Normandy

Bistrot les Quatre Chats
8 rue d'Orléans, 14360 Trouville-sur-Mer (0033 231 889 494)

The menu changes daily and the food isn't classically French. A favourite of A-listers at the Deauville Film Festival.

Paris

Benoit
20 rue St Martin, 75004 Paris (0033 142 722 576)

First opened in 1912, Benoit is now owned by Alain Ducasse. The head chef cooks classic bistro cuisine and they make their own pâtés and tarts.

Restaurant Astier
44 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud 75011 Paris (0033 143 571 635)

An unfussy neighbourhood bistro, off the tourist trail, and famous for its cheese board.

Rhône-Alpes

La Bergerie
Le Cloudit, 38114 Villard Reculas (0033 476 803 683)

Family-run bistro with amazing mountain views and hearty Alpine food.

Brasserie des Brotteaux
1 place Jules Ferry, 69006 Lyon (0033 472 740 398)

A beautiful and fashionable restaurant, with a beautiful and fashionable clientele, serving simple food in excellent sauces.

Ile de Ré

L'Avant Port
8 quai Daniel Rivaille, 17410 Saint Martin de Ré (0033 546 680 668)

The food is cooked à la plancha - on an oiled steel plate, which retains the freshness of the fish caught that day.

La Cabane du Fier
Le Martray, 17590 Ars en Ré (0033 546 296 484). Open 1 May - 31 October

An oyster farmer's cabin with a quirky bistro attached, this is the place to go for robust seafood with an incredible view out across the oyster flats.

Aquitaine

La Tupina
6 Rue Porte de la Monnaie, 33800 Bordeaux (0033 556 915 637)

A famed and traditional bistro where many dishes are cooked over the fire.

Languedoc

Domaine de Blancardy
Moules et Baucels (Hérault), 34190 Ganges (0033 467 739 494)

Owner Laure Martial regularly wins awards for her wild boar, duck and rabbit.

Provence

La Colline
Route des Crêtes, 83230 Bormes les Mimosas (0033 494 648 287)

A secret retreat hidden at the end of a track. Try Josette Olivier's speciality: goat cooked in white wine.

Le Bistrot du Paradou
57 avenue Vallée des Baux, 13520 Paradou (0033 490 543 270)

This relaxed brasserie serves a delicious set lunch - which changes daily according to what the owner's wife wants to cook.

Cote d'Azur

La Meranda
4 rue Raoul Bosio, 06000 Nice (no telephone)

Rustic peasant Niçoise food at its best - get there early as there are no reservations and it's rightly popular.