PLEASE BE SEATED !
Friendly, cosy “table d’hôtes” enchant all those who appreciate good food as much as impromptu encounters around a table. Rustic or gastronomic, in town or the countryside, they are founded on the art of genuine hospitality.
“People who sit down at my “table d’hôtes” may well be fans of gastronomy, just curious or even my suppliers.” Stéphane Raimbault, chef at L’Oasis, has set up his “table d’hôtes” in his kitchens. “I have always given great importance to transparency between the kitchen and the restaurant,” he explains. “Thanks to an automatic glass door facing the reception, guests can see what’s going on behind the ovens as soon as they set foot inside. The “table d’hôtes” is another step forward in this approach.” A different stance has been adopted by Keisuke Matsushima. His “table d’hôtes” is in the same location as his former Kei Passion restaurant. It plays on purist minimalism : azure-blue and concrete coloured walls, furnishings in pale veneered wood and a collection of Japanese spoons. Six to ten guests maximum are welcomed here, to savour the dishes of the “Frenchest” of Japanese chefs, who describes his offerings as follows : “Simplicity and creativity, passion and respect, the pleasure of surprising people… ”. His “Création” menu is composed of five dishes, depending on the mood of the chef, accompanied by five glasses of wine ; as its name suggests, “Mets & Vins” proposes a 5-course exercise in matching recipes with the nectars of the gods. Nice-based designer Valérie Arboireau one day decided to invite guests into her home, a rendez-vous where the unexpected goes hand-in-hand with a cheerful atmosphere. The result is a house at the heart of Nice, La MoMA is a must (think “Maison originale de Mademoiselle Arboireau”), with a few guest-rooms and a table always open to friends and people passing through. In winter, everything happens in the big family kitchen ; in summer, you dine beneath the orange-tree. It’s wise to book in advance, of course, if you want to taste salads prepared by Peter (Larsen) and other dishes concocted by your hosts. The ambiance is unpretentious, artistic and warm. Lunch in town at La Table de Max means sampling a few good wines that this professional wine-waiter (who once worked at the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco) likes to suggest to his guests. Here you’ll enjoy authentic gastronomy such as risotto with champagne or pan-fried Saint-Jacques scallops on a bed of violet artichokes, all served on an attractively laid table. Elegance, refinement, a cosy ambiance, this address has to be deserved : it never hosts more than 14 guests who have taken the trouble to reserve. Reserving is, in fact, the common point between all these addresses. It’s also what makes the inimitable charm of the “table d’hôtes”. You’re expected, rather like a member of the family returning from a trip abroad and sitting down at table before unpacking your bags. On the hills behind Nice, at Châteauneuf-Villevieille, Karin and Sydney fell in love with La Parare, a sheep-farm dating back to the 18th century. Character, lots of style, visible stone, fireplaces, a dovecote and a garden with terraces form the backcloth. Once seated at table and waiting to dine, you take in the view of the olive-grove and the surrounding mountains. Back to nature… As at the Château Mentone, in the Var. This vineyard estate welcomes guests for dinner from Thursday to Saturday, on the terrace in fine weather, in the family dining-room or quite simply in the Château’s kitchen in winter. On the menu, produce from the estate (game, vegetables, fruit, olive-oil and wine) with, for example, courgette-flowers in batter with anchovy sauce, beef stew Avignon-style, fresh fig tart. And to end on a high note, a sampling session (in due moderation, of course) is a must, in the cellar or the Château’s lounge bar ; the reputation of the vineyard’s Côtes-de-Provence rosés, whites and reds needs no introduction.
Carnet
Château Mentone, 401 chemin de Mentone, Saint-Antonin du Var (04 94 04 42 00). 15 € (salade composée, grillade, fromage ou fruit). Keisuke Matsushima, 22 ter rue de France, Nice (04 93 82 26 06). 100 € la formule Mets & Vins ; 110 € la formule Création. La MoMA, 5 avenue des Mousquetaires, Nice (06 60 57 49 59). 30 €. La Parare, 67 Calade du Pastre, Châteauneuf-Villevieille (04 93 79 22 62). 35 €. La Table de Max, 25 chemin des Pins, Nice (06 13 45 17 57). 50 €. L’Oasis, rue Jean-Honoré Carle, Mandelieu-La Napoule (04 93 49 95 52). A partir de 60 €.
By Cécile Olivéro
