With its chic rooms and gourmet dining, this creamy-white stone inn in peaceful Saint-Jean-aux-Bois in the heart of Compiègne Forest seduces guests looking for a taste of French art de vivre.
Depending on the time of year, eat beside a brick-lined fireplace or on a terrace by a pond. Michelin-starred food comes courtesy of chef-patron Yves Giustinani, who took over and restored the former coaching inn in 2002 after working in the Alps, Corsica and the Champagne-Ardennes.
According to the season, creative cuisine based on largely local produce may include langoustine carpaccio with oyster sorbet; roast pigeon with cardamon, figs and coffee emulsion; and citrus fruit with pistachio cream, Noilly Prat sorbet and timut pepper.
Four- or six-course tasting menus are a leisurely way to discover these and the chef’s signature dishes, which include foie gras ravioli with truffled chicken broth; sweetbreads with hibiscus; and warm Grand Marnier soufflé.
Before or after your meal, stroll in France’s third-largest national forest – home to one of the country’s oldest trees (planted under Saint-Louis, 1226-1270) – and relax in one of 18 stylish rooms and four suites to the sound of the village church bells.
A la Bonne Idée
3 Rue des Meuniers, 60350 Saint-Jean-aux-Bois
Tel: + 33(0)3 44 42 84 09
