Marseille

[Vivian Mallinson]

A short visit to Marseille. This time, we decided to check out a couple of the mainstream dining options in the Vieux Port. To wit:

Le Miramar

In the 20 years since I first visited Marseille, the Vieux Port has been reincarnated at least twice, while Le Miramar has probably not changed much since it opened in the 1960s. Certainly everything was as I remembered from my last meal there some years ago, including the cramped seating and the charmingly gruff manner of co-proprietor Pierre Minguella, who oversees la salle while his brother Jean-Michel does the cooking.

I liked the look of the bream which was being shown to another customer, but my wife wanted bouillabaisse, which they will only make for two or more people, and I had enjoyed it previously, so that was what we ordered.

Miramar's is supposed to be the definitive version of this dish in Marseille. However, the first part, the soup, was poor: over-acidic and tasting as if someone had been incautious with the saffron. Disappointing also was the presentation of the fish, which was flashed in front of us and then whisked over to the other side of the room to be put on plates by a waiter. Despite this it was a sensation to eat, being of lipsmacking texture and flavour, most notably the conger eel.

Interestingly most of the other clients appeared to be Martigues plutocrats dining exclusively on fillet steak and Philip Morris.

The wine list contained a dismal selection of overpriced bottles from Cassis, Coteaux d'Aix and Corsica, but we found a comparatively cheap bottle of Chablis premier cru which coped well enough with the food.

To follow the bouillabaisse, we both ordered something called 'pavé de la Canebière'. Although I must say I thought the description an unhappy one, as it reminded me of all the dogshit covering that street. In the event it was quite a nice slab of chocolate gunge with a pleasing liquorice scented crème anglaise.

Une Table Au Sud

A couple of doors down from Le Miramar is this place, which was opened in the late 1990s by a young chef from Toulouse called Lionel Lévy, who was promptly dubbed by Gault Millau or someone as a 'young Turk of French cuisine' or something. We ate there twice a couple of years ago off the 180FF (as I think it then was) menu and had a memorable meal of stuffed courgette flower fritters, bream with red peppers, and a raspberry macaroon. M. Lévy, who seems to spend a lot of time in the dining room, struck me as a very pleasant, thoughtful fellow.

So I was looking forward to returning. However, first impressions on this visit were all negative. The dining room has recently been gussied up, with a profligate use of mirrors and aluminium and faux opulent carpet.

From the menu (now 35 euros) we both started with an unmemorable salad of marinaded fish with mixed leaves, followed by roast pigeon with caramelised endive. The pigeon itself was not pleasant: overcooked and overseasoned. However M. Lévy was partially forgiven as he appears to be one of the few chefs who knows the secret of a perfectly cooked endive.

We then took a cheese course with the remainder of our very good Bandol, which the sommelier persuaded me to have instead of my original choice of Graillot's Crozes Hermitage. The cheese - there were various things there but all I can remember is something that was innocently described as a sheep's cheese from near Sartène. On smelling this item, I was subjectively reminded of the scene in Asterix where the pirates complain to the Roman prefect that their ship has been blown up by an explosive device disguised as a Corsican cheese. It had an overpowering savour of kerosene and wet mouflon.

Pudding was something called millefeuille of aubergine: three slices of dried, candied aubergine interleaved with some sort of compote. The aubergine was like a particularly chewy piece of biltong; I was fearful for my teeth. Later, while we were drinking what tasted suspiciously like decaffeinated coffee, M. Lévy came by and congratulated himself on his inventive use of vegetables and unusual ingredients in desserts. He described one of his other 'specialities' which he regretted that we had not had a chance to try: if I understood correctly, it was composed of roast tomatoes stuffed with Rice Crispies and tomato jam. I was sorry to have missed out on that too.

[menton1]

I found Miramar very touristy and a bit pricey-- Some excellent unknown restaurants around the Place Thiars and you can get Bouillabaisse for 1 person as well. This is a pedestrianized street, so it is very comfortable in good weather. Also, for a view and awesome bouillabaisse, take a taxi to Chez Fonfon.

[RandyB]

Looking for recommendations for a mid-May trip. I guess I must have bouillabaisse one night, assuming I can find a place open on Sunday or Monday night. The other meals could be anything. I will not have a car.

Having looked at some guides, I can say that Miramar is barely within the budget for my one, most expensive meal(48 Euros for bouillabaisse), Chez Michel is a bit over, and Petit Nice is way over.

