Restaurant Le Righi 1, place du Fort 06500 Sainte Agnès France Tél: 04 92 10 90 88
Superb panoramic view over Menton
View over the coast from Italy to Cap Martin in France
Saint Agnès is the highest coastal village in Europe sitting at 800 metres and is listed by the “Les plus beaux villages de France” (the most beautiful villages of France) organisation. It is quite a drive to get there from Menton: the mountain road is pretty narrow in some parts but at least the view is breathtaking. Just be sure you do not have vertigo. In winter time at night I would not like to drive there, it is easy to miss a corner 😉 The village is 15 minute drive from the casino in Menton.
To go to Le Righi restaurant you have to pass by the village and park your car in front of the panoramical view next to the Fort, now a museum, of the Maginot line (actually it is called the Alpine line in this area). Who would have thought about a restaurant there? Le Righi has two panoramic terrasses offering an exceptional view over the coast. We are above Menton and we can see the coast from Italy to Cap Martin.
It is a family oriented restaurant where pets are welcome. The owners have a big dog near the entrance and there were some clients with a dog sitting next to us. The menu is simple, with a few prix fixe menus and we chose a 3 course menu at 20 euros and a 4 course menu (different choice of meals and the cheese added compared to the 20 euros menu) at 25 euros. We also ordered a grapefruit juice (2.50 euros) and a glass of red wine (3.50 euros).
A glass of wine & grapefruit juice
Pâté de foie gras
Vegetarian ravioli
The foie gras, served with a little salad with tomatos and some toasts, was average in portion and in taste. I have had a lot larger slices of foie gras on a 25 euros menu. The ravioli was decent – and nicely cooked al dente. I took the meat-stuffed variety over vegetarian, which was perhaps a bit of a mistake as it wasn’t briliantly paired with the butter sauce and parmesan cheese. Overall, a little bit average and not something I’d be in a great hurry to have again.
Gigot d'agneau (lamb)
Baked trout
The baked trout, which came with a white sauce seasoned (I think) with a form of spinich, was difficult to fault : it was nicely cooked, with a crispy skin. But somehow it just lacked anything special, so overall was an OK dish but not something I’d be rushing back to have again. It came with some nicley baked potato slices and some grilled mushrooms. As a general observation, the meal was rather like something one might cook at home, lacking that something special that makes food an event. The gigot d’agneau (lamb) was served with potatos, carrots, aubergines and mushrooms. It was good and healthy but nothing exceptional, unlike the view!
The desserts
Apple pie
Chocolate cake, lemon tart, ice cream
Dessert was a very generous slice of apple pie, served with vanilla icecream and chantilly cream. The waiter did take some time to explain that the pie wasn’t up to their usual standard today, being a little undercooked (so I had plenty opportunity to choose something else). Actually it was OK – indeed, a little undercooked and consequently a bit heavy. But considering I was well warned about that, I don’t feel it is anything to complain about (everyone has their off days). Undercooked or not, actually it was quite good and not at all oversweetened. The chocolate cake and the lemon tart were fine.
Cost and conclusion: It was 51 euros. The food overall was OK, but not fantastic. It does not offer a very good value for money compared to Le Vauban in Antibes for example. The service was very friendly. This is a restaurant to which one goes for the view and pleasant surroundings, far more than for the food. And for the excellent view, it does get top marks – difficult to fault. If you’re in the area, that view and a bite to eat are worth stopping in for.
More photos:
le Righi is the tiny orange dot in the centre, at the right of the village of Sainte Agnès
Between the two on top there are the ruins of the medieval castle.
The restaurant is at the right. The bunker is part of the Ligne Maginot and can be visited
Restaurant Le Petit Prince 15 rue Frédéric Mistral 06530 Cabris France Open 12h – 14h30 and 19h15 – 22h Closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, except in July and August where it is closed only on Wednesday.
The entrance (photo taken after the dinner)
The garden area
Overview
Back to the beautiful perched (550 metres high) village of Cabris! This time we went to the restaurant Le Petit Prince named after the book of the same name. Countess Marie de Saint Exupéry who lived in the village from 1934 to 1971 gave the permission for the restaurant to carry the name of her son Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s famous book. The interior dining area with stone wall and exposed beams is decorated with the “Petit Prince” character. We ate in the front garden since it was a nice warm evening.
We ordered the 4 course menu at 32 euros since it offered a good value for money and a decent choice of meals. As starters you can choose between Foie gras et magret fumé façon club, compotée d’oignons, pointes d’asperges et pommes vertes (foie gras with onion chutney, asparagus et green apples) or Tartare de saumon frais sur lit de salade, chiffonnade de saumon fumé, sauce au tarama (fresh salmon and smoked salmon with salad) or Eventail de fruits et légumes tout autour de l’assiette, buisson de salade (artichauts, avocats, tomates, mangue, melon et pamplemousse) which is a plate of vegetables and fruits (artichoke, avocado, mango, grapefruit, melon, tomato).
