Last week, armed with our GPS, we braved the hinterland around Nice to find another great chef we have been hearing about over the past few months.
Julien Bousseau and his charming Clovis were recently awarded a Michelin star, and we were happy to find that this prestigious award has not afffected the simple, proud environment managed by the chef and his wife.
While this bistrot gourmand, roughly translated as “gourmet bistro”, is a bit off the beaten track, it is well worth the journey to the enchanting village of Tourettes sur Loup.
The chef serves a daily menu of three “themes” each with a starter and main course version. Diners are free to mix and match at their choosing. Friday’s themes were: Mushrooms, Chapon (fish similar to rascasse or lion fish), and Duckling from Vendée (the chef’s home town).
You can click on the image on the right to read the detailed menu in French.
I ordered both my starter and main from the duckling theme. Not a huge fanatic of foie gras, I was blown away by the chef’s creation of foie gras confit en terrine, layered with black chanterelles and pear compote. It was served with a parsnip purée and I was very tempted to ask the chef to slip a few slices into a doggy bag: it was that good.
Segolene ordered from the fish menu (Chapon) and had a gorgeous plate of carpaccio interlaced with black truffles and the last of summer’s multicolored tomatoes.
Our main courses were equally gorgeous. I had the roasted duckling with celery root puree (au café!!) and Sego had some poached fish wish spinach, fresh walnuts and orange and ginger sauce.
Both the meat and the fish were cooked to perfection and the portions were just right. At 35 Euros for a three course meal, the price-quality ratio is simply impossible to beat. The chef mentioned a local wine from the area called Domaine Saint Joseph which is a tiny producer just at the foot of the village. We tried their white and red and were surprised by the character and finesse. We hope to visit them on a future visit to the village.
For dessert Segolene had a wonderful chocolate moelleux and I had some nice local goat cheese sourced by the chef.
While it took us about an hour to get to the restaurant from Monaco, it should not take that long from Nice proper, and it is definitely worth the trip. We suggest making a day of it and spending time in St. Paul de Vence on your way to Tourettes.
Clovis Bistrot Gourmand
21 Grand Rue
06140 Tourrettes sur Loup
tel +33 (0)4 93 58 87 04