Nice Port was lively, to say the least, on this Saturday night in August. The row of restaurants along the Quai des Deux Emmanuel had lined up their tables outside and made sure that a wall of sound surrounded their customers. At a certain point we realized that we were listening to three separate musical tracks coming from different restaurants even though our restaurant mercifully spared us background music. Thank you Paloma Cantine. The attempt at some calm was not the only welcome touch at Paloma Cantine. I love traditional Niçois dishes like pissaladière, grilled sardines, bagna cauda but sometimes they get a little ho-hum. The modern decor here hinted at the fresh, contemporary touch the chef lent to these local staples. The sardines over polenta appetizer was amplified with delicate mixed greens and really first-rate cherry tomatoes in a savory olive oil based dressing. Nice. My second appetizer was a lovely pissaladière topped with rougets. The portions were not super-copious though, so don’t think you’ll get away with ordering an appetizer and calling it a meal. See more on Nice restaurants.   … Continue reading →

Long known by the local cognoscenti, Flaveur recently burst onto a wider scene when Michelin awarded it a star only a month ago. Since then it’s been a scramble to get a reservation but oh, is it worth the wait. It clearly belongs on any list of the best restaurants in Nice. The lunch deal provided an unbelievably good value for money. For only €32, you got an starter, main course, dessert plus a glass of wine plus coffee. And the food was exquisite. We all began with a kir as aperitif and enjoyed a tiny disk of smoked haddock with a cream sauce as an amuse-bouche. For my starter, I chose the Risotto au vert / Gambas et Pétoncles / Copeaux d’asperges et citron caviar an exciting and highly original interpretation of risotto with shrimp, sliced asparagus, sprouts and peas. Each mouthful was an adventure that involved the clever combination of myriad flavors all smoothed into harmony. A crunch here, a tart touch there, a whiff of an exotic spice, an undertone of lemon; it was impossible to pin down but the result was divine. The main course was Volaille fermière rôtie sur la peau / Brocoletti et Grenobloise / Jus corsé au thym citron. The morsels of free-range chicken breast were topped with a juicy skin and surrounded by a delicately seasoned broccoli puree dotted with pine nuts and teensy croutons. The flavors were superb but the meat was a little drier than I would like. Then again, … Continue reading →