The story
In the heart of the Périgord Blanc, in the town of Saint-Astier, Les Singuliers offers a dining experience that is both deeply rooted in its French landscape and inspired by flavors from afar. Chef Louis Festa crafts a cuisine described as "sincere and engaged," a modern cuisine that honors local and French producers while drawing clear influence from Japanese techniques and sensibilities.
The restaurant’s name, "The Singulars," hints at its unique character. Festa’s cooking is a "living, precise, and demanding score," guided by nature and the seasons, and shaped by memories of travel. Each plate tells a story of the Dordogne territory, supported by a network of dedicated farmers, breeders, and fishermen. This commitment to quality and authenticity has earned Les Singuliers a place in the Michelin guide, a recognition that speaks to the restaurant's consistent excellence.
The interior extends this ethos of sincerity, using natural, regional materials like lime, wood, and stone to reveal the richness of the local architecture. The atmosphere is one of an "enchanted parenthesis," a calm and refined space for a focused meal.
The seasonal menus are a testament to this fusion. A New Year's Day menu, for example, might feature a dish of mushrooms in dashi, followed by mi-cuit foie gras with walnut wine, trout with cauliflower, and a quail with Jerusalem artichokes. A signature finale is the floating island with black truffle from Périgord, a classic French dessert given a singular, earthy twist. This is a cuisine that respects its ingredients and its inspirations, offering a genuine taste of the region with a singular, global perspective.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Wheat-toned arches, rough stone walls, waxed concrete floors, chestnut wood tables, baby blue chairs and a dead tree in the middle of all that…. If the decor is unique, the high-flying surprises from the open kitchen of Louis Festa, a 24-year-old Parisian who was trained at the École Ferrandi and then worked at Sola and Qui Plume la Lune, are even more so. The other day at lunch, he prepared a delightful trio of black beluga lentils as a mousse, a risotto and a crisp; a deeply flavorful Limousine flank steak from the village butcher, perfectly cooked on the barbecue, glazed with a yuzu-soy sauce, and paired with beets from the Marcel farm in Saint-Aquilin (prepared as both a jelly and smoked) and an incredible jus de viande , all electrified by a fennel vinegar jelly; before the more refined conclusion, a cheeky vanilla whipped cream draped atop puffed meringue, all caressed by raw figs, slow-roasted figs and honey-fig coulis. Incredible! // Gérard Roubeix
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