So, we’ve eaten our way through Nice, Antibes and Aix-en-Provence… and now we’re in Paris. And it seems that if we are not talking about food, buying food, photographing food, looking for somewhere to eat or planning our next meal … then we are actually eating …
Culinary High – “Duck Gizzard Salad” (their translation not mine!) was actually very tasty – a warm salad of lightly fried un-identifiable bits of gizzard and potatoes, accompanied by the ever present egg.
Culinary Low – “Salade Bizarre” (my translation not theirs!) was a weird combination of salted cod, fried octopus, boiled eggs and a strange mollusc which looked and tasted like a large piece of used chewing gum!
Eating out is a way of life in Nice, France’s fifth largest city located on the Cote D’Azur. For years it was an Italian dominion, and only became part of France in 1860. Eager to learn about its unique style of food, we booked a market tour and cooking class with Rosa Jackson of Les Petits Farcis.
We met Rosa in La Civette du Cours – a busy local café and bar located in the Cours Saleya. Over coffee, Rosa filled us in on the history of Nice and its food, and then guided us around the market pointing out the local specialities and buying fresh produce for our cooking class.
A short walk took us to Rosa’s charming renovated 17th century apartment located up four flights of stairs in the Rue du Jesus, a narrow street in the Vielle Ville (old town). There we donned aprons, nibbled on tiny black Nyon olives and fougasse, and with Rosa’s guidance prepared a delicious four course Nicoise lunch. The menu varies according to participants food preferences and seasonal produce, today it was:
Baked zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and parmesan
Duck breasts with chestnut honey
Panisse (chick pea fritters)
Local cheeses
Tart aux fraises (strawberry tart)
Plus a few glasses of Provencal rose and red wines
We stumbled out of Rosa’s apartment late in the afternoon and headed straight back to Rue Dalpozzo for a long nap …
Finally … after years of planning I have arrived in Nice with my friend Kate. The trip was pretty exhausting – thirty six hours of flying, waiting in airports and then walking around the city to try and get our body-clocks back on track. This morning we awoke in our chic little apartment in Rue Dalpozzo after twelve hours sleep feeling almost normal.
Naturally, the first thing on the agenda is breakfast, and a quick trip to the local boulangerie on the corner to buy un escargot and une demi-baguette. I can’t tell you how good a fresh baguette tastes when spread with thick provencal butter and vegemite !!!
By the time we had finished breakfast, the food and flower market in the Cours Saleya was well underway, and we returned loaded down with provisions – quiche, pissaladiere, olives, sardines, cheeses and the most fragrant and delicious strawberries I have ever tasted. Already we are like the French and planning several meals ahead.
We finished the day with champagne and cocktails in Le Relais bar at the iconic belle époque Hotel Negresco. Tomorrow we have a market tour and cooking lesson in a four hundred year old apartment in the old part of Nice… more on that in my next post. Bonne Nuit.
If you are not interested in shopping for out-of-season high-end European designer clothes and think therefore that Singapore has nothing to offer – here is a short list of this trip’s non-shopping highlights in no particular order …
View from the Altitude Bar
The Altitude Bar
Fabulous 360 degree views of Singapore – go just before dusk to miss the crowds and see the city gradually light up. Entrance is the price of a drink but definitely worth it. Closed during thunderstorms – so don’t bother to go if one is forecast.
Just one of many ponds
Singapore Botanic Gardens 74 hectares of tropical inspiration … This is probably one of the best botanic gardens in the world, and if you are a tropical gardener it is a source of both inspiration and frustration. You could easily spend several days exploring and taking photos, but this would be too exhausting. My suggestion would be to split it into two or three visits and get there as early as possible in the morning (it opens at 5am !!) to avoid the midday heat and afternoon thunderstorms. For me, the ginger and heliconia gardens were the highlight.
Satay vendor at Lau Pa Sat
Lau Pa Sat
Satay heaven … Dating back to 1898 this octagonal food market was constructed from pre-fabricated panels shipped out from Glasgow. Satay Street is an outdoor section where you can order the most delicious chicken, mutton and prawn satays. Be very careful when pointing at the menu though – it is possible to order 50 satays by mistake !!
Durian Puffs
Goodwood Park Hotel
More understated and less touristy than the Raffles. At L’Espresso I ordered coffee with durian puffs because I hadn’t tried durian before. A very strange experience – the flesh is a lovely creamy texture, but you need to be prepared for the vaguely rotten taste! It’s not something I think I will order again.
Emerald Hill Road house
Emerald Hill Road
Preserved Chinese Baroque housing – This is a lovely little oasis of calm just off Orchard Road. The entrance is a little hard to find – it’s opposite Orchard Central Shopping Centre and down the side of the Peranakan Palace Restaurant. This former nutmeg plantation was subdivided for houses in 1901 and is now a conservation site with attractively painted terrace houses. I was the only tourist there – but be prepared to move wheely bins around to get a good photo.
Grand Hyatt Martini Bar
Martini Bar at the Grand Hyatt
Martini-lover’s heaven – I counted 53 martini variations on the menu. My favourite so far is the Ginger Martini – Vox vodka, french ginger liquer, lemon juice, and fresh ginger. Another hidden away place – ask at the concierge desk for directions. Great nuts and snacks and large comfortable chairs to recover from your day’s walking – but be warned, happy hour lasts from six to nine pm and it can get really hectic and noisy so go early and pay full price if you want some peace and quiet.
Jones the Grocer
Jones the Grocer
Finally, a good cup of coffee!!
The only good cup of coffee I could find. Located at Dempsey Hill – 18 former army barracks converted into a complex of restaurants and shops – this branch of the Australian providore serves really good coffee and breakfasts.
A Bellingen Diary 