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Home - City Guide - Cannes - Food and Drink | ||
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Food and Drink The monks of St Honorat provide Cannes' only specialities: LÉrina liqueurs and the red and white wines, La Vendange des Moines. Provençal cooking can be enjoyed throughout the Côte d'Azur. Favourites are the fish soup, bouillabaisse, which originates in Marseilles, tapenade (black olive paste), foie gras, ratatouille and aïoli (garlic mayonnaise served with poached fish and vegetables). Provençal herbs and olive oil are ubiquitous. Cannes has almost 300 restaurants; most serve traditional French and Mediterranean cuisine, but international styles (particularly American and Italian) are readily available. The best restaurants are within Cannes' palatial hotels. Others are clustered around the Palais des Festivals and in Le Suquet. Many double up as bars. Three-course evening meals range from around FFr80 in small bistros to around FFr350 in top gastronomic restaurants. Lunchtime menus are significantly cheaper. Reservations are recommended, particularly during major festivals. Restaurants: Among the top restaurants in price and quality is La Palme d'Or at Hotel Martinez (73 La Croisette; tel: (04) 92 98 74 14), famous for its photos of film stars, the prettiest terrace on La Croisette and its exquisitely presented food. Lunchtime menus are from FFr295, evening menus FFr350 and à la carte from FFr559. Le MÉditerrannÉe, on the top floor of Hotel Sofitel MÉditerranÉe at 2 boulevard Jean Hibert (tel: (04) 92 99 73 02), is much favoured by local businesspeople and offers spectacular views and elegantly served Provençal cuisine. Sea bass en croûte is particularly good. The lunchtime menu is fixed at FFr195, the evening meal at FFr250. Traditional Provençal cuisine is served at the Auberge Provençale at 10 rue St Antoine (tel: (04) 92 99 27 17; fax: (04) 93 69 96 28) in Le Suquet. This restaurant, founded in 1860, is the oldest in Cannes. Specialities include bouillabaisse estouffade de boeuf and crème brûlÉe with a dash of lavender. Expect to pay about FFr100 for the lunchtime menu and FFr150 for the evening menu. The 'in' place at the moment is La Farfalla, at 1 La Croisette (tel: (04) 93 68 93 00) right next to the Palais des Festivals. Steaks are served on big wooden plates and there is a choice of copious salads and pasta dishes. A popular, but slightly calmer alternative is Le CaffÉ Roma, 1 place MÉrimÉe (tel: (04) 93 38 05 04), whose Italian cuisine is dished up to a faithful and slightly older clientele. Outside meal times, visitors can also pop in for a drink or an Italian ice cream. Budget gourmands should try the Bistrot Casonova, 8 rue Hoche (tel: (04) 93 38 30 06) or Le Petit Marin, 13 rue Rougière (tel: (04) 93 39 90 00). |