The good life !
Restaurants in the Riviera’s palatial hotels deploy unequalled expertise in the culinary art. Our tour of chic addresses…
A prestigious address in an idyllic environment, often crowned by a star-rated chef… The stage is set. Here, one dines semi or 100% gastronomic, with relative simplicity or pomp and ceremony. In the Festival City, gourmets are spoilt for choice. The sublime Croisette proposes the Brasserie Carlton (at the hotel of the same name), La Palme d’Or (where Christian Sinicropi now operates solo) and the Villa des Lys (at the Majestic Barrière). In addition to the talents of their respective chefs, dining-rooms benefit from views of the Med envied the world over. Of a different caliber but identical quality, Le Mahatma (Hôtel 3.14) and 38 The Restaurant (Hôtel Gray d’Albion) have opted for original decor : classy Hindu kitsch for the first, uncompromisingly contemporary for the second, “atmosphere” cuisine for the one, world cuisine for the other. On Cap d’Antibes, nestling in the hotel’s park, the Eden-Roc maintains an “anti-showbiz” stance even if stars fall over themselves to get a table during the Film Fest. Chef Arnaud Poette is equally discreet, though he prepares red-mullet “à l’Antiboise” that one has to taste at least once in one’s gourmet life. In Nice, two addresses, diametrically opposed, have faithful fans. The inevitable Rotonde at the Hôtel Negresco is all tiddly-om-pom-pom, with merry-go-round horses and automat musicians perpetuating a delightful baroque-Pompadour style. Waitresses are dressed in Niçois costumes and the chef demonstrates his mastery of local recipes (ravioli with artichokes, prawns in lemon-flavoured stock…). A thousand leagues away (only 300 metres really), the 3rd-floor Padouk at the Palais de la Méditerranée proposes the cuisine of Bruno Sohn. This chef from Alsace is now a specialist in Mediterranean fare (polenta with Gorgonzola, a light version of “stockfisch” or typical stuffed vegetables). On the road to Monaco, a pause is obligatory at the Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat, the century-old palace brimming with history where Didier Aniès (ex-La Coupole) now mans the ovens at Le Cap. The Principality boasts two legends of high gastronomy, Alain Ducasse (represented by Franck Cerutti) at the Louis XV-Alain Ducasse, and Joël Robuchon (with Christophe Cussac) at the restaurant named in his honour. The restaurant on the Place du Casino flaunts gold, gilt and opulence, the one at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo offers “design” signed Jacques Garcia ; the first gives taste its letters of nobility, the second distills a Zen-like ambiance. Two versions of Monaco, contrasting at first glance, yet both aiming for cuisine raised to the level of an art in itself. Bon appétit !
Carnet
38 The Restaurant, 38 rue des Serbes, Cannes (04 92 99 79 60). A partir de 50 €. Brasserie Carlton, 58 La Croisette, Cannes (04 93 06 40 21). Environ 55 €. Eden-Roc, boulevard Kennedy, Le Cap d’Antibes (04 93 61 39 01). A partir de 90 €. La Palme d’Or, 73 La Croisette, Cannes (04 92 98 74 14). A partir de 60 €. La Rotonde, 37 Promenade des Anglais, Nice (04 93 16 64 00). Environ 50 €. Le Cap, 71 boulevard du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (04 93 76 50 50). A partir de 90 €. Le Louis XV, Hôtel de Paris, Place du Casino, Monaco (00 377 98 06 88). A partir de 90 €. Le Padouk, 15 Promenade des Anglais, Nice (04 92 14 76 00). A partir de 60 €. Mahatma, 5 rue François Einesy, Cannes (04 92 99 72 00). A partir de 60 €. Restaurant Joël Robuchon, 4 avenue de la Madone, Monaco (00 377 93 15 15). A partir de 90 €. La Villa des Lys, 10 La Croisette, Cannes (04 92 98 77 43). A partir de 90 €.
By Cécile Olivéro
