The Perfect Convergence of Youth and Tradition, Modern and Classic
Flaveur: 25 rue Gubernatis, 06000 Nice, 04.93.62.53.95
If we want to impress on a lunch date, or feel we deserve a great meal after work, we are lucky enough to have a fantastic bistro just around the corner from our shop. If you are staying in one of our holiday rental apartments in Nice, or even Cannes and Antibes, Flaveur is certainly worth a visit. We are not the only ones raving about Flaveur – from the opening of its doors in 2009 it has received excellent reviews from food critics and the local press. With just 30 covers for lunch and dinner, it’s best to reserve.
Flaveur has been open for over three years now, but there is a still a buzz of newness about the place, perhaps assisted by the fun and funky décor. This is complemented by the young energy and inventive dishes on offer from the three friends who own Flaveur, who are eager to impress and make their mark. Their mission is to provide contemporary twists on French classics or, as Xavier tells us, “spiritual and tummy enjoyment”.
The three owners have learned their trade with Michelin starred chefs, including Alain Llorca at Le Chantecler in the Negresco, Jean-Marc Delacourt at La Chèvre d’Or, Michel Devillers of L’Ane Rouge, Mauro Calegreco at the Mirazur in Menton, and Keisuke Matsushima at his eponymous restaurant in Nice. The chefs are brothers Gaël and Mickaël Tourteaux, who have travelled a lot and love to combine exotic spices with more traditional French fare. What comes out of the kitchen is a successful contemporary take on local classics.
Out front, Xavier Richard will tell you everything you need to know about the food, cooking techniques and best wine to complement the dishes. The wine list is comprehensive enough for most, but Xavier will also have some rare finds “off the list” if you fancy something extra special. Xavier is French but speaks fluent English, so don’t worry about not understanding the menu. It will all be explained to you in as much detail as you want in English, French or German.
Flaveur prides itself on using only the freshest ingredients at the market that day, so there is a choice of three dishes for each course that changes every week depending on the seasonal produce available. The menu leans towards fish, which is always offered as one of the three choices on the set lunch menu. 29 euros brings you two courses, 37 euros three courses, both served with a glass of wine and a coffee.
Some of our favourite dishes in winter so far have been blanquette de veau (in cream sauce with baby vegetables), pork loin with spinach, roast duck and lemon with an Asian twist, fillet steak with chickpea mash, and lentils with sausages. For summer we have loved the scallops in cream sauce, goat’s cheese ravioli, tandoori monkfish, and lemon and chicken risotto.
A specialty we have yet to try is their “island salmon.” Cooked for more than seven hours at very low temperature, the salmon is served with tomato rougail (tomatoes, ginger and chives), kaffir lime and a mix of avocado and green apples on the side.
Dinner service is more on the fine dining side – with none of the stuffiness. An à la carte meal with three choices for each course costs around 70 euros and there is also a set menu for 45 euros. With each of these menus comes a suggested wine.
We can’t recommend Flaveur enough to our guests. For dinner, it’s classy enough to celebrate a special occasion, whilst not breaking the bank, and for lunch it’s hard to find better quality — and as much creativity — for the same price.
Oh, and a little known secret: if you want to see the kitchen at work, take a peek through one of the decorative fish eyes on your way to the bathroom.
Flaveur is closed Saturday lunchtime and all day Sunday and Monday.
– Gayle, Riviera Pebbles. If you would like to contact Gayle, you can email her at gayle@nicepebbles.com.
Having named my cooking classes after the Niçois stuffed vegetables called les petits farcis, I consider myself a bit of an expert on this simple-looking but surprisingly complex dish. Some of the best I have ever tasted have been at Flaveur, where they use a 19th-century recipe from lawyer and food writer Lucien Tendret (1825-1896), nephew of the famous gastronome Brillat Savarin (1755-1826). Unusually, the filling for these small summer vegetables contains roast chicken and lamb instead of the usual pork or veal. As the stuffed vegetables cook in the oven, they are basted with veal stock to keep the filling toothsome. Should you be lucky enough to find les petits farcis on the menu at Flaveur, don’t hesitate for a second: it’s a rare opportunity to taste a faithful rendition of a classic.
About Rosa
Food critic and cookbook author Rosa Jackson moved to France from Canada in 1995 to work at the Cordon Bleu cooking school and run Paris Market Tours. Rosa loves the way of life on the French Riviera and has made Nice her home with her husband and five year old son.
Rosa has written two cookbooks, edited five editions of the Time Out Paris Eating and Drinking Guide, updated the dining chapters of the 2006 Time Out South of France and Fodor’s Provence and the Cote d’Azur guides and written about food for magazines and newspapers around the world.
As well as writing for Riviera Pebbles and for numerous other publications, she runs the custom-designed itinerary service edible-paris.com and through Les Petits Farcis offers market tours, cooking classes, and meet-the-producers tours. To read more about Rosa’s inspiring life in Nice and Paris, visit her food blog!
Riviera Pebbles is delighted to have her on board to share her knowledge and passion for the edible delights of the Riviera.