Riviera Reporter
Riviera Reporter
THE FRENCH RIVIERA'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE
THE FRENCH RIVIERA'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE

Food and Wine


Eating and drinking on the Riviera.


Two glasses of red wine

Wine: Thoughts on 2015 Bordeaux En Primeur

Alex Ignatieff | Oct 20, 2016
Fantastic! Finally, a year in Bordeaux to really get excited about. This may not be the biggest news of the day as the wine world has been not so quietly excited about the 2015 vintage since the moment the grapes were safely out of Mother Nature’s…
Best of Cooking 2016 cover

Hubert Boivin: Q&A with “Best of Cooking Nice”

Riviera Reporter | Sep 27, 2016
RR: Hubert Boivin, tell us about your role as President of UPCR, the restaurant owner’s union of Nice and the surrounding area (“Syndicat des cafetiers et restaurateurs de Nice et ses environs”). HB: My role is to lead and represent the union in…
Wine casks

A trio of rosé wines from Provence

Alex Ignatieff | Jul 13, 2016
An early Easter and the season of pink was well and truly launched, perhaps with a big jumper or two nearby, but what a grand way to ease into the best of Provence. The professional calendar is always a step ahead and we were coming out of the first…
Luc Salsedo's Socca Chips

Q&A with Luc Salsedo, creator of the socca chip

Riviera Reporter | Jul 06, 2016
RR: Born in Cagnes-sur-mer, how did the region influence your relationship with food? LS: I grew up with a grandfather who was a butcher, fond of local cuisine, and my mother was a cook. Both would cook regional specialities with me. RR: Did you…
Red wine in two glasses

Red wines for winter

Alex Ignatieff | May 09, 2016
Winter was upon us! Bliss. Collapsing into a bucket chair on a terrace in the mountains wondering whether lunch will be followed by more skiing or perhaps just a nap before the evening’s activities kick off. With this truly life defining question in…
Wine bar in Nice

Wine bars in Nice worth braving winter for

Chrissie McClatchie | Mar 08, 2016
When we last headed deeper into self-imposed winter hibernation, I thought it might be fun to compile a selection of my favourite Nice wine bars, to encourage readers to occasionally pop out of their winter dens. In the eight years that I’ve been…
Paolo Sari

Elsa: Paolo Sari's organic restaurant at the Monte Carlo Beach

Scott Bell | Jan 05, 2016
Organic food and cooking is becoming increasingly accepted and even demanded in our everyday lives. In addition to the many organic-only stores, most every supermarket has a dedicated bio section containing virtually everything from wine, fruit and…
Christmas wine

Getting naked with your wine for the festive season

Alex Ignatieff | Dec 12, 2015
The weather is neither snowing nor frightful but no doubt about it, the festive season is here. Champagne must flow, too much must be eaten and pledges to never do it again made and ignored. My favourite time of year and no consequences that a gaudy…
Holding glass of red wine

A wine tasting in Seillans of red, white and bubbly

Alex Ignatieff | Oct 30, 2015
After a wonderful summer of too many friends, too much food, too many pink swimming pools, taxi trips to rival Phileas Fogg and altogether too much fun, life settles back into a more familiar groove: near empty beaches, restaurants have tables and…
Rose in Glasses

Wine: A rosé by any other name

Alex Ignatieff | Aug 11, 2015
The Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix, having graced us with their ever-exhausting whirl, reminded us that it was time to watch the temperature rise and relax with a restorative glass of our region’s most famous, important and delicious…
Dom Perignon Statue

Champagne moments, in search of a new discovery

Alex Ignatieff | Jul 04, 2015
Spring is tasting season for the wine trade. A winter of watching snow reports is abruptly ended and the serious job of finalising your selection for the new season takes over. Prices need to be firmed up. Old favourites need to be tasted, with…
Organic Carrots

Organic matters: What is “bio”, where to find organic products on the Riviera

Scott Bell | May 22, 2015
These days it’s difficult to avoid the word “organic” – or bio in French – and seeing the European organic logo, that green flag with its 12 white stars in the shape of a leaf, popping up on food and beverage packaging. Products sold in France…
La Table de Nans Restaurant

A no-nansense Michelin meal at La Table de Nans restaurant in La Ciotat

Caren Trafford | May 18, 2015
It’s been more than 100 years since the tyre manufacturers André Michelin and his brother published the first edition of a guide for French motorists in 1900. At the time there were fewer than 3,000 cars in France, and the Michelin Guide was…
Christmas wine

Wines for Christmas for cheer delight

Alexander Ignatieff | Dec 10, 2014
The season is upon us! Sun seeking bathers have abandoned the beaches to storm chasing surfers. The loungers are swapped for extra layers and ski kit. Gourmet salads are now just sides for more hearty fare and the obligatory glass of rosé stays in…
Truffle Pizza

What’s all the kertruffle about a pizza?

