Food Favs: Riveria Postcard #2
Dining diaries straight from the South of France.
Welcome back to the second Riveria postcard. I couldn’t do a France travel series on here without sharing some of the incredible eats enjoyed throughout my stay in the Côte d’Azur. So here it is, a definitive round-up of the very best meals or treats from the idyllic La Croix Valmer and nearby bustling San Tropez.
Our very first dinner was at a trendy, last-minute find right named Couleurs Jardin on Gigaro beach, a naturally beautiful family beach and centrepiece of the small town of LCV. The restaurant was entirely outdoor and constructed around hefty tree branches with a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean as the sun began to fade. I tried my first poke bowl and ate far too much crusty bread with olive oil (which is a good problem to have).
A switch to formal dining is next, with favourite La Bastide at Château de Valmer. Ambience is this restaurant’s middle name, spilled out on a sunny terrace overlooking the Michelin garden restaurant, surrounded by palm trees, pastels homes… and in the very far distance, the aqua blue tide of the Mediterranean. My choice of dish was their risotto with prawns, which was absolutely delicious and accompanied by a creamy sauce that was divine.
This was followed by their Tarte Tropezienne, a special of the area and the flagship pastry of the patisserie we enjoyed on our St Tropez daytrip, read here.
A casual favourite: we found & frequented this hole in the wall pizza place, right next door to Couleurs Jardin, twice. Their three cheeses pizza was divine and the nearby beach was the perfect place to tuck in, people watch, and splash around in the waves as a sunset absorbed the sky. Pictured is my sister’s boring Margherita choice and, don’t worry, I roasted her for ordering the world’s most unexciting pizza while in France. Sadly, her pizza order remains unchanged.
One more pasta dish: this pesto busiate with stracciatella cheese was incredible. Enjoyed at Pinéde Plage, the sister of the Château, the undisputed views of the sea and beachfront were spectacular, especially with small boats drifting slowly in the distance.
Other MMTD Favourites:
Not a dish but my morning cappuccinos
Ice-cream flavour of the week was the region’s ‘Fleur de Lait’, enjoyed at the Pinède Plage
A shoutout to the many diet cokes & bottles of Acqua Panna consumed during this hot and delightful week
Style postcard coming soon. Join us on Instagram, where the real magic happens, and subscribe to have these posts sent straight to your email inbox.
Mwah,
MMTD Founder & Editor