For the main courses, you have the choice between Gambas grillés, sauce vierge et risotto aux trois poivrons (shrimps with virgin sauce and risotto) or Saint-Pierre, mangue et marinade passion (John Dory fish with mango and passion fruit) or magret de canard poêlé aux pêches, sauce poivrade (duck breast with pears and pepper sauce) or pavé de selle d’agneau persillé sur poêlée de légumes grillés, jus au thym frais (lamb with grilled vegetables, fresh thyme sauce). Then you get the cheese course followed by the desserts, giving you the choice between Palet sablé caramel au beurre salé or coeur fondant au chocolat or douceur de pêches pochées maison et crème brulée pistache or nos glaces et sorbets. We also ordered a bottle of mineral water Badoit (4.40 euros) and a carafe of 50cl of red wine (4 euros) which was good.
A cat guest
Coming to say Hello
Resting... He eventually left when he saw the waitress
While we were waiting for our meal, we found we had some furry company. A neighbouring cat – who, from the look of the size of his belly, enjoyed considerable success in sharing the meals of many patrons – appeared. He took his time about making his presence known, exploring some nearby tables. But he disappeared rather quickly at the reappearance of the waitress. Clearly not a popular guest with everyone!
Complementary tapenade (olives paté)
Before our starters arrived, we were given a plate of tapenade and crostini. As in any decent restaurant, this sort of appetizer was complementary. The crostini were nicely crispy and just flavoured with olive oil – unlike the greasy hard fried bread concoction I had at Terroirs in London (and they had the nerve to charge for it, even for the bread, free here). The olive tapenade was excellent – neither too salty nor swimming in olive oil. A most enjoyable beginning to the meal.
The starters
Eventail de fruits et légumes
The starter was enormous It was a range of fruits and vegetables, nicely presented around a small bit of salad with asparagus. On my plate was artichoke, tomato, avocado, melon, mango, apple, and grapefruit. All were perfectly ripe. It was a nice balance between sweet and savoury. Definitely recommended.
Foie gras et magret fumé façon club
It was a delicious sandwich of smoked duck and foie gras
Close-up
The foie gras et magret fumé façon club was absolutely yummy Not only it was fun to eat foie gras with a layer of smoked ham in a sandwich, it was also excellent with the crispy bread. With the slices of green apples and the asparagus heads, it was quite an original and interesting meal.
Saint Pierre, mangue et marinade passion
The Saint Pierre fish (John Dory) was also nicely done. It came with a sort of mango sauce, which had me a little worried from the description, but actually was pretty good. John Dory is an underrated fish, that has firm and flavoursome fillets. It was served with some nicely cooked vegetables, including broccoli and saparagus. A perfect accompaniment, and overall a not-too-heavy meal.
Pavé de selle d'agneau
The lamb was very good, perfectly cooked. It was easy to cut and the taste was excellent, almost smooth with a thyme flavour given by the sauce. I forgot how the tomatoes actually taste and smell like tomatoes here,with that fruity flavour. What a shock compared to what we usually get in London, but then the weather isn’t exactly the same 😉
Fromages sur lit de salade
The two desserts
Douceur de pêches pochées maison et crème brulée pistache
After the cheeses, very good by the way, the douceur de pêches pochées was very good – it was still quite firm, though not quite crunchy and still had some tang to the flavour. The top part was a sort of creme brulee with pistachio which completmented the fruit nicely. Not being too much into sweet things, I found this dessert to be excellent.
Coeur fondant au chocolat
The chocolate fondant was quite good. It was perfectly cooked with a firm outside and the expected soft flowing centre. It was just a little too sweet for my taste (though I’ve encountered many sweeter). But overall still good, and the sweetness would suit the taste of many people. It was served with vanilla icecream, which was also quite good. Bellevue Rendez-vous still does it better though.
Cost and conclusion: it was 72.40 euros. Overall it was a very pleasant meal, with good quality food and friendly service. The starters in particular were very good, but overall it was good also. I would not hesitate to return, and to take the same meals (unless tempted by something else on the menu). Highly recommended!
Chez Marguerite 31 rue Sade – Place nationale 06600 Antibes, France
Chez Marguerite - left and right
On the right side
It is quite large
We wanted to go to le Vauban restaurant which offers some of the best value for money in Antibes, but unfortunately it was fully booked so we had to find another place. A restaurant I used to go often when I worked in Mougins is le Brûlot, famous for their magrets de canard cooked in a woodfire oven, but it was also closed today at lunch time. Considering Antibes is quite a popular tourist destination, having the largest marina in Europe, its old town and fortress, there are quite a few tourist trap restaurants so we were a little worried. We decided to go to this one, nicely located at the place nationale between many other restaurants.
