Petit Tracteur

The sibling of Ten Minutes by Tractor, this farmhouse bistro has taken centre stage since 2018’s fire engulfed the winery.

The food at Petit Tracteur isn’t quite as refined as that at Ten Minutes by Tractor, but simplicity’s no barrier to delicious. Pan-fried barramundi is tender under its crisp skin and dressed with leek consommé; a confit ocean trout melts onto the fork and is accompanied by the counter-intuitively lovely addition of braised lettuce. Canard à l’orange is a picture painted in neon, the duck sous-vide and then fried. Dish of the day (in winter, at least) is the Tart Au Céleri-Rave, an uncomplicated pleasure composed of handmade pastry, foraged slippery-jacks and salt-baked celeriac.

The wine list is excellent. There is ample selection of wines under the Ten Minutes by Tractor imprimatur, as well as plenty of intriguing bottles from the continent: chablis from Domaine Garnier and Fils, a crisp vouvray by Mac Bredif, and a mellow, leathery valpolicella agricola allegrini from Veneto. Those with a taste for the digestif will be transfixed by the long line of cognac, armagnac and eau de vie along the mirrored bar.

For those looking to quit the big smoke for a day or two, dropping in here for the tarte tatin is an excellent excuse. Just plan to spend a while.