Thierry de Buoux | Nov 23, 2014
Over here. You are supposed to be a hyper-sensitive sniffing machine and you’re going the wrong way. That’s better, now dig. Thank God I’m not going to rot here in this ground. I’m going to be eaten, savoured, perhaps married to an egg, or enveloped…
Alex Ignatieff

Alex Ignatieff: Wine master’s class in a glass

Riviera Reporter | Nov 09, 2014
Like the fine wines that he sells, Alex Ignatieff (pictured) has matured very well. Just nudging middle age, the quietly-spoken creator of L’Emporium du Vin in Mandelieu has brought a world of experience in the wine trade to enliven the palates of…
Salmon and Risotto

Cook d'Azur: Salmon with fresh pea, mint & lemon risotto

Katie Bills | Aug 25, 2014
Katie Bills whips up this refreshingly light early summer dish to enjoy for lunch under a parasol or with a glass of chilled rosé over dinner. Serves 4 Ingredients 4 salmon fillets 800ml of stock 200g fresh peas 400g Arborio rice Large handful of…
Beans in Market

Mr Piggy goes to market looking for asparagus and beans

Riviera Reporter | Aug 13, 2014
The local markets seem to have hit a purple patch when it comes to the must-eat seasonal vegetables. Let’s first sniff out the asparagus, its season in full swing. Brought up as I was in East Anglia (home of Britain’s best pork), I relish the fresh…
Lamb and Peas

Cook d'Azur: Pistachio & herb butter stuffed lamb breast with minted peas

Katie Bills | Jul 02, 2014
Katie Bills welcomes the arrival of spring and its seasonal produce with this gorgeous dinner party favourite. Pair this dish with either new potatoes or for a carb-free option, try roasted butternut squash. Serves 4. Ingredients 100g salted butter…
Lindsay Phillips

Vintage year for a little marvel, Domaine St-Marc des Omèdes

Nick Kent | Jun 17, 2014
April 2014 saw a special anniversary for one of the smallest vineyards in the region. It’s 20 years since Englishman Lindsay Phillips retired from IBM and set up Domaine St-Marc des Omèdes near Lorgues in the Var. “I had owned a 40-acre property in…
turnips

Mr Piggy goes to market looking for spring vegetables

Riviera Reporter | Jun 15, 2014
It’s springtime 2014 in the market, and time to look out for the ingredients that go to make up la jardinière, a mixture of fresh and tasty new veg to be served with roast meat. You can expect to pay €4.90 a kilo for the first of the new peas. A…
Chorizo & Paprika Cod

Cook d’Azur: Chorizo & Paprika Cod

Katie Bills | May 05, 2014
Katie Bills whips up a fresh yet quick and simple dish to put together, with maximum flavour and minimum washing up! Ingredients • 2 white onions finely sliced • 1 garlic clove crushed • 200g chorizo sliced • 500g cod (Loin) • 2 tins cannellini…
Artichokes

Mr Piggy goes to market looking for artichokes

Riviera Reporter | Apr 08, 2014
Mr Piggy is less than pleased if he doesn’t find an artichoke in his trough at this time of year. This is the high season for this special vegetable; they make a first appearance in January at what seems a high price for what after all is a glorified…
Secrets de Cuisine

Cookery with class: Secrets de Cuisine

Nick Kent | Jan 18, 2014
Within five minutes of meeting Cédric Séguéla, you know this guy has got his finger right on the pulse of the way we cook now. His pupils don’t watch in reverent silence as the chef lectures, then demonstrates his art; they don’t find themselves…
Galette des Rois - King

The King Cake holds a surprise: The history of the Galette des Rois

Margo Lestz | Jan 12, 2014
While eating his cake, Jeff pulled out a small white tile, the kind that might be found on a kitchen wall. He marched up to the counter and indignantly informed the server that they had baked a tile into his cake. She broke into a big smile and…
Vine Grapes

The booze cruise in our backyard, vineyards of the Var

Nick Kent | Dec 03, 2013
The wine harvest has been safely gathered in, and now it’s time to take a tour around one of our region's greatest resources, the vineyards of the Var. Provided the driver leaves the degustation to the others, this is a delightful way to spend one…
Truffle Plate

