Fish and seafood feature strongly in Nantes’ cuisine. The main local white wine is the crisp Muscadet (best drunk ‘sur lie’ with an ever-so-gentle sparkle), while the red is the fruity Gamay. International restaurants flourish in the quartier Bouffay but for great regional cooking head to the classy Michelin-starred L’Atlantide (16 quai Ernest Renaud, 02 40 73 23 23). In the heart of the business district, Lou Pescadou (8 allée Baco, 02 40 35 29 50) has fish on the menu and fishermen’s gear on the walls. Their sea bass baked in a salt crust is close to perfection. The magnificently tiled 19th-century brasserie La Cigale (4 place Graslin, 02 51 84 94 94) is also good for oysters and seafood. Villa Mon Reve (Route des Bords de Loires, 02 40 03 55 50, www.villa-mon-reve.com) provides contemporary French cuisine in a 19th-century villa amid rose gardens.

Nantes is also known for its crêpes, and one of the best crêperies in town is La Gavrotte (25 rue Voltaire, 02 40 69 15 52). Nautically themed Rêves Marins (2 rue du Roi Albert, 02 40 47 00 96) creates gourmet galettes. For a change of scene, try the pretty quayside restaurants in Trentemoult, a former fishing village where colourfully painted houses have been colonised by artists.

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