Restaurant Name: La Tapenade
Summer 2006
La Tapenade is an attractive corner restaurant with a narrow terrace. We’ve had many meals here in and out of season and it is a good fail-safe place to try for lunch or dinner. The inside is cheerful and yellow with frescos and exposed brickwork. The outside offers a view of the waterfall 'La Cascade' (man-made and sometimes switched off) at the top of the Chateau Hill. Look at the furniture shop opposite and see if the pull-down wall-bed is still there - it hasn’t changed in five years. You are at the mercy of wandering musicians a bit but it is a great place for people watching and the food is consistently good. A range of fresh pasta and pizza and Nicoise specialities. It’s a good place to try if you are in Nice for a day and just want a decent lunch in the Old Town, very generous portions and a chance to try the local Nicoise specialities. The staff are courteous and pleasant, service is attentive and you can linger as long as you wish; you will not be hurried along here.
Favorite Dish: Best value as always is the set menu which offers a choice of starter, main and pudding. There are two set menus. The first for about 17 euros offers an assortment of beignets – battered (frittered) vegetables – courgettes, aubergine etc or Salade Nicoise (tuna, egg, anchovy and mixed salad with olives, peppers tomato etc) or Ratatouille (a stew of courgettes, aubergines and tomatoes) or green Mesclun (leaf) salad for starters. The main course choices are Lapin (rabbit) a la mode Gairant, lasagne, grilled sardines or pizza of choice. Puddings are 2 scoops of ice-cream, chocolate mousse, chocolate gateau or crème caramel.
The second set menu for starters has a choice of courgette flower beignets, fish soup, Assiette Provencale or Salade Nicoise. Next course is a choice of duck, grilled fish, entrecote steak with a choice of sauce or fresh pasta mushroom ravioli. Puddings choose anything from the menu. This menu costs around 24 euros.
Or go a la carte; the prices are very reasonable for example and the portions are big so one course is often enough. They do one of the best Nicoise salads I have had in Nice and I have them all the time. It took me a good 25 minutes to finish a plate yet it is listed as a starter. My husband recommends the rabbit. Prices for one course range between 6-7 euros for a salad to about 12-16 euros for a main course. Pichets of wine start at about 7 euros. I’m a bit hazy with the prices as I can’t find any recent receipts. My daughter just fancied a plate of plain pasta last time which they were happy to sort out and only charged 6 euros for a huge portion.
If La Tapenade is full or you fancy something more casual and still very authentic, then try Bar Antoine at 27 rue de la Prefecture a little further up the road. The best meal to eat here is the daily special for around 11 euros – check on the board to see if it appeals.
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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Phone: 04 93 80 65 63
Address: 6 rue Sainte Reparate/rue de la Prefecture
Directions: Open Sunday and is closed for one day during the week, sorry forgot which. Find La Tapenade where the corner of rue de la Prefecture meets rue Sainte Reparate in the Old Town, 2 blocks back from the Cours Saleya.
on Sep 24, 2006
