In the little town of Argentan, the modern lines of the contemporary parallelepiped extension of La Renaissance cannot be missed. Local boy, Arnaud Viel, is at home here, as is his neighbour, philosopher Michel Onfray, who prefaces the restaurant’s menu. Normandy takes pride of place with freshly sourced seafood from Carteret lobster to Veules-les-Roses oysters, without forgetting monkfish from Port-en-Bessin or Créances carrots and foie gras from Auge. Save room for the decadent dessert trolley laden high with miniature delights (not a common occurrence today!) and for the chef’s signature dessert: a sphere of multifaceted textures…