[marcus]

I'm going to Marseille end of May and I've been researching the same question. Virtually all of the bouillabaisse restaurants are closed Sunday and Monday. L'Epuisette is open for Sunday lunch and also gets the very best reviews, so this would appear to be the best choice, but it is expensive.

[Busboy]

The New York (or does that go without saying here) Times' redoubtable Jonny Apple spent 3500 words recounting his search for the ultimate bouillabaisse. I'm having trouble posting the link, but if you go to www.nyt.com and do a search for bouillabaisse it should turn up, and is free. It was published in the travel section 8/7/02 and is, as always with RW, simultaneously pompous and illuminating.

[Bux]

There is an eGullet contingent that prefers to think "the Times" refers to a London based journal, but we'd all be speaking English if they had any influence over here.

By the way, you should do a search on "bouillabaisse." It's been the subject of serious discussion here on eGullet and you'll find strong opinions and perhaps some fairly recent recommendations as well as perhaps caveats.

[RandyB]

The New York (or does that go without saying here) Times' redoubtable Jonny Apple spent 3500 words recounting his search for the ultimate bouillabaisse. I'm having trouble posting the link, but if you go to www.nyt.com and do a search for bouillabaisse it should turn up, and is free.  It was published in the travel section 8/7/02 and is, as always with RW, simultaneously pompous and illuminating.

Thanks for the NYT reference. It is free, but they collect all kinds of data before they let you in. I had fun coming up with a new career, age, and sex for myself.

Meanwhile, RW's article is indeed very illuminating. I learned, for instance, that my first choice for bouillabaisse was one he had recommended highly, but it has been sold. Others places would require a car. I guess I'll just ask the local people I am going kayaking with and hope they are not of the modern French crowd that loves McD and Eurodisney.

[Gavin Jones]

I don't know now.

10 years ago the locals knew that bouillabaise was for tourists. Have a look for authentic North African food - not just restaurants but patisseries &c. The Cour Julien had become hip by then, god knows what it's like now.

Your local contacts will be right. Enjoy the calanques.

[RandyB]

I don't know now.

10 years ago the locals knew that bouillabaise was for tourists. Have a look for authentic North African food - not just restaurants but patisseries &c. The Cour Julien had become hip by then, god knows what it's like now.

Your local contacts will be right. Enjoy the calanques.

That was also true for moussaka in Greece 30 years ago. You couldn't find it outside of the tourist areas. Yet, there was this one wonderful taverna in Athens that had the most incredible moussaka, prepared in individual ramekins rather than a large pan. I can still remember it on my mind's tongue. So even it if is for the tourists, I'd still like to try bouillabaisse in Marseille once.

[Clement]

I'm going to Marseille for a couple of weeks at the end of May. Can anyone give good restaurant recommendations? - both expensive and cheap?

R

[marcus]

I'm pretty much convinced that L'Epuisette is the best restaurant in Marseille, both for bouillabaisse and seafood in general. It is expensive. Try to get a table by the South facing window and you will have a great view of the Mediterannean and the Chateau d'If, which is illuminated at night.

I should clarify by sayin that I've never tried Passedet's 2 star restaurant which is very expensive.

Edited April 19, 2004 by marcus (log)

[menton1]

I'm going to Marseille for a couple of weeks at the end of May. Can anyone give good restaurant recommendations? - both expensive and cheap?

Are you spending the entire 2 weeks in Marseille? Are you staying in the center? Will you have a car? (I can base my recommendations on your answers)

[daw]

Les Arcenaulx is an excellent inexpensive place that operates withinin a bookshop - used to be a trendy intellectual hangout but I haven't been for a while. The atmosphere sitting among the books eating good food was interesting.

Its still on the web...

David

[degusto]

Marseille is a complete desert in terms of gastronomy. It is evidenced by the fact that there are only 13 restaurants mentioned in the 2004 Michelin guide and that is not a lot for a city that is slightly larger than Lyon. Marseille’s restaurant scene is hard to understand considering the access restaurants in the city have to pristine raw material from the ocean and elsewhere. There is superb rouget de roche, small cigales (a real rarity), langoustes, anemone de mer e t c. Yet, no place serves sublime food or even acceptable food for the prices charged. If I had to stay in Marseille for two weeks I would absolutely get my hands on a car and travel to the Aix-en-Provence area and elsewhere, such as to chez JuJu in Beaduc in Camargue to eat.