Their main promotion was a moules frites formula at 12.50 euros (marinière, oriental, with cream, with safran). They also had roasted chicken with fries (9 euros), lasagne with salad (10 euros) and as meal of the day they had a sirloin with mushrooms and cream (12 euros), gambas à la provençale (shrimps cooked with tomatos, onions and garlic – 14.50 euros) and a couscous maison (home made couscous – 15.50 euros). They have woodfire-baked pizzas too.
Badoit and red wine
We ordered a sole meunière (butter fried sole – 23 euros) and a magret de canard au poivre (duck breast with pepper sauce – 18 euros). As drinks we have a bottle of sparkling water Badoit (5.70 euros) and a 25 cl carafe of red wine (5 euros). The wine was very average.
The two main courses
Sole meunière
The sole meunière (butter fried sole) was very good. It was nicely seasoned and the fish perfectly cooked – firm, and easy to slide off the bones. With a touch of lemon juice, was really a perfect lunch. It was served with some new potatoes, and a small salad and green beans. I wouldn’t hesitate to take this dish again.
Magret de canard au poivre
The magret de canard (duck) was a little strange. It looked they removed the fat from the top of it… Well usually people like the fat when it is well cooked so it becomes crispy. The meat itself was not bad but the pepper sauce was on the too salty side, a little like at French restaurant Gastro in Clapham Common (London) by the way. The fries could have been warmer.
Cost and conclusion: it was 51.70 euros. The lunch was ok, but nothing special. Same with the service. There are better restaurants around offering much better value for money like le Vauban, le Brûlot Pasta or la Gravette within 2 minutes walk.
A good way to digest lunch is to walk around the marina!
The marina in Antibes
Restaurant Le Vauban 7 bis rue Thuret 06600 Antibes France
The old town of Antibes. You can see the tower of the Musée Picasso.
View of the Fort Carré in the evening. The marina is largest yachting harbour in Europe.
Antibes is a very pleasant town in the French riviera located between Nice and Cannes. From Nice airport it is about 10 minutes’ drive to get there. Of course, it depends on how crowded the roads are and during the summer things can get pretty busy. The port of Vauban, dominated by the Fort Carré, is the largest yachting harbour in Europe. You can admire some of the world’s biggest luxury yachts while walking there. If you have the time, visit the Cap d’Antibes where you can walk along the coast. You need to park your car at la Garoupe Parking and it is about a 2 hours walk along a coastal path between the sea and beautiful villas. The vegetation is very nice too with tall Aleppo pines.
The restaurant Le Vauban, named after the Marshall of France, Marquis de Vauban who designed the fortification of the Fort Carré (photo above), is quite discreet. It is easy to miss it in the street because there is no terrace and the door is closed because of the air conditioning so it is quiet inside, far from all the tourists. It is nicely decorated but more attention could be paid, for example some flowers were not that fresh, with some dead leaves on the ground.
We ordered the menu of the day at 19.95 euros and the Vauban menu at 27 euros. Both are set menus with several choices. The menu of the day gave a choice between the Tartare de foie gras aux mediants (duck liver) et jus de mangue or the saumon fumé (smoked salmon) et pousses de roquette as starters, between the Filet de lingue étuvée de fenouil (fish) or the Rôti de porc, purée de pommes de terre (pork with mashed potato) as main courses and between the Moelleux au chocolat or the Marinade de fraises as dessert. The Vauban menu offered a choice between 3 dishes for each course. As starters, you can choose between the Foie gras de canard cuit au torchon, confit d’ananas au poivre long or the Asperges blanches, saumon fumé, œuf de poule mollet et sauce hollandaise (white asparagus with smoked salmon and egg) or the Crème de pommes de terre au safran, huîtres et granité au citron (cream of potatoes with safran and oysters). As main courses the choice was between the Filet de daurade, niçoise de légumes, julienne de mange tout et jus de concombre (fish with vegetable and cucumber juice) or the Magret de canard, mousseline de haricots coco, cerises et croustillant de sésame (duck) or the Pavé de cabillaud, crème de petits pois, carottes fanes, et tomates confites (another fish). The choice for the dessert was between the Moelleux au chocolat et glace au yaourt (chocolate fondant with yogurt ice cream) or the Crémeux de mascarpone aux agrumes et chapeau de chocolat blanc or La fraise, en émulsion, en marinade et sorbet fruits rouge (strawberries with red fruits sorbet). We also ordered a glass of wine (Côte de Provence – 5 euros) which was quite good and a bottle of sparkling water (4.50 euros).
