Simple Flourishes, Great Effect
Restaurant Boni: 21 Rue Barla, Nice 06300, +33 (4) 93 56 35 39
Such is the wealth of bistros, brasseries and cafés in Nice's Old Town that it would be easy never to stray beyond its narrow pedestrian streets. But some of the best locals’ secrets lie just a little further afield, near the masts and mizzens of the Port area.
On a busy street two blocks from the millionaires’ yachts lies a hidden gem. Most tourists aren’t lucky enough to find this understated eatery with its red canopy above a plain glass facade that simply states “Boni”.
Inside, the restaurant is far more whimsical. White linen screens separate the white, gold and caramel-toned dining room into intimate spaces. Around a chandelier, a white canopy edged in branches and twinkling lights gives the feeling of dining under the stars. A row of spoons jutting from the wall serves as a coat rack.
The staff are no less enchanting. On my first visit, Jean-Philippe greeted my wife and me with a smile and listened patiently as we asked in pidgin French for a wine recommendation. He answered in perfect English, “The Sicilian red is very good,” as we looked on with a mixture of relief and embarrassment. He added, “I like people to try to speak French. You are in France after all and that wasn’t the worst I’ve ever heard.” He certainly won us over with his flattery.
The menu, like the décor, uses simple flourishes to great effect. One of the attractions of Boni is that it relies on whatever fresh ingredients are available that day. So there are only a few dishes to choose from: eight starters, four mains and four desserts. The surprise is that you can combine them in seemingly infinite ways. You can have 2 starters, a main and a dessert. Or three starters, a main and a dessert. Or anywhere between two and six starters and a dessert for a set price. In addition, you can order à la carte if you wish.
My wife loves the poivrons grillés, thon, capres (grilled red peppers with tuna and capers), a classic Italian trio. I cannot resist the moules et crevettes (mussels and prawns) in a delicately spiced tomato sauce with toasted brown bread. Oh, and the fromage au four avec miel et pignons (baked goats cheese with honey and pine nuts), which is always baked to perfection.
To follow, my wife favours the loup frais (whole fresh sea bass), which comes straight from the grill and is stuffed with rosemary and sprinkled with sea salt. She tells me it has the butteriest, melt-in-your-mouth taste. I go for a meaty daube, which is a traditional Nicoise dish of stewed beef with potatoes. Every restaurant has its own variation but you know you’ve found a good restaurant when you come across a great daube. This one is delicately spiced, wonderfully warming and incredibly satisfying.
Dessert for us is generally the tiramisu, served in a tiny tea cup that wouldn’t look out of place at the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party, rounded off with coffee and complimentary limoncello. We never want to leave and on the way home always promise ourselves we’ll go back for another dose of Boni’s magic.
– Simon, Riviera Pebbles. If you would like to contact Simon you can email him at simon@rivierapebbles.com
Daube, made of cheap but flavourful cuts of beef stewed in wine until very tender, serves a reminder of Provençal cuisine’s peasant roots. Though it might seem to be a winter dish, daube is a staple that appears all year round in local restaurants. Leftovers are mixed with Swiss chard to make ravioli niçois, the sheets of small, square ravioli found in fresh pasta shops, or combined with vegetables to fill les petits farcis (stuffed vegetables). Should you buy ravioli niçois to cook at home, be sure to ask for a portion of daube to use as a sauce, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
If you notice similarities between daube and boeuf bourguignon, it would be tactful not to mention this to the Niçois. They would tell you that daube is an entirely different dish because the meat is not marinated in the wine before being cooked. Thyme, rosemary, a strip of orange zest and sometimes cep (porcini) mushrooms also add distinctive Provençal flavours to this dish. Daube is often served with boiled potatoes, but it’s even better with creamy polenta – another Niçois tradition borrowed from Italy.
