Les Cocottes Françaises

06700 SAINT-LAURENT-DU-VAR

13/20
Chef's Restaurant

5 PHOTOS

Chef David Vaqué

Cooking French

Services Terrace

Gault&Millau's review

13/20

Chef's Restaurant Along the promenade des Flots Bleus in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, with its string of unevenly-promising restaurants that tourists don't much care for, lies a small enclave of fine French cuisine. Chef David Vaqué is no newcomer to the kitchen, having delighted the people of Nice and beyond in his Bistrot Gourmand and at Gare du Sud, before choosing this resourceful sea-view location. This former Michel Guérard and Gérard Boyer alumnus is back with his canaille cuisine, a touch bistro-style and very French. Pork or poultry pâté (en) croûte with foie gras, truffles and pistachios, homemade Lyonnais pike quenelle or soft-boiled egg with button mushrooms set the tone. But we also come for the cast-iron casseroles placed in front of us... We lift the lid to discover the surprise simmering inside: veal kidneys (rosé) in Madeira sauce, blanquette like a Sunday tune, pig's cheeks, daube... Fans of spit-roasting can also admire the work on Bresse chicken, royal pigeon Duc d'Anjou or honeyed pork chop for two. There's still room for Grand Marnier soufflé, crêpes Suzette (thanks to Monsieur Escoffier) or chocolate moelleux from a Michel Bras recipe. The cellar is well-balanced (even if we don't know what year the wines are) and the service is extremely friendly.