Lunch on the beach
It’s no secret, people envy us for our beaches and the restaurants that go with them. From May to October, this is the place to lunch while getting a tan.
It’s no secret, people envy us for our beaches and the restaurants that go with them. From May to October, this is the place to lunch while getting a tan.
Choose from great classics and more recent venues. Among the “must” addresses are those right on the beach. For many years, the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes, from Ramatuelle to Monaco, have shared our favours. Restaurant owners confirm that beachcombers have all settled in by 11 a.m. ; from then on , it’s hard to find a sun-mattress. As for lunch, tables are full from 1 a.m.. Quite logically, at the water’s edge, these terraces opt for single colours, chic white, sunshine yellow, or the gaiety of red- or blue-and-white. La Pinède Plage and its chef, Christophe Louis, place the accent on Mediterranean specialities, as do the Beauvallon Beach Hotel or Le Nioulargo at Pampelonne, which adds a few Italian touches to its repertory. For sheer escapism, settle down at Kailargo with its exotic decor, and savour the finesse and fragrance of its Asian delicacies.
Three examples of elegant addresses are the Hôtel Beau Rivage, the Lounge Beach and Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel. One in Nice (you have to go at least once), the second in Villefranche-sur-Mer (with world cuisine and a toque in the Michelin Guide) and the third in Monaco with Jean-Claude Brugel (famous for his ravioli with borage and fresh tomatoes). Then there’s Plage Keller, intimate and almost cut off from the rest of the world. A unique setting, rather like an island, where lunch means sea-bass in a crust of salt signed Olivier Condat, who mans the ovens at this address also known as “Chez César”. A highlight in the summer, for tourists as well as locals.
More recently…
In addition to Castel Plage which had a facelift last year, the Riviera has seen the arrival of new “stretches of sand” over the past three years. The legendary Maison des Pêcheurs has become a very trendy resort complex at Juan-les-Pins : traditional beach mattresses and parasols, the Restaurant de la Plage (for salads and grilled fish) and ambiance guaranteed, even at night, as this address also plays host to Le Cap (from June to September). Started from scratch, 3.14 Plage, which belongs to the hotel of the same name, is a funky blend of blues : the azure of the Med and the turquoise of the furnishings. Also launched in 2004, Z’Plage adds to the Martinez a taste of distant lands : lounge tents, inviting sofas and low tables. In the restaurant, the chef proposes meat and fish baked in a clay oven, plus salads called “Zanzibar”, “Rising Sun” or “Pep’s & Santé”. What’s really new for summer 2006 is to be found at Golfe-Juan and is called “Le Sud”. On the menu : pizzas, salads and grills, DJ every evening and various kinds of entertainment.
3.14 Plage, La Croisette, Cannes (04 93 94 25 43). Menus : Saveurs : 24 €, Plaisirs : 31 €. A la carte : approx. 53 €. Beauvallon Beach Restaurant, RN 98, Sainte-Maxime (04 94 55 78 88). A la carte : approx. 45 €. Castel Plage, 8 quai des Etats-Unis, Nice (04 93 85 22 66). From 30 €. Plage de l’Hôtel Beau Rivage, quai des Etats-Unis, Nice (04 93 80 75 06). A la carte : approx. 55 €. Lounge Beach, 2 promenade Marinières, Villefranche-sur-Mer (04 93 01 75 57). La Pinède Plage, plage du Gigaro, La Croix Valmer (04 94 55 16 16). A la carte : approx. 60 €. Le Restaurant de la Plage, complexe Les Pêcheurs, 10 boulevard Maréchal Juin, Juan-les-Pins (04 92 93 13 30). A la carte : approx. 40 €. Le Rivage, Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel, Monaco (00 377 93 28 66 66). A la carte : approx. 55 €. Plage Keller « Le César », chemin Garoupe, Le Cap d’Antibes (04 93 61 33 74). A la carte : approx. 50 €. Restaurant Nioulargo, boulevard Patch, Ramatuelle (04 98 12 63 12). A la carte : approx. 50 €. le sud, avenue des Frères Roustan, Golfe-Juan (04 93 63 53 74). ZPlage, 73 la Croisette, Cannes (04 92 98 74 22). Pizza : 10 €. A la carte : 25 to 30 €.
By Cécile Olivéro - photos : press
