Panisse

NICE

13/20
Chef's Restaurant

Cooking French | Local | Mediterenean

Gault&Millau's review

13/20

Chef's Restaurant It's a family affair. Luc and Eric Trochon had the great idea of putting their bottles and pans right in the center of town, in a Panisse that smells of the South. The former is a sommelier by trade, and can tell you a lot about natural, organic and traditional wines. The second is one of France's Meilleurs Ouvriers, and he's been regaling diners in Paris, at Le Solstice and at Otto's. As a good purveyor of knowledge, he has written a remarkable book on the art of sauces for gastronomy enthusiasts and professionals alike. His culinary godfather, Pierre Gagnaire, has nothing but praise for this chef, who is as concerned with making good food as he is with making it beautiful. The menu is short and follows the seasons, according to what our producer friends are doing, like the one in the South-West who supplies a few duck breasts each week out of the dozen or so he offers all over France, or vegetables from an organic farm in Grasse, pampered by workers with autistic syndrome, but also from a secret kitchen garden of a top chef in Menton... The plate of three starters sets the standard with organic squash velouté sweetened with milk, fresh goat's cheese cake from the hinterland with green olives that Luc has ripened himself in brine, and an addictive cauliflower pommade. Then, we rediscover the duck breast with a finesse of taste sublimated by this citrus sauce and duck juice simply assembled in butter and reduced with, as a subtle touch, the power of Madagascar pepper. A soft gratin dauphinois and a vegetable tombée accompany the beast. The sequence ends with a crème brûlée whose crème fraîche is flavored with honey from the Roya region and lavender from Provence, all at an unbeatable price, even for the city, of less than €25. It's open at lunchtime with a limited number of tables, and can be privatized in the evening. In fine weather, the small terrace allows you to watch time go by and extend it with an aperitif featuring some of your friends' goodies.