The story
In the quiet village of Le Thou, just a few kilometres from the Atlantic coast, L'Instant Z brings a personal vision of modern cuisine to the table. Chef Philippe Zanchetta, who runs the dining room with his wife Natacha, draws on his experience in Michelin-starred houses and Relais & Châteaux properties to create a style he calls “modern and sensitive Italian gastronomy.” The result is a menu that reworks transalpine classics with contemporary technique and seasonal produce.
The dining room is deliberately intimate. The restaurant limits its number of covers to preserve a calm, attentive atmosphere – a philosophy summed up in the phrase that appears on the menu: “À L’Instant Z, le temps a un autre goût.” Here, time has a different taste.
L'Instant Z’s most famous dish is the dessert “Citron or not citron”, a playful creation that has been on the menu since November 2018. Under a delicate shell, a light yuzu-lemon cream hides a fruitier core that changes with the seasons and the chef’s inspiration. A polychrome of citrus gels brings acidity, sweetness and a visual surprise – a fitting end to a meal built on contrast and precision.
The menu changes regularly. Recent offerings include a ballotine of free-range chicken with octopus mosaic and bergamot, a seared tuna crusted with cereals on aged Parmesan shortbread with stracciatella and lobster ice cream, and roasted French veal sweetbreads with mushrooms, Piedmont hazelnuts, broccoli purée and a reduced tartufata jus. Three set menus, from the Della Nonna at 41,90 € to the five-course Mamamia at 73,90 €, give a sense of the kitchen’s range.
In 2026, Michelin awarded L'Instant Z its “Recommended” status, noting the restaurant’s fine, house-made cooking in a cosy and warm setting. The guide’s description – “Cuisine d’Auteur dans un cadre cosy et chaleureux” – matches what the restaurant itself puts forward: modern cuisine that is personal, seasonal and sincerely made.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
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