A few notes on some of the restaurants mentioned in this thread and on the ones that usually come up on people’s lists:

Le Lunch – Located east of Marseille in one of the calanques. You go here on a beautiful day for the picturesque setting and hope that the food is good that day. It can be good.

Une Table au Sud – The chef of this 1st floor restaurant overlooking the old port has quite a following and has been dubbed a future great chef by Gault Millau two years ago. I have eaten here several times. I wonder why, but the only thing that I am sure about is that the food has been as consistent as it has been bad. The food is rarely made of top ingredients, execution is usually poor, taste combinations not well thought through and presentation can be bizarre. Others I know have had better luck but it is no surprise that Michelin has not awarded this guy a star. The wine list is ok but used to be a joke.

L’Epuisette – As Marcus says, the view on Chateau d’If is quite something. This is a restaurant that serve high quality raw material but most of the time gets it wrong with poor to average cooking and overly complicated dishes that lacks definition and clarity. I have never had anything better than average dishes but admittedly made with very high quality ingredients. It is also, as Marcus noted, expensive. Much too expensive for what you get. There is a lunch menu at a reasonable price, but most of the time it is made up of less elaborated dishes. The one star rating borders to mystery. The wine list is very good. Got unbearably hot inside last summer. But well, maybe one of the top two restaurants in Marseille.

Miramar – Famous for its bouillabaisse. Changed hands last year and lost its star. Was and still is a very expensive place serving uninspiring food.

Michel – Avoid

Le Petit Nice – As Marcus says a very expensive two star restaurant. Prices are on par with the prices at Le LouisXV in Monaco. However, there is a good value lunch menu including wines. The wine list is remarkable and there are bargains. The dining room has an odd decoration featuring old photos of the chef Gerarld Passedat’s grand mother. The view is better than at l’Epuisette. The overall impression when eating a menu with eight dishes here is that one will typically find one or two dishes that are on a three star level but the majority will be below what one expects from a two star and some dishes will be on a level that should have gone into the trash bin. One should try it for lunch and go for the lunch menu. It is most of the time less complicated dishes, as the food here tends to be overly complicated (too complicated to execute for the kitchen) and often overly creative (creations that does not make any sense) on the a la carte menu and tasting menus. Still probably the best food in Marseille.

Les Arcenaulx has a nice interior but food is mediocre. The same goes for la Cote de Boeuf close by. But la Cote de Boeuf has on the other hand one of the best wine lists in France.

Peron – a trendy modern restaurant on the cliff close to l’Epuisette with what could be called modern comfort food at very high prices.

Chez Fonfon – one of the Marseille institutions. I hope it is not famous for the food.

La Ferme – Avoid. Expensive food that was more in fashion twenty or thirty years ago.

Chez Aldo – Another famous seafood restaurant in the popular les Goudes area. Amazingly it also serves pizzas, something that is very often the case in Marseille.

There are many other restaurants that appear in various guides but I have never eaten better than average to mediocre food. The price quality ratio of Marseille restaurants must from a consumer point of view be the worst in France.

Marseille can be very windy. This means that le Petit Nice and l’Epuisette can be really unpleasant at times.

Not to miss in Marseille is a visit to the traiteur and cheese affineur Georges Batailles, one of the best cheese stores in Southern France.

To get a sense of the old Marseille, go to le Panier, walk around a bit and just grab a pizza or something and drink some wine from nearby Cassis.

[Clement]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that out. I will be based in the center of M for all two weeks but will be able to travel around while I'm there.

R

[menton1]

Clement, my May issue of Pays de Provence arrived this week, and there is a 25 page spread all about Marseille. Apparently, Jellybean, those in the know do not feel that Marseille is a gastronomic desert, and with seeming good reason.

Now that I have finished salivating after reading the "Guide des Tables" section, here are 2 places that really stood out to me as places not to be missed while in Marseille:

Le Marseillois, a luxury 19th century yacht permanently docked in the Vieux Port that has been hollowed out and made into a beautiful and unusual restaurant. The place is loaded with memorabilia of 19th century Marseille, and they say the food is quite lovely, an eclectic blend of Provencal and seafood dishes.

The second spot that caught my eye in particular is Le Tiboulen, a tiny place with only 8 tables, no menu, they serve whatever the family catches when they fish in the wee hours of the morning. Their motto is, "Notre seul chef, c'est la mer." The write-up says not to miss the Soupe de poissons that they make most days, it is fabulous! They also say to reserve ahead because of the little size of the place.

Wish I could be there to sample these places with you, but please report back if you go!!

