Restaurant Name: La Barque Bleue
This restaurant shines out above the rest in the row of restaurants lining the east side of the Port of Nice. It is attractive-looking from the outside, with a terrace overlooking the Port. It is usually full and the prices are reasonable. Inside looks good too. It is a lively, popular restaurant with a good 'buzz' about it. Sharp-eyed film buffs will spot it in the 1998 film 'Ronin'.
This restaurant is always reliable, a bit like the Tapenade in the Old Town. The staff are friendly and courteous. Inside, the tables are set nicely with linen napkins and pretty
Barque Bleue table mats. A few 'amuse-bouches' or appetizers arrive while you are inspecting the menu. By the way, don't be put off by the menu which has been translated into several languages - I know, a bit naff, I don't like them either. I should just stick to the French bit at the front.
The chef cooks from scratch in a small area in full view which is reassuring and also entertaining when it gets busy.
Preferably, however, if the weather is good, try for a seat outside to catch the bustle of the Port at lunchtime or one evening to catch the sun setting over the Port and behind the Colline du Chateau or Castle Hill. You will need to reserve an outside table - well worth a phone call or just wander by and call in earlier on in the day. One day when we were passing by, I asked about the fish for that evening and I was dragged in to inspect the freshly-caught haul.
Favorite Dish: While you are reading the menu, appetizers arrive - a few bruschetta and some olives. What to choose… well, there is the set menu of three courses for 20 euros, which gives a choice of about two dishes per course, including a daily selection of fresh fish or there is the a la carte menu which has a good selection of salads, pastas and pizzas. The last couple of times I have had the pasta with salmon and cream from the a la carte menu - it is lovely, 12, 60 euros. The daughter had spaghetti bolognaise, 10 euros. It's worth noting that the starters are large; you may find one starter is enough for a main meal. This is particularly true of the moules marinieres for 9 euros. A respectable bottle of wine was 15 euros (there were cheaper bottles) and coffee was 2 euros. The bill for the three of us came to just under 60 euros.
Puddings. This is the only slightly disappointing part - not particularly inspiring, and every pudding gets a dollop of the cheap squirty jam - the sort that gets put on ice-cream cones along with a chocolate flake. Never mind, everything else is good.
The wine is fine and the coffee good. This is a nice restaurant, not too pricey, although pricy enough to be a treat for us, but still reasonable value in a great location. If you want a meal by the Port this would be a good place to start. We have had several meals there, so they must be doing something right for us to keep going back given the choice of hundreds of other restaurants in Nice.
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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Phone: 04 93 55 39 74
Address: 7, quai des Deux Emmanuel, Nice Le Port
Directions: La Barque Bleue is about in the middle of a row of restaurants on the east side of the Port, the side furthest away from Castle Hill.
on Mar 6, 2004
