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Here are three rental apartments in Nice near Flaveur:
Flaveur
25 rue Gubernatis, 06000 Nice
+33 (0)4 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 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 six months 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 and 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. Fifteen euros brings you a main course, glass of wine and coffee, with dessert an extra 5 euros or so and a first course an extra 8 euros.
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 are no-choice menus for 30 and 50 euros. With each of these set 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 open every lunchtime except Saturday and Sunday, and every evening except Sunday and Monday.
– Gayle, Nice Pebbles. If you would like to contact Gayle, you can email her at gayle@nicepebbles.com.