Le Marseillois

Quai du Port

(Directly in front of the Hotel de Ville)

04 91 90 72 52

Le Tiboulen

Route de Goudes

(8th Arrondisement)

04 91 25 26 30

Edited April 27, 2004 by menton1 (log)

[degusto]

Clement, my May issue of Pays de Provence arrived this week, and there is a 25 page spread all about Marseille. Apparently, Jellybean, those in the know do not feel that Marseille is a gastronomic desert, and with seeming good reason.

Now that I have finished salivating after reading the "Guide des Tables" section, here are 2 places that really stood out to me as places not to be missed while in Marseille:

Le Marseillois, a luxury 19th century yacht permanently docked in the Vieux Port that has been hollowed out and made into a beautiful and unusual restaurant. The place is loaded with memorabilia of 19th century Marseille, and they say the food is quite lovely, an eclectic blend of Provencal and seafood dishes.

The second spot that caught my eye in particular is Le Tiboulen, a tiny place with only 8 tables, no menu, they serve whatever the family catches when they fish in the wee hours of the morning. Their motto is, "Notre seul chef, c'est la mer." The write-up says not to miss the Soupe de poissons that they make most days, it is fabulous! They also say to reserve ahead because of the little size of the place.

Wish I could be there to sample these places with you, but please report back if you go!!

Le Marseillois

Quai du Port

(Directly in front of the Hotel de Ville)

04 91 90 72 52

Le Tiboulen

Route de Goudes

(8th Arrondisement)

04 91 25 26 30

There have been numerous articles like these in French, Italian, Scandinavian magazines and so on. The tourist organizations of Marseille have hired PR companies and spent considerable money to strenghten the profile of the city and increase the inflow of tourists. They need it as has no importance today from tourism point of view. What I have read so far about food in Marseille have been these obviously "bought" articles that have nothing to do with reality.

From a gastronomic point of view Marseille is a desert.

[menton1]

Have you actually tried these two restaurants? I think you are rushing to judgement...

As far as Pays de Provence Magazine, most of the Marseille spread in this issue seemed to be devoted to the people that live in or around Marseille; they discussed some new office construction and how they filled in land and did some remarkable engineering feats, some old photos of how Marseille looked at different stages of the 20th century, some diving finds of antiquities off the coast, a very un-touristy section. And one look at the photo of Le Tiboulen restaurant shows that this is anything but a tourist destination.

Not to over defend it, but this magazine is not published for tourists-- it is for the people who live in Provence!!

[marcus]

Le Tiboulen was written up very favorably in the Sunday NYT travel section by RW Apple in his article regarding fish restaurants around Marseille in 2002. It is evidently a restaurant that serves the freshest fish, simply and perfectly prepared. I was planning to go, but didn't have a car at the time, so can't speak from personal experience. However, even if this restaurant is everything that it possibly can be, I don't think that it would change the overall characterization of the local restaurant scene. My own opinion, having spent some time in Marseille visitng restaurants, is that I was marginally disappointed, especially based on my high expectations regarding bouillabaisse. However, I also regard jellybeans characterization of a gastronomic desert to be somewhat overstated from my perspective, but it's good to find someone even more critical than I am.

[degusto]

Yes, I have been to le Tiboulen de Maïre. It is a somewhat boring cement structure not too far from Callelongue. I agree it is not touristy. In fact the coastline area from where Ave. Prado ends by the sea all the way to Callelongue and even a bit further to Cassis is an area that absolutely should be visited. It is quite unspoilt in the sense that this part of Marseille has probably looked the same the last thirty or forty years, and it is not at all touristy. But one has to remember that Marseille is not very touristy to begin with.

So is le Tiboulen great? Is it the freshest of fish perfectly cooked? Well…… I wouldn’t say it is better than any of the other 5-10 small restaurants serving mostly “fresh” fish along the coastline. Most of them are located just on any of the many small fishermen’s ports along the coastline. I mentioned one of them earlier, which was Chez Aldo. The advantage with le Tiboulen is that you can park there and that can be quite a hassle at Chez Aldo. But in my opinion, these restaurants are very much “un jour a la hausse, un jour a la baisse”. None of them has had any impact on my view that Marseille is a desert in terms of gastronomy. The probably most interesting of all these places is Le Lunch, which I also pointed out earlier and it is located a bit further away after Callelongue towards Cassis. Food is not necessarily great there either but the setting is spectacular. So even on a bad day you have a view and the sound of the ocean. Le Lunch is also an odd cement structure like all these restaurants are.

