Le Py-R, Toulouse

Although the restaurant’s name might be hard to swallow, the food is certainly not, as Zoë McIntyre finds out.

Le Py-R, Toulouse

Sometimes, the most unpronounceable ingredients are the most delicious, a maxim that also proves true at Le Py-R, a Toulouse restaurant with a name that is hard to swallow, but a carte du jour that certainly is not.

The restaurant is named after its chef-patron Pierre Lambinon and is based on the phonetic spelling of his first name. Having moved to new premises in the heart of town in April 2013, the ambitious 27-year-old hopes to join the six Michelin-starred cooks already working in the city.

The restaurant occupies a converted cellar with a striking interior that fuses ancient and modern. The jet¬black carpet and seating contrast with the brilliant white of the old vaulted walls. The exposed brick is left bare so as not to distract from the real focus: the food.

I began with a beautifully presented rocket salad with fresh mackerel, soft¬boiled egg, flakes of parmesan and buttery potatoes. More thrills came in a main dish of coley fish fillet, scattered with shellfish and drizzled in white bean mousse. My favourite component was the cylindrical rolls of filo pastry stuffed with sweet fig and mozzarella.

Even after an indulgent choux pastry puff, filled with hazelnut-praline cream and scoops of chocolate ice cream, I couldn’t resist the petits fours of miniature macarons, and oregano and mirabelle plum sweets.

Le Py-R

19 Descente de la Halle aux Poissons

31000 Toulouse

Tel: (Fr) 5 61 25 51 52

www.py-r.com Set lunchtime menu €26.