
Chenin, Grolleau gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Négrette are grown purely biodynamically. Herbs such as nettles and horsetail are used, people pay attention to the phases of the moon and only harvest by hand. I fall in love with “Les Roches Blanches (Les Rochais)”, a pure Chenin aged in oak barrels for 18 months.
Domaine Saint Nicolas (Here you can not only shop, but also book wine and cheese tastings)
Les Clous
85340 l’Ile d’Olonne
Best brasserie cuisine at L’Instant Bouillon
My journey continues towards the coast to the second stop in Vendée. However, before I drive to the island of Noirmoutier-en-l’Île on a road that is only accessible during low tide, I visit a typical brasserie in the country. And of course there is great fish again (and wonderful fois gras).
L’Instant Bouillon
78 rue de Pierre Levée,
85150 Sainte Foy
Stay overnight and get there
Of course there are countless hotels in Les Sables d’Olonne, but if you would like something a little more private, you can book one of the few rooms in the privately run guesthouse Maison l’Epicurienne. The breakfast is stunning and tailored entirely to the guests’ wishes. And the sea is less than 100 meters away. I felt very comfortable here. Basically, the easiest way is to travel to Nantes and from there it’s a good hour by rental car. Lufthansa offers direct flights from Munich.
Maison l’Epicurienne
9 rue Villebois Mareuil
85100 Les Sables-d’Olonne
a bientôt you enchanting city!
Disclosure: The trip to Vendée was supported by Vendée expansion .Thank you for the magnificent selection of culinary discoveries. As always, the impressions are entirely mine.
