The inimitable cuisine of Liguria
Ligurian cuisine reflects this Italian region's colour and sensuality.
The cuisine reflects the region : colourful and sensual. For gastronomy on the Italian Riviera, everything’s a matter of feeling…
They call it the “Land of Colours” or the “Land of Flowers” in reference to the roses, carnations and jasmine that grow here. Like the local scenery, the cuisine of Liguria is probably the most fragrant in all Italy. It makes liberal use of vegetables, combining them with olive-oil of exemplary purity (quite different from that of Nice in terms of taste). In fact, people here tend to call it (quite justifiably) the “nectar of the olive”. And as on the Côte d’Azur, by the sea or in the countryside, the Italian Riviera is proud of its “blue” and “green” addresses. In different, but always appealing, styles. If you decide to have lunch at Baia Benjamin in Bordighera, don’t forget the short walk through the pines : you arrive at an abandoned creek - and there it is ! On a terrace facing the Med, with original recipes and a sense of getting away from it all. At Balzi Rossi, gastronomy is based on the bounty of the sea (octopus salad, ravioli with crayfish… and, of course, grilled fish), served just a few feet above the waves. The Victory Morgana Bay is as spectacular as it is immense. 1,300 m2, like a sail ship ready to cast off. Contemporary furniture, picture windows opening out to the Deep Blue Sea and a cuisine “of the depths” (fish ravioli with courgettes and shrimps, rice with black squid ink, oven-baked turbot with artichokes…). The prize for the loveliest view certainly goes to La Réserve ! Here, you’ll savour antipasti, fried or grilled fish right at the water’s edge. And the rule is to finish with an iced limoncello !
Though the “Land of Flowers” also has its urban and rural side, both with their own charm. If you like to have the red carpet rolled out and appreciate an address with a jet-set ambiance, La Via Romana at Bordighera will be your choice. A restaurant situated on the town’s most elegant avenue with an entrance that immediately sets the tone. Majestic ! On the menu, mainly fish and seafood, with a special mention for the (marine) stew. At Il Bagatto in San Remo, a maître d’hôtel in a tuxedo bids you welcome to an impeccable dining-room. Not for weirdos ! At the San Michele, the restaurant at the Grand Hôtel Pigna Antiche Terme, Liguria’s culinary heritage is unfurled in full-blown and dietetic mode. A word of advice : reserve your table after a spell at the spa with tonic or relaxing massages.
Finally, for those who go for chlorophyll, two essential addresses : the Hosteria del Coniglio at Seborga and La Favorita at Perinaldo. The first dates back to 1902. And owner Madame Vacchelli still lets her dishes simmer old-fashioned style before they’re served by her daughters. Pasta (homemade, of course), boar stew, jugged hare with beans, or rabbit, either stuffed or baked with olives. Two kilometres from Perinaldo, right in the countryside, the hotel-restaurant La Favorita has all the charm of an inn. The cooking is still local, or “rustic” as the owners like to say. Much appreciated, the ravioli, gnocchi and green lasagna baked in the oven, all homemade. Try the grilled meat or succulent rabbit in red wine with olives. This is the real Liguria, with all its magic and charm.
By Cécile Olivéro - photos : press.
Carnet
Baia Benjamin, Grimaldi Inferiore, Corso Europa 63, Vintimiglia (00 39 01 84 38 002). Lunchtime menu : 50 €. Dégustation menu : 70 €. A la carte : from 65 €. Balzi Rossi, Vintimiglia (00 39 01 84 38 132). Lunchtime menus : 35 and 55 €. Prestige menu : 62 €. A la carte : approx. 80 €. Grand Hotel Pigna Antiche Terme, Regione Lago Pigo, Pigna (00 39 01 84 24 09 49). Lunch : approx. 40 €. Il Bagatto, Via Matteoti 145, San Remo (00 39 01 84 53 19 25). Menus : 25 and 42 €. La Favorita, Apricale (00 39 01 84 20 81 86). Menus : 20, 22 and 25 €. A la carte : approx. 30 €. La Réserve, Via Arziglia 20, Bordighera (00 39 01 84 26 13 22). A la carte : from 30 €. La Via Romana, Via Romana 57, Bordighera (00 39 0184 26 66 81). Menu : 40 €. A la carte : approx. 55 €. Restaurant Apricale da Delio, piazza Vittorio-Venetto, Apricale (00 39 01 84 20 80 08). Menu : 26 €. Victory Morgana Bay, C. so Trento e Trieste, San Remo (00 39 01 84 59 16 20). A la carte : approx. 40 €. « Specialities » : from 15 to 28 €.
