High-flying cuisine
A hill-top village, a table with a view and a talented chef… All we need to rouse our curiosity and whet our appetites.
A hill-top village, a table with a view and a talented chef… All we need to rouse our curiosity and whet our appetites.
If you ask Frédéric Galland why he left Lille for Falicon, he answers “For the Côte d’Azur”. Well, for a certain idea of the Côte d’Azur. The one brimming with charm, with typical villages clinging to a hillside or clustered around a rocky spur. Falicon is one of them, and the view of Nice from the dining-room of his restaurant Parcours is breathtaking. It doesn’t, however, make you oblivious to what’s on your plate : seasonal, local produce prepared with expertise and talent. In terms of panoramic views, Eze is another knock-out. And addresses here, gastronomic or semi-gastronomic, aren’t lacking. Choosing the restaurant at La Chèvre d’Or means treating yourself to a dizzy view of Cap Ferrat, Cap d’Antibes and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, as well as dishes concocted by Philippe Labbé (ex Loiseau, Vergé and Willer). This real professional proposes veal from Dordogne, lamb from Aveyron, Mediterranean sea-bass, white Alba truffles (in a country salad with flap mushrooms, Charlotte potatoes and toast with garlic)… From the covered terrace of the restaurant Les Deux Frères, you can keep one eye on Monaco. Here you’ll savour traditional dishes with a new spin, such as calf’s liver “meunière” with potato purée and a tad of raspberry or braised “papillote de la mer” with flaky pastry and thyme. Our last mooring spot is L’Hermitage with its aromas of Provence, to be enjoyed on the terrace in fine weather or in the dining-room in winter. On the menu, a “carpaccio de marbré de bœuf” with mousse of “foie gras” or a variation on lamb with all the fragrance of the Alpilles.
A view ? Bruno Cirino, chef at the Hostellerie Jérôme, quite understandably has no time for it. This inn at La Turbie which was once the presbytery of the monks of Lérins, has become a lair where this artist simmers scallops of sea-bass in an infusion of fennel and fillets of turbot, gamberoni and vegetables in olive-oil. When you drive to the Var, you exchange the picture-postcard image of the Deep Blue Sea for that of Luscious Greenery. Exit the Mediterranean and its jagged shores, welcome to the valleys, mountains and countryside. La Capeline, where you’ll find Corinne and Laurent Laugier, opens out to the Estéron valley. This former tramway station, once a coach house then a communal school, now plays host to fans of local delicacies. “Pelotons” (a kind of hand-rolled ravioli) is the signature dish, though you’ll also relish rabbit with olive-paste, boar stew, polenta and “panisses”. Further on, at Cabris, between the countryside around Grasse, the Massif du Tanneron and the Lérins Islands, the Auberge du Vieux Château and its “patronne”, Anne Loncle, welcome inveterate fans of old stones and authentic recipes. The chef, Nicolas Niros, learnt his trade under Jacques Chibois. Need we say more ! Thirteen kilometres away, Gourdon surveys the countryside from an altitude of 760 metres. The aptly named Nid d’Aigle (eagle’s nest), a gastronomic restaurant, enjoys a 360° view : sitting down at a table on the terrace is already a promise of bliss. Then it’s time for the feast, with lobster, crayfish, trout and shrimps from the fish-tank, or a rack of lamb with apples and peaches, followed by homemade pastries. A rare experience in which the eye and palate find ultimate harmony.
Carnet
Auberge du Vieux Château, place du Panorama, Cabris (04 93 60 50 12). From 30 €. Château de la Chèvre d’Or, rue du Barri, Eze (04 92 10 66 66). Menu déjeuner : 65 €. Menu « Saveurs, senteurs, couleurs du Château » : 95 €. « Pour votre plaisir gourmand » : 210 €. Carte : environ 220 €. Eze Hermitage, 1951 avenue des Diables Bleus, Eze (04 93 41 00 68). Menu « Provençal » à 30 €, « De la mer » à 35 €, « Hermitage » à 40 € et « Gourmet » à 45 €. Hostellerie Jérôme, 20 rue Comte de Cessole, La Turbie (04 92 41 51 51). From 60 €. La Capeline, route de Roquesteron, Toudon (04 93 08 58 06). From 35 €. Le Nid d’Aigle, place Victoria, Gourdon (04 93 77 52 02). Menus « Les lavandes » : 28 € and « Les cougourdes » : 35 €. Les Deux Frères, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (04 93 28 99 00). From 48 €. Parcours, 1 place Marcel Eusebi, Falicon (04 93 84 94 57). Menus : déjeuner à 32 € ; Parcours en 3 étapes à 39 € ; Parcours en 5 étapes à 55 € ; Parcours en 6 étapes à 75 €.
