Merenda in Nice
Lunch with Rowley yesterday reminds me that I neglected to mention my failure to get to Merenda while in Nice last month. He reports that on being seated, the customer is presented with a blackboard which is then hung on a peg by your table. On one side this says: "Pas de telephone. Pas de Cartes de Credit." Merenda is also closed Saturdays and Sundays.
The image above is stolen from the internet, for which - apologies. That's because I had the temerity to visit Nice on the weekend.
All of this is regrettable because Rowley confirms that Merenda's offering is the purest and best expression of Nicoise cooking that there is. Henry Harris says the same. And that's good enough for me.
Rowley and Henry are spot on.
ReplyDeleteIf you do eventually go you may also get the opportunity to witness the single waiter have fun with certain types of customers who manage to sneak a table despite the de facto interview you need to go through to qualify for one.
Closing at week ends is understandable as after all the chef patron left the Negresco to be able to improve his work life balance :-)
Still this is not as strange as the famous Glacier in Paris - Bertillon who in efeect closes down for most of the summer !
Flying to Nice on Friday but alas just to pick up a car and head off elsewhere. I'll look this place out next time.
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me to revisit some fun we had there last summer: http://profile.typepad.com/benbush
I particularly recommend Café de Turin.