A star is born
There are five of them now boasting a new star… the award given by the Michelin Guide 2008 to chefs as different as they are talented.
He used to be in the old town of Grasse, now he is in Plascassier. Emmanuel Ruz, formerly with the Martinez and Gray d’Albion, has taken over an early 20th-century Provence-style stone house with amazing views over the Estérel hills, Grasse and the bay of Théoule, and re-named it “Lou Fassum”. An idyllic setting for Provence-style gastronomy. Here he has kept to his classics but restyled them in his own way. And as fashion would have it, made them a little “lighter”, too. The menu changes every month depending on the market and the chef’s inspiration. Shoulder of lamb is preserved with honey and mint, together with a tajine of vegetables. The fillet of sea-bass keeps to tradition with fennel and artichokes stuffed with mushrooms and ham. The discreet Christophe Dufau has also gone for the village option. He has been plying his trade at Tourrettes-sur-Loup since 2005 and the opening of his restaurant. “Les Bacchanales”, with uncluttered decoration and Italian-cum-Spanish-cum-Provence cooking will be open to guests from the end of June in a beautiful house close to the Matisse Chapel in Vence. “My cooking functions with the heart and the desire to share, give and please… No frills, just the love of things well done.” He admits to sometimes “putting up barriers to keep from merging recipes, and never to lose sight of the geographic location.” This way he brings together octopus salad with small leeks, gooseberries and sherry. A great lover of vegetables, he accompanies his roast veal with aromatic herbs, grilled egg-plants and figs. Sébastien Broda, who learnt his trade with Alain Parodi in Valbonne, is now set up in Biot, where he took over “Le Jarrier” and turned it into one of the department’s finest addresses for wining and dining. A sun-deck opening onto the countryside, pink, white and green for a dynamic touch and on your plate very specific culinary expertise. Depending on the season, you can enjoy cream of pumpkin with mild leeks (called “cébettes”), duckling or roast brisket with Sechuan pepper. The pastry chef comes from Les Belles Rives and his acclaimed “three chocolates”, nut biscuit, cream of chestnut and vanilla ice has done much for the restaurant’s reputation. While villages may be all the rage, coastline establishments are not letting them have it all their own way. Nice and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat have been in the news thanks to Jouni and Didier Aniès. The former, of Finnish origins, has retained from his country of birth an immoderate liking for organic vegetables and fish. He has worked with the best, from Philippe Rostang to Alain Ducasse, not to mention Dominique Le Stanc and Ferran Adria. After his “Atelier du Goût” in 2002, he took over “La Réserve de Nice” and on two floors features two distinct styles of cooking. The house which had lain dormant for eighteen years was to arise from its ashes. The chef proposes a menu that changes every day depending on the catch. Nothing is permanent : you might eat anything from crab in buckwheat cannelloni with chard and lightly salted white butter, to steam-cooked pigeon stuffed with foie gras or a roast Sardinian milk-fed lamb… At the Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, Didier Aniès, formerly at La Coupole in Monaco, has been rewarded for his culinary talent. A star to round off his first season here and confirm the fact that his much-coveted title of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in 2000 was richly deserved.
Carnet
Bacchanales, 21 Grand-Rue, Tourrettes-sur-Loup (04 93 24 19 19). A partir de 35 €. La Réserve de Nice, 60 boulevard Franck-Pilatte, Nice (04 97 08 14 80). Carte : environ 65 €. Le Cap, Grand Hôtel du Cap-ferrat, 71 boulevard du Général-de-Gaulle, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (04 93 76 50 50). Carte : environ 100 €. Le Jarrier, 30 passage de la Bourgade, Biot (04 93 65 11 68). Formule déjeuner : 23 €. Menus : 30 € et 50 €. Carte : environ 58 €. Lou Fassum, 381 route de Plascassier, Plascassier (04 93 60 14 44). Menu Saveur : 40 €.
By Cécile Olivero
