Category Archives: Restaurants

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Restaurants in Cannes: L’Affable

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Sleek and modern, L’Affable is one of the better mid-range Cannes restaurants.  The subtle lighting, modern art and gleaming tableware provide a perfect setting for a business lunch or friendly diner a deux. Chef Jean-Paul Battaglia applies a light touch to his preparations. Nothing is too terribly rich or too terribly spicy. He prefers fish and seafood over meat and does wonderful things with vegetables. I began with a Ceviche garniture mimosa, raw fish with a sprinkling of herbs on the side. The fish was sea-fresh but could have used a little something extra to highlight the flavours. The main course was a perfect dorade served over pureed potatoes married with a light and subtle sauce. But the highlight was an incredible Grand Marnier souffle at the end, a real tour de force, neither too sweet nor too rich (see photo). The meal was excellent value for money, priced at €38. See the website or more on Cannes restaurants. … Continue reading →

Don Camillo Creations Restaurant

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When the weather is as splendid as it has been Nice this Indian Summer, one is tempted to head to an outdoor restaurant to enjoy the burning blue sky. By opting for Don Camillo Creations we clearly prioritized the palate and we weren’t sorry. The €24 lunch menu offered excellent value as it included three courses. Regular readers of this blog know that one of my pet peeves is snobby chefs that refuse to provide a filling meal. Oh, everything is artfully arranged, but where’s the food? There was no problem with that at Don Camillo. The entreé was foie gras de canard, a real luxury item. OK, I don’t eat foie gras but the side salad of teeny veggies and small greens was delicious and the waiter was nice enough to give me extra as I sent the foie gras over to John. He did an excellent job of masking his dismay at my rejection and I was careful to extravagantly praise the salad dressing which hinted at sesame and citrus. The main course was chunks of St Pierre fish, another luxury item, served over humble but elegant fresh coco beans. The fish had a thin glaze on one side and was meltingly tender underneath. The light sauce was buttery and herb-scented. Dessert was a poached pear over an ice cream of very intense chocolate and something the waiter said was “macchia”. What is it? Help me out! Washed down with a glass of excellent white wine and accompanied … Continue reading →

Bambou Beach Restaurant

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Once again, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of food at a Nice beach restaurant. My dining companion complained of a bad stomach after eating at our usual place (which shall remain nameless) so we decided to try Bambou Beach Restaurant in front of  Lenval Hospital. As is now typical of beach restaurants, the waiter insisted on speaking English in spite of our best efforts to converse in French. (We’re not tourists, see!). The restaurant bills itself as Specialites de Poissons so we went with the flow and chose the special cold seafood platter. The waiter assured us all was fresh and it was. The platter teemed with mussels, coquilles St-Jacques, shrimp, mussels, octopus and several very large prawns. It was served over a bed of salad greens, tomatoes and yellow squash. It took us about an hour to get through it all (OK, there was a lot of chatting in between bites) and we were both pleasantly surprised by the quality and the quantity. At €16, we considered it excellent value for money. Reservations are normally not necessary at Bambou Beach restaurant (tel 04 93 86 64 15; 165 Promenade des Anglais) which is open June to September. There’s only a lunch service but drinks are served all day on the beach. … Continue reading →