We're at Le Centenaire, in the midst of the prehistoric, which is how you approach dinner at Roland Mazère's restaurant. There are superb plates on which the painters of Lascaux have left their mark. The menus are anchored in the soil of the Périgord, named La Mouthe, Font de Gaume, and the most prestigious, Lascaux. And the creativity! ….all kinds of little things to whet your appetite, elegantly presented on frosted plates like an artist's palette, reflecting Roland Mazère's talent:

• foie gras crème brûlée, vanilla mango chutney and hazelnut crisp
• foie gras and Montbazillac velouté with coriander
• foie gras and gingerbread "bonbon" with a licorice emulsion
• cod and omelet beggar's purse with avocado and sweet-sour red pepper
• duck and sweet potato fricot with cardamom
• green asparagus jelly served on lobster remoulade with preserved lemon and vegetable mousse with argan oil
• foie gras and mango ravioles in a Szechuan pepper-scented duck broth with vanilla whipped cream

It's impossible to list all the dished offered à la carte and on the menus; but variety is only one aspect of the food. Roland Mazère does wonderful things with fish: sturgeon from Nontron, sole, red mullet, and so on - not to mentions meats, for which he is a stickler for perfect quality, from guinea fowl and rabbit to pigeon and pork. Meanwhile, the touchstones of Périgord's gastronomy - truffles, foie gras and confit - are not neglected. And then there is his deep understanding of tradition, a point on which Roland Mazère is never satisfied. He reads and rereads the great ancient masters as if they were his contemporaries. Using them as his starting point, he tries new combinations: mashed chestnuts, potatoes and truffles accompany veal sweetbreads; in another instance chestnuts are paired with chopped oysters and served alongside hake; the trio of foie gras - poached, confit and seared - certainly a great classic which people think they know, is exalted here with a dried fruit jelly; the delicate flavour of big green asparagus is underlined by the taste of morels and foie gras. The whole menu could be itemized in this way. But it's in tasting, not reading, that these associations seem so natural: you may almost be surprised at never having thought of them before…

Occasionally, in tasting a sauce one is startled to discover a little memory from childhood, a hint of a great-grandmother's recipe that no one has ever been able to duplicate: and yet the flavour is indeed there, and you know that from now on it will replace the one that has been long idolized in memory. This is cooking that returns to the source, rooted in age-old skills, yet one in which the past is revisited and reinvented: it is what Roland Mazère adds that awakens rather hazy childhood memories. It is through his inventiveness, not through the unending repetition of tried and true recipes, that he carries on French tradition.

Exquisite! No sweet lover who catches a glimpse of the dessert trolley will be able to forego the pleasures offered by its magnificent selection. As with the menu, you'll discover the same happy invention and wonderful variety: you'll hesitate to bite into the runny chocolate, coffee and crème de cacao cake in order to prolong all its delicate aromas; afterwards you can nibble on some petits fours to continue the pleasure. And when it comes to wine, the list has everything you could hope for… and you may be surprised by the excellent Bergeracois vintages, at very reasonable prices, chosen with the same passion.

In fact, the prices are reasonable overall for such impeccable quality. You might return less often than you'd like for dinner, but at lunch you could practically have a regular table at which to hold salon. Everything here is as enticing to see and smell as it is to taste - it is this equilibrium of senses that creates a rare moment you'll want to prolong forever.