Truffle FAQs

Lisa Pepin | Oct 30, 2013
Q. Which trees have truffles? A. Oak is the most common, but you can sometimes find them beneath hazelnut trees. Q. Can any oak tree produce truffles?A. Yes, but it’s rare to find one that does. The soil, rain and sunlight must be in the perfect…
Chilling with Red Wine

Chilling with red wine

Nick Kent | Oct 25, 2013
Summer in the south can be a difficult time for the red wine lover. As the heat takes hold, nobody seems to be serving a hearty daube washed down with a sturdy red Rhone. Here are a half-dozen decent reds that – horror of horrors to the purist – can…
Baguette Bag

Fashion for foodies, the Baguette Bag

Riviera Reporter | Oct 04, 2013
Transporting your baguette from the bakery to your table without any close calls like crushing or dropping it, or even worse, exposing the crust to rain, can really add stress to an otherwise idyllic life. Throw a Baguette Bag (pictured) over your…
Truffle Brush

Caring for your truffles

Lisa Pepin | Sep 25, 2013
You can buy a special truffle brush (pictured) that’s similar to a mushroom brush to clean off the crusted-on dirt (warning: keep the dirt to a minimum as you’re paying by the gram!). You can also use a toothbrush, which will easily get at the dirt…
Isabella Mohnsame-Wigmore

Le Fish and Chips Restaurant

Nick Kent | Sep 09, 2013
Across the way from the Forville Market fish stalls in Cannes, a chatty Welshwoman is serving a dish that has slipped through the fingers of French chefs for generations: proper fish and chips. Isabella Mohnsame-Wigmore (her husband’s Swiss) had the…
Rose Wine in Glasses

In the pink. Our pick of the region's best rosés

Nick Kent | Aug 06, 2013
If red wine is, in the words of Leclerc Cannes Rocheville caviste Michel Roulcois, a wine of the earth, then rosé is a wine of the sun. In our region, the amount of sunshine in a growing season determines the taste and strength of the rosé. This…
Eggs en Cocotte

Cook d'Azur: Eggs en cocotte with asparagus wrapped in Parma ham

Katie Bills | Jul 29, 2013
Katie Bills combines delicious asparagus with eggs for an indulgent brunch, light summer supper or a starter Ingredients Asparagus spears (around 5 per person) Thinly sliced Parma ham 2 medium fresh eggs 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche Fresh chives…
Winestar

Winestar, the Nespresso of wines

Riviera Reporter | Jul 22, 2013
An interview with Cédric Segal, co-founder of Fabulous Brands, the start-up behind Winestar cans of wine, now being sold in France. RR: Tell me about your goals for Winestar.CS: Winestar is THE solution for young adults and couples who would…
Roast Beef

The roast beef of old England

Patrick Middleton | Mar 05, 2013
In the lifetimes of quite a few of our readers English food was regarded by many foreigners as quite awful and not so long ago Jacques Chirac, as French president, sneered publicly at how we fed ourselves (only the Finns, he claimed, ate worse). Of…
Blue Lobster Cannelloni with champagne cream

Do you like lobster and champagne?

Nancy Heslin | Feb 11, 2013
This was a subject that popped up in my inbox recently. I figured that it was an email forward with photos of lobsters on holiday sipping champagne while they chose a human from an aquarium. To my delight, I was invited to a Homard & Champagne…
Rosa Jackson

Never too Late to Learn: Cooking

Nancy Heslin | Jul 17, 2012
In an ongoing series Nancy Heslin looks at various courses and classes available along the Coast of interest to expats. As a domestically-challenged individual, I only recently learned that the function of a stove stretches beyond that of a place to…
atmospheresud

L’Atmosphere Sud in Menton

Nancy Heslin | Jun 04, 2012
The problem with eating out in the summer is the nightmare of parking. Sophie Struelens and Jérome Martin of L’Atmosphere Sud in Menton offer a solution: an ideal beachfront restaurant on a pedestrian street, so the kids can play within plain view…
burger

Zucchini Blossom: Now that’s a burger!

Nancy Heslin | Feb 05, 2012
One of the few things I miss about Canada is digging into a decent burger. Finally Zucchini Blossom in Mougins has come to the rescue with juicy varieties (€11.90) – like Bacon & Cheese (right) or Jack Daniels – all served with thick fries and…
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