FRANCE

CANNES

RESTAURANT SEA SENS

Restaurant Sea Sens, Cannes, France | Bown's Best Close to the port of the Old Town of Cannes is the Church of Notre Dame de Bon Voyage. It is a large and handsome pile. On the outside of its northern aisle is a large plaque, which records the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte landed nearby in February, 1815, when he had escaped from Elba and was about to begin his march on Paris. Indeed, he is said to have spent a night in the church before he set off. If you are not too startled by this intelligence – and, I must suppose, many an Englishman has been taken aback by it – you will notice, on the other side of the street, the imposing modern façade of a grand hostelry. This is the Five Seas Hotel, and on its 5th floor is a dining room sought out by every serious gourmet who visits Cannes – the Restaurant Sea Sens.

Restaurant Sea Sens, Cannes, France | Bown's Best Chef Arnaud Tabarec (pictured) has one Michelin star and is widely admired both for his commitment to French cuisine and for his talent in creating dishes which are as unexpected as they are delightful. I was certainly full of eager anticipation as I was shown to my table by the enthusiastic chef Sommelier, Alex Dervieux. I then had rather a shock: the seat was so low. I felt for a moment like one of those ghastly politicians who go to schools seeking ‘photo opportunities’ and end up looking silly, sitting on children’s chairs. But Mr Dervieux saved my dignity, producing a couple of cushions to elevate my ageing frame to a respectable height.

Thus installed, I took in my surroundings. I was in a room of bold and bright colours, and my table was graced with proper white napery and good Spiegelau glassware. But the best thing about this environment was what was outside it. For, through the plate glass windows, was a fine view of the floodlit mediaeval castle high above the town. I sat back and thought this was a good place for a good dinner.

Restaurant Sea Sens, Cannes, France | Bown's Best I began with a dish which revealed at once the talent at work in the kitchen. It was a chicken egg, cooked at 63∙5 degrees, with fried mushrooms, bacon and chicken jus. These, of course, are simple ingredients. But the care and intelligence with which they had been cooked turned them into an impressively delicious combination of intense tastes and luscious textures. Then I chose a complex essay upon the lobster – with its flesh within large ravioli and its juice combined with liquorice – which showed that complexity can reveal true flavour when it is achieved with absolute precision. Next came the highlight of the meal. Pieces of fried duck foie gras were brought in a dish and then had a broth with vegetables poured over them. The crisp surface of the liver, its soft interior and the warm, sustaining liquid in which it rested yielded a frisson of pure gastronomic excitement.

Restaurant Sea Sens, Cannes, France | Bown's Best My main course was a fine piece of beef fillet. I am not a great fan of tapenade. I find the bitterness of olives can attack my palate. But here it was used so sparingly that, by careful contrast, it brought out the intrinsic sweetness of the meat. The accompanying vegetables were exceptionally good. By this time, I was feeling replete, but I think I can recall managing to have a taste of one of the tempting puddings of the pastry chef, Jérome de Oliveira (pictured, with a spoon), whose creations can be obtained from his patisserie nearby. (These five courses from the carte were 114€.)

Restaurant Sea Sens, Cannes, France | Bown's Best The wine list has 124 offerings, including 10 halves and 10 magnums. All, except 5 ‘foreigners’, are French. The halves include a 2006 Corton-Charlemagne (Bonneau du Martray – 125€), and the magnums include 2004 Cristal champagne (860€). Prices run from 40€ for a Provençal white to 2,950€ for the 2004 vintage of Lafite. And there are other good things from Bordeaux, including 1980 Yquem (1,200€), 1995 Margaux (1,750€) and 1996 Haut Brion (1,300€). Of my own drinking I liked best the well-balanced rosé champagne with its tiny hint of ripe red fruit – 2007 Roederer (145€).

The Emperor Napoleon, not long after his landing nearby, met his Waterloo. But I think the Restaurant Sea Sens, with its brilliant young chef and its handsome setting, is set for many years of culinary victories. Vive La Cuisine Française!

Restaurant Sea Sens, Cannes, France | Bown's Best

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RESTAURANT SEA SENS

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RESTAURANT SEA SENS