Sillage

The story

Sillage, Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron – Modern Seafood with Italian Accents on Île d'Oléron

Between sea and land

In the heart of Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron, Sillage is a restaurant that takes its name from the wake left by fishing boats. For chef Gabriele Ferri and his wife Marie-Nolwenn, that wake is a promise: to honour the work of French fishermen and the quality of the products they bring ashore. The cooking is described as “passionnée et instinctive” – refined, technical, and built around audacious flavour combinations.

The dining room is warm and welcoming, with a small terrace for outdoor seating. The feel is intimate, driven by a respect for seasonality and provenance. The restaurant’s Michelin Bib Gourmand award for 2026 recognises the consistency of this approach: good-quality cooking at a reasonable price, a badge that fits perfectly with the Ferris’ philosophy.

Italian roots on the Atlantic coast

Chef Gabriele Ferri is originally from Piedmont, and his Italian heritage appears in dishes like a bagna cauda salsa or a Pecorino Romano finish. Yet the menu is firmly anchored in the Atlantic. Seafood dominates, with local catches from the nearby port of La Cotinière. In season, game from the region also appears.

The menu is structured in “vagues” (waves), offering two, three, four, or five courses. A lunch formula (two courses) is available midweek. The five-course tasting menu at €62 is a complete journey through the kitchen’s range.

A wave of flavour

A typical meal might begin with a tartare of vieille (a local fish), paired with peas, cucumber, and a gin granita – a cold, aromatic start. Or confit carrots from a local grower, with orange, hazelnut pollen, and Pecorino. The main course could be hake poached in olive oil, with a cauliflower velouté, black rice, and a sake dashi. Another option is maigre from La Cotinière, seared skin-on, with green beans, courgette velouté, peanuts, and that bagna cauda salsa.

Desserts are equally considered: rhubarb in several textures with a coconut linzer biscuit and tea extraction, or a “Mer & Terre” – a Dulcey ganache with seaweed, raspberry, and piquillo sorbet. The wine list is open and inspiring, showcasing the work of individual vignerons.

Sillage is a restaurant that respects its sources and its guests. It delivers modernist seafood cuisine with clarity and purpose, in a setting that feels both personal and precise.