Category Archives: Restaurants

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Chez Palmyre

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“Yummy yummy yummy I got love in my tummy” Remember this bubblegum hit from 1968? No? Anyway, that’s how I felt after eating at Chez Palmyre ( 5 rue Droite, Nice; tel 04 93 85 72 32) last night. It’s all about love, man, and this tiny bistro in Old Nice serves up love on a plate. Created in 1926 by a mother-daughter team, Chez Palmyre attracted a devoted crew of regulars by turning out an ever-changing menu of Riviera comfort food. Along the way, it gathered memories and mementos that are cheerfully stuffed onto the walls and behind the counter. If your grandma lived in Nice and opened a restaurant, this is what it would look like. After mother and daughter left this earth and France respectively, the restaurant was taken over by Vincent Verneveaux, formerly of Guy Savoy who brought a light, modern touch to the traditional food. The menu changes every two weeks and includes a choice of four starters, main courses and desserts. Notice the nice choice of meat, fish and veggie dishes which may have been a break with the restaurant’s old-time probably meat-centric choices. I began with a flaky tart topped with girolles mushrooms and a soft-boiled egg. Fragrant. The aiöli centered on cod fillet  rather than the traditional salted morue which was fine as sometimes morue can be a bit tough. Others at the table chose the duck in orange sauce which was copious and hearty. Too bad for the low-carbites that didn’t … Continue reading →

Chateau St Martin Restaurant

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Part of the Chateau St Martin Restaurant and Spa, the gastronomic restaurant has more than earned its coveted two Michelin stars. There was not one single bite of anything that was not extraordinary from the roasted almonds that accompanied the aperitif to the homemade chocolate that finished this incredible meal. Yannick Franques is the Chef, ably assisted by an expert team  that included a sommelier, fromager, affable maitre d’hotel,  and bilingual servers. First up was a glass of champagne (Roederer) on the terrace overlooking the hills around Vence. Restful. The nibblies included the aforesaid almonds, depitted green and black herbed olives, Parmesan crackers and a cheese, boule de Belp, on a thin slice of cucumber along with tiny pastries stuffed with an herbed tomato concoction fasted with bitty clothespins. With an appetite perked by the fresh air, our maitre d’, gently escorted us inside to surroundings appropriate to our gastronomic feast. Then the serious business started. Before the starters were the amuse-bouches: a lobster and eggplant mouse and an egg concoction in a beautiful silver-glazed shell.     Then onto starters. Mine was a carrot and my companion’s was an egg. WHAT??? My carrot was darkened with a cumin mixture and topped with a crust of scallions and pine nuts, served with a sauce and shavings of mimolette. How is it possible to work such a transformation on a prosaic carrot? It’s a mystery to equal the “Mystery of the Egg” in which the egg is soft boiled or poached … Continue reading →

Les Terraillers

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  Amid all the gastronomic pleasures of the French Riviera, Les Terraillers in Biot is a standout. Set in a sprawling 16th-century pottery, Les Terraillers has been in the Fulci family for generations. Now the toque is on the head of young Michael Fulci who has justly received a Michelin star for his imaginative take on regional cuisine. I’m not an unreserved fan of molecular cuisine but I admit that a little foam can perk up my palate in a unique way. In Les Terraillers the “molecular” touches were used as exclamation points to Mr. Fulci’s culinary statements. We began with amuse-bouches of incredible lightness and taste. Paper-thin wafers, anchovy butter with olive rolls and truffle-scented foam transformed earthy Provencale flavors into an otherworldly sensation. I chose the three-course Menu Saveur du Moment (€69) and began with tiny frogs legs in a papery green crust presumably of the same watercress petal sauce that moistened the legs along with a cream of sweet garlic. Divine. Even more surprising was the filet of sea bream in a crust of corn flakes, green apple and cauliflower. Who would have thought? It was a perfect balance of crunchy, sweet and salty. The dessert was a pear concoction on a pine nut biscuit with caramel sauce. How could a meal be both light and filling and incredibly satisfying at the same time? It was a remarkable achievement. The setting was also comforting. Unfortunately a sudden shower chased everyone from the flowery outdoor terrace indoors to … Continue reading →