Our trip to Cannes and the South of France was made memorable by two things. The sights and the smells.
“Our trip to Cannes and the South of France was made memorable by two things. The sights and the smells. I dare say the tastes were as much fun. French cuisine is not the best for our palates. Firstly, us masala-prone Indians find it difficult to adjust to the almost sparse use of spices. French food is so much more about the sight and smell, the presentation etc. When you have a wife who carries a bottle of tabasco rather than a pepper spray in her handbag you search out spicy food even in the South of France.
Before Shaheen could join me I had already done a survey of Cannes. One evening, Prasoon Joshi who was on the advertising jury like myself invited fellow Indians on the jury for a drink to his suite. The evening ended with everyone super-hungry and in search of an adventure. Thanks to Google I soon searched out a Thai restaurant (I think it was called Thai Garden), complete with walking directions. I was christened as the ‘Official Cannes Food Guide’ that day by Prasoon.
As Shaheen and her cousin came in, our trip became more adventurous. We explored small cafes in the daytime and settled for some different cuisine each night. Our favourites were Le Riad, a quaint Moroccan restaurant just off the La Croisette. The lamb and honey almonds had me in gustatory heaven while Shaheen settled on a chicken tagine. Fabulous food, lovely owner. Half the fun was just interacting with him.
At the Cannes Lions there was a party hosted every night. The one by the Martinez hotel at its ‘Zplage Beach Restaurant’ was fab too. The setting was a jetty and it was delightful to be almost halfway into the sea, sipping a glass of red and nibbling on foie gras with raisins and fig. A coffee at the grand dame of all hotels is a must too.
Arguably the Intercontinental is Cannes’ most prestigious hotel, it has been host to dignitaries since its opening in 1912. A must do is a glass of champagne at the ‘see and be seen’ on La Brasserie, Carlton terrace.
Wine is cheaper than water in France so you do end up consuming quite a lot of it on a trip. Adds to the romance.
After Cannes we moved to St Tropez, most restaurants here sell you a view rather than the food, and frankly the service was more nose-in-the-air than the friendliness we saw in Cannes.
We then landed in Nice, with its varied food. I pride myself on selecting the right place to eat and had read a lot about the Nicoise cuisine. I discovered a place along the Cours Saleya (the flower market area) and ordered hare (rabbit). I have never eaten a blander dish! And I ordered some equally bland poached fish for Shaheen and her cousin. To make up for that I had to find an Indian restaurant the next day. We ended up at a Pakistani joint along the beach. The owner was thrilled to hear us talk in Urdu/Hindi that he served up extra hot garlic naans and masala papads before getting us some kadhai chicken and dal.
I guess you can take an Indian out of India but you can’t take the Indian out of us.”
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