Lou Cigalon, a Treasure in Valbonne

Big surprises come in little packages and this is what I will say about Lou Cigalon in Valbonne.
A small restaurant with a BIG heart and excellent service. There are not many tables so do reserve..in fact it is a must otherwise you will be disappointed.

Once the menu was handed to me ...I had my Pavlovian reaction and immediately started salivating. There are 2 Menus on offer: Menu Decouverte at 39€ with an either/or selection of mouthwatering suggestions and the Sensation du Marche at 68€ which we chose. We savoured the dishes that were beautifully presented...each dish had little "crumbs/seasonings " to one side to be "tasted with your finger" and I did...each and every time : there was a dusting of cumin with the lobster, sugared verveine with the refresher sorbet and ginger bread with the Camembert.

Fabulous French cuisine that is neither humble nor over exaggerated. Bring an appetite,sit back and enjoy LaDoucette Pouilly Fussee...you can thank me later!
Check out the website for the menus which they change every 2/3 months...I am so excited,because the change is imminent and so is our return to this enchanting little restaurant with the most charming hostess and chef.
What are you waiting for? Make a reservation for your next trip over.

I am kicking myself for forgetting to take photos...I was so distracted I didn't want to take my eye off the prize!

But you trust me...no?

Get Set.... Glow!

So Spring is officially with us...yet no one has thought of leaving a memo to Mr. Weather. No matter, what it is time to do is reboot our skin and our insides to get ready for the healthy glow of summer.

As each season brings about its changes so must we: a detox is always a great way to kick start  things and it is advised but all pharmacists (I speak of here in France).
I have been taking these daily wee bottles of herbal goodness:plant extracts,herbs and fruit... at each change of season coming on to a year now and I feel better for it...no hokum, on the level.
And they taste good too!

Moving on to the face: I have discovered and subsequently tried : PAYOT Pate Grise and have been pleasantly surprised.

This thick clay-like substance ( if it smells like it and feels like it...) is to be used to cover those pesky spots that pop up and annoy the hell out of you while you try to make them disappear while mercilessly picking at them while watching TV ...STOP!! 

*DELAROM Exfoliating face mask & PAYOT Pate grise*

Dip your finger in,and cover the offending spot  with a layer and go to bed. Yes...go to bed and in the morning...angry spot has been beaten to submission and the inflammation has gone down. Seriously..this is my new "go to" remedy for all spots and blemishes.

I was persuaded to buy this skin exfoliating face mask by DELAROM( see above photo) because it apparently has been "flying off the shelves"..(don't believe the hype...) and because the pink clay (more clay...sorry!) acts not only as a 7-10 minute mask but also becomes a scrub  and actually renders your skin extra soft and extra touchable.

It can also be used twice a week and is recommended for all skin types.

There.

Simples.

Fendi Frenzy

Leather and resin shoes £980....by FENDI

This was singled out by the ELLE shoe team as being "The One" in their March edition.

As far as I am concerned this is the result of "Bring your kids to work Friday...."

What is the Capital of Yoghurt?

Conversation with my partner: Alfa Male

" I have had 22 hits on my blog from Latvia!..."I announce to my partner. 

Silence....and then he quietly replies:

"Isn't Latvia a yoghurt.....?"

As I am breathless with laughter..he turns to look at me and sees the tears of laughter in my eyes and he joins in:

"I was trying to figure out how people from a yoghurt were accessing your blog....!!"

Cannes' Best Kept Secret...COUBY'S CAFE

Ok...so it's not in one of the nicest,let alone chicest streets in Cannes, it is tucked away off of the top end of the rue D'Antibes (not far from the Diesel store) and a stone's throw from an intersecting duel carriage way...But forget about all that!
Let's talk hang out...let's talk decor...let's talk BURGERS!

Couby's Cafe is a burger and drinks restaurant but until you have tasted the burgers you won't be blamed into thinking:
"Yeah..right. The French and burgers???...I am dubious the twain shall ever meet..."
Well, I am happy  to report that :...I am soooo wrong! 
Not only have the "twain met"... they have hung out and made sweet music together:

*COUBY CAFE'S TEXAN BURGER*

These are quite simply : THE BEST BURGERS I have eaten on the Riviera and I have lived here long enough to have tasted them from Monaco to Saint Tropez. Apart from the Quail Burger at Pierre Reboul in Aix en Provence (See "Ode to the Quail Burger"...) nothing has ever been worth mentioning let alone digesting. The fries are thick and crispy,the coleslaw and shredded lettuce are as God intended: fresh and crunchy, the egg just this side of runny and I could go on...so I tell you what:
Go there and check it out yourselves:

COUBY'S CAFE: BURGERS & DRINKS
3 BD DE LORRAINE-06400 CANNES
04 93 300 337

WWW.COUBYSCAFE.COM

La Cambuse in Nice:Perfect service for lacklustre food

We just came back from Nice and lunch in the sun at "La Cambuse " but we were deeply disappointed especially when the service was perfect and the staff friendly...The food was quite simply :average.

The location is ideal,slap bang in the centre of Le Cours Saleya and with tables right there in the sun...Purrr-fect.
But the food simply wasn't : "les petits farcis nicois' "stuffing mix had some fatty bits that put me right off(nothing like trusting your stuffing only to bite into a piece of unyielding grisle...Urgh!) 
On to the risotto dish(the only one on the menu...)..so you think: 
"This should be good!"... But it wasn't.
First of all it came in something the size of a bathroom sink with a packet of rice used for each. The Gambas was over cooked and the Saint Jacques too...as they had no taste. I couldn't say they were good...I couldn't say they were bad..they simply were.
I hate giving bad reviews especially to restaurants who greeted us and served us with smiles but when the 2 elderly"Nicois" gentleman who sat beside us  didn't enjoy their food either...(one left his sardines uneaten while his companion asked the lady beside him if she enjoyed her food as they didn't...)..it clearly wasn't just us.

Enough said...maybe they were having a "bad food day" and things will be better tomorrow...or Monday...or next month. As for us...we'll try some place else.

Now back to the elderly gentleman who came and sat beside us:
As one of them tried to side step along the table to sit down opposite his friend,he knocked over the glass ashtray that was on our table and it smashed to pieces on the floor...right in front of our dog. I switched places with my partner in order to get Titan out of harms way and to let the waiter sweep it all up. As I sat down beside the lovely gentleman he says to his friend:

"There's a glass smashed on the floor..."

"It wasn't a glass,but an ashtray.." I say to him not knowing if he is pulling my leg or genuinely in the dark that he was the culprit to this mini mayhem.

"You shouldn't be smoking in public my dear....do it at home" he replies smiling.

" It was you who broke the ashtray!!" says his friend. "Everywhere we go...You have to smash something!"

"Yes I do!" was the lovely man's reply.

And then they proceeded not to enjoy their food either.

Audrey Hepburn Starring in Galaxy Chocolate UK TV Advertisement

While I am feeling nostalgic...let me share this truly beautiful advertisement for Galaxy Chocolate with another screen siren,the much loved : Audrey Hepburn.
It is like watching a film,the intense colour, Audrey's breathy voice singing "Moon River"...a gem.
Enjoy.