An influx of young chefs is putting the edgy Mediterranean city on the culinary map with smart restaurants and trendy wine bars
. Well, the friends who trawl the world based on where they want to eat. For my other pals, the reaction is more one of disbelief. “What? It’s so dangerous, why are you going there?”
It’s a smart spot with white linen-covered tables, quietly posh but relaxed, with Birkin bags stowed on neat handbag stools. There are a number of options, but everyone here is focused on the €130 Marius menu. After a series of delicious amuse-bouches, the bouillabaisse is served in two courses. On Rue Papère, we stop at Chez Sofiane, where workers in high-vis jackets queue for couscous, tajine and kefta. In the back, a baker makes msemen, rolling out the dough and lacing it with olive oil to make flaky pancakes, which are eaten with mint tea.
The restaurant and wine scene have been booming following the pandemic, as young Parisian and international chefs have flocked to the city, attracted by the lower cost of opening a restaurant on this Mediterranean stretch of coastline. The low-key chef here, Alexandre Mazzia – who seems quite shy as he briefly drops by each table – brings elements from his upbringing in the Congo, so you get heat from chillies and spices running through the food. But this is just one of the influences that contributes to some of the most original food I have eaten in a long time.
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