What strike me as odd is that Le Tiboulen is featured in NY Times, but on the other hand I can easily see that any of these restaurants will render royal service on the right day when someone comes in and says he is a big journalists from NY Times. So maybe that is the way to tackle the inconsistency.

I am more surprised that Le Lunch is not featured more often because of its absolutely extraordinary setting, whilst having a certain wild and authentic charm.

None of the restaurants – even on the good days - compare with the seafood temples found in Italy for instance. I am greatly disappointed they don’t, considering the access they have to fresh seafood in general and the presence of a few very interesting seafood specialties in the area.

For anyone going to the coastal area remember that these restaurants are popular among locals and most of them are packed for lunch and usually very quiet for dinner. So either make reservations or be there early, which is also wise if you want somewhere to park.

The other place that Menton1 mentioned, Le Marseillois I do not know of. I was on that side of the old port quite recently but I cannot say I paid any attention to any restaurant yacht there. If I try it next time in Marseille I will let you know. But even if it turns out to be the next Ducasse, Passard, Pacuad or Veyrat cooking himself in the kitchens it would not really impact my view of how far Marseille has to go to be a gastronomic player in France, but it sure would make me happy.

As I said before only a dozen restaurant are mentioned in Michelin and only three with stars and at least one of those (Michel) is inexplicable. So compare that to Lyon a city of the same size. Some may say that is not fair because of Lyon’s deep culinary traditions. Fine, compare it to Copenhagen, a city of the size of Marseille with a relatively recently born food culture like in Spain, and you will see that Copenhagen has about three to four times as many restaurants mentioned and 10 of them have star ratings.

I do not think that I have overstated Marseille’s poor culinary level. I could have amplified it by saying it is a really dry desert. But yes maybe I am too discriminating against food that is just average to good when it easily could have been - if not exceptional - at least very very good.

[menton1]

I think that most of us, even here at Egullet feel that it is not necessary to dine at an Haute Cuisine restaurant with a world-renowned chef every night to not think that you are dining in a "desert". I have had some wonderful meals at informal bistros and small family operations that Michelin would never dream of sending a reviewer to. Certainly Italy is known for its simple, peasant-style of cuisine at less formal places, Greece as well, and I've certainly had lots and lots of wonderful food experiences and fun at the simpler restaurants in France. We have to cast aside some of our food snobbery sometimes, and just enjoy some of the simpler places. Marseille is one of those less formal restaurant towns, but certainly there is delicious food to be had there. You just have to stop thinking in an "Haute Cuisine" mode.

[vmilor]

My understanding is that Jellybean is comparing the simple seafood bistros in Marseilles against the simple seafood trattorias in Liguria and finds the former poor in comparison. He is not comparing them against the haute cuisine.

Overall, I would say similar categories should be compared against one another. In my own experience , at the level on the so called simple places with very fresh sea food I have been, by and large, happier in Italy or Spain than France. This may be a side effect of Michelin.

[cigalechanta]

Though I read only alittle French, I subscribe to Pays de Provence. The articles are wonderful and suggestions where to eat or sleep. Another magazine I get, Cote Sud, featured "Le Lunch"Tell me more about this place. Is it on the Corniche

[Jonathan Day]

My understanding is that Jellybean is comparing the simple seafood bistros in Marseilles against the simple seafood trattorias in Liguria and finds the former poor in comparison. He is not comparing them against the haute cuisine.

Overall, I would say similar categories should be compared against one another. In my own experience , at the level on the so called simple places with very fresh sea food I have been, by and large, happier in Italy or Spain than France. This may be a side effect of Michelin.

I'm guessing that Jellybean is going one step further. In my experience, having high-calibre, haute cuisine restaurants in a town benefits the "cheap eats" places in that area. The local suppliers are more "on their toes" and apprentices who work in the area are likely to have spent time in a haute cuisine kitchen, even if they eventually work in a bistro. And the local customers are more aware of fine food and more demanding, even in the informal restaurants.

This "clustering" phenomenon appears in other industries -- in Germany, for example, where many firms produce printing equipment and inks, it's no accident that consumers will return their morning paper if the ink on one page is at all smeared. Ceramics in Italy. Restaurants in Lyon -- both haute cuisine and otherwise.

This is simple economics at work, not snobbery.

[mantee]

Have anyone been over to Sete? I'll have to pull my notes and look at the fabulous pictures before I name names, but that sea town has it all.