Lunchtime snacks
Some days are downright challenges. Including those devoted to shopping. Lunch then rears its head on a programme in which each step is vital. Addresses, either simple or chic, for fashion victims on the run…
A shopping expedition should be organized rather like an obstacle race. With fun as a bonus. So prepare your itinerary and plan a lunch break to recover before blithely setting off again. In Monaco, the “Golden Square” is home to leading brands, from Dior to Chanel, via Piaget and Cartier. Just to play things down, after a tour of the Métropole’s shopping mall, a quick trip to Zara seems inevitable. Lunch ? At Tartine. Because it has a terrace (not so common in the Principality) and the sandwiches are made with organic, craftmade wheatgerm bread ; to accompany your feast, vegetable juices, also organic. In Nice, chic boutiques have taken over Rue Verdun, Rue Paradis and Rue de la Liberté. Depending on time and mood, you can take a casual or gourmet break. Olivier Labarde, already at the helm of La Part des Anges, has joined forces with Bonaventure Blankstein to create Vinivore. The town thus has an additional wine-cellar/bistro concept. At both addresses you’ll find a no-frills bistro atmosphere with grass-roots products and a wine-list offering welcome surprises. Close to the revamped Place Masséna, A l’Etage has opted for discretion. This address, which voluntarily bears no sign, is discovered with the opening of an apartment door. Baroque opulence tinged with modernity, a slate for the menu and an enticingly presented and copious snack. For lunch at Le Local, you have to head for the port. This restaurant cum Italian grocery only proposes products from across the border : pasta, sauces, cold meats, cheeses and wines. Tuck into a plate of antipasti and stock up on specialities to prolong the pleasure back home. When high-end products invite themselves to table, they boast evocative labels like Hédiard, Bruno or Lenôtre. La Table d’Hédiard on the fourth floor of Galeries Lafayette proposes a chunk of salmon with soya or lamb cutlets “à la plancha”. Benjamin bears his father’s surname, but has already made a name for himself. His Diamant Noir offers a high-end lunch break focussing on the precious mushroom : toast with summer truffles, risotto with truffles, knuckle of lamb and polenta spiked with truffles. In Nice as in Cannes, house traditions at Lenôtre are respected for both sweet and savoury. Unique tapas, unfurling a full range of local specialities (skewer of tomato and mozzarella, preserved tomatoes...) and salty delicacies (mini pesto pie, savoury iced macaroons...). In the Festival City, this address, ideally located on Rue d'Antibes, has been treated to a beneficial revamp and one now awaits one’s gourmet dish amidst trendy décor. Not on the Croisette, nor Rue d'Antibes, Sof (Spirit of Food), the fast-food of Cannes has quickly become a fashionable venue where one relishes a snack while keeping an eye on one’s weight. Here, it's little glasses and food tossed in woks, composed as you please, with world cuisine, fresh and natural ingredients as top priorities.
Carnet
A l’Etage, 4 avenue de Verdun, Nice (09 66 13 87 72). Diamant Noir, 34 rue Beaumont, Nice (04 93 89 69 60). A partir de 30 €. La Part des Anges, 17 rue Gubernatis, Nice (04 93 62 69 80). Autour de 25 €. La Table d’Hédiard, Galeries Lafayette, 6 avenue Jean Médecin, Nice (04 93 62 24 92). Environ 25 €. Le Local, 4 rue Rusca, Nice (04 93 14 08 29). De 9,50 à 13 €. L’assiette d’antipasti : 11 €. Lenôtre, 63 rue d’Antibes, Cannes (04 97 06 67 67) et 14 avenue Félix Faure, Nice (04 92 26 17 00). Sof, 4 place Gambetta, Cannes (04 93 38 38 10). Menus Verrines : de 11,60 à 15 €. Menu Woks : 10,80 €. Tartine, 30 route de la Piscine, Monaco (00 377 97 98 70 70). Environ 23 €. Vinivore, 32 avenue de la République, Nice (04 93 26 90 17). Environ 30 €.
By Cécile Olivéro
