france Archives - Gazing and Grazing

L’Astrance’s Pascal Barbot Guest Chefs at Shangri-La Blu

April 17th, 2016

A short stint by Pascal Barbot of Michelin 3-starred L'Astrance in Shangri-La's Blu restaurant gave us in Singapore a chance to try the renowned chef's cooking. I've been trying to get into L'Astrance on my occasional trips to Paris and when I found out he'd be cooking in Singapore, I jumped at the opportunity. Although it's never the same as eating in his eatery itself given that we won't necessarily get all the good produce here, I think that there is so much more available here nowadays...

Mirazur in Menton – Good but No “Wow” Factor

April 17th, 2016

On paper, Mirazur is set up to be a highly memorable meal with its location outside Monaco overlooking the coast and its Michelin two-star standing and well regarded chef but it ended up being a meal that just fell short of being really good. Perhaps it was because it was lunch and the sun's rays through Mirazur's full length windows made the restaurant a tad too warm to be comfortable. But it may also be that we already had a fantastic meal at the Chèvre d'Or in Eze with a stunning...

Chevre d’Or – Reason Enough to Visit Eze

April 11th, 2016

With a view that looks over Monaco, Michelin two-starred Chèvre d'Or has the view to go along with its beautiful food. It was an especially pleasing lunch all the more so because we had pre-lunch aperitifs in the garden and arguably had the best table in the restaurant - a round table next to two large windows that look out over the Cote d'Azur (sometimes it's good to travel with a group - there were eight of us). Coupled with a very friendly sommelier who immediately made us feel...

La Place de Mougins – Surely it Deserves a Star

April 10th, 2016

Occasionally I check back to see how some of the restaurants I enjoyed in prior trips are doing. La Place de Mougins, located in the hills of the Cote d'Azur (in Mougins), is a restaurant that I thought would be on its way to getting a Michelin star. However, it still hasn't happened although it has been recognised by the guide. I'm sure this doesn't detract from the positive reviews it is getting anyway from patrons, ranked first among restaurants in Mougins by TripAdvisor.com. The chef...

Cote d’Azur – Escape the Hordes, Head for the Hills

June 20th, 2015

The Cote d'Azur is much more than just the resort beach towns of Cannes, Nice or St Tropez. So, if you need to escape the hordes, the hills above the shoreline contain scenic medieval hill towns which can be easily visited in a day trip. Must sees here include the towns of St Paul de Vence and Gourdon and Matisse's Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence. The winding roads may also be familiar to 007 movie fans.

We were lucky enough to be staying in St Paul de Vence so it was a handy base for us...