To start, we both got a small plate with two small round pieces of melon in its juice. They were quite good, a nice way to start a lunch. They also provided some slices of a crispy bread cooked with olive oil (crostini) with a pot of caviar d’aubergine. It was quite fresh and tasty and I cannot help comparing it to the miserable tapenade and crostini I had to pay for at Terroirs in London. As in any decent French restaurant, we also had some bread with some butter that had a light lemon flavour. All this came at no charge.
The Crème de pommes de terre au safran, huîtres et granité au citron was excellent. It was like a Vichyssoise, so served cold, with two oysters and both of them wrapped by a cucumber. The Tartare de foie gras aux mediants et jus de mangue was very good too with a nice mix of flavours. It came with warm toast.
The Filet de daurade, niçoise de légumes, julienne de mange tout et jus de concombre was good but the vegetables (cougettes, aubergines, tomatoes cut in tiny bits and sautés) were a little on the greasy side despite the cucumber sauce. The fish itself was very well cooked with a nice taste. The Filet de lingue étuvée de fenouil was delicious with, again, a perfectly cooked fish.
Before dessert, we got some kind of little crème brûlée which was nice, with a good texture. It was complementary also. The Moelleux au chocolat was great, with a real deep chocolate taste while being light to eat. The vanilla ice cream was not too sweet. The fraise, en émulsion, en marinade et sorbet fruits rouge was average. There was a kind of red/pink biscuit with a pink (because of the strawberry) fresh cream inside at the left, a little pot with slices fresh strawberries in the middle and at the right a scoop of strawberry sorbet. I have to say it was very nicely presented but I think a sorbet with strawberries around it and with some fresh cream in a large nice plate would have been easier to eat.
Melons
Crème de pommes de terre au safran, huîtres et granité au citron
Tartare de foie gras aux mediants et jus de mangue
Filet de daurade, niçoise de légumes, julienne de mange tout et jus de concombre
Filet de lingue étuvée de fenouil
La fraise, en émulsion, en marinade
Moelleux au chocolat
Cost and conclusion: it was 56.45 euros service charge included, which is really not bad considering the quality of the meals and the fact you are in the old town of Antibes in the French riviera which is a top destination full of tourists. It is not one of these tourist trap restaurants with a terrasse and a steak frites menu starting at 13 euros for catching the tourists. It is an elegant place and obviously the chef does pay attention to the food. Having tried for years many restaurants in the area (I used to work in Mougins) I believe this is the best restaurant you can find in Antibes. Highly recommended!
Pizzeria San Cezari 4 Place de la Tour 06530 Saint Cézaire sur Siagne France
The village of Saint Cézaire sur Siagne
The village
Beautiful panoramic view from the village
Henri watching the landscape from the village
Henri in the Siagne river
Pizzeria San Cezari
Saint Cézaire sur Siagne is a nice old village of the Alpes Maritimes perched on a mountain above the Siagne river. From its panoramic point of view you can see the sea and even cities like Frejus or the bay of Saint Tropez on a clear day. It is really in the countryside whilst still being only 45 minutes drive from Nice airport, 30 minutes from Cannes or Antibes, 25 minutes from Mougins and Sophia Antipolis… the Saint Cézaire area is full of olive trees and the village is well known for its award winning olive oil. It is also know for the remains of fortification of its 14th-century castle and its very interesting caves. The river Siagne is extremely nice with cristal clear water. It is quite physical to get there from the village. It takes about 30 minutes to go down but about 1 hour to come back. It climbs steeply. The village is at 500 metres high. I know it quite well having lived in the area for several years when I worked for a startup company located in Mougins.
The pizzeria San Cezari is the main restaurant of the village. It is just in front of the church, behind the place du village. It has well priced set menus as most restaurants do in France but we decided to take pizzas today. We ordered two pizzas, one Cannibale made of minced meat and cheese (11 euros) and a Calzonne 4 fromages (13 euros). We also had one salad (3.50 euros), a glass of wine (1,90 euros) and a 50cl sparkling water (3,10 euros).
The two pizzas were good, but nothing outstanding. The base was good but the topping, especially the minced meat, could have had more taste. They were quite large pizzas so do not take a starter unless you are very hungry! The chilli oil was fairly hot. You can see all the chilli in the bottle in a photo below. What I like there is the knife. I wonder why more pizzerias don’t adopt them because they are really efficient.
Excellent knife for cutting pizzas
Pizza Calzone
Pizza Cannibale
Chilli oil
Cost and conclusion: it was 32,50 euros service charge included. Not cheap but then it seems everything has become expensive in France in the last years. That said, it was a pretty decent lunch, the service friendly and the location is nice
If you visit Saint Cézaire sur Siagne on Saturday, there is a market in the morning. Below are some photos of it.
La place du village
The Saturday market. Here some hats for sale...
Paella, cheese, wine, olive oil etc can be found at the market
Herbes de Provence
The florist
