Saint Paul - de Vence

I thought Monaco was beautiful, but I think I finally found "my" place!  Saint-Paul is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera it is well-known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries such as Foundation Maeght which is located nearby.

As we arrived the first restaurant I saw was called La Colombe d'Or, similar to the one i worked at in Cape Town. For over a decade, the "Golden Dove" has been St-Paul's most celebrated restaurant, not for cutting-edge cuisine or exotic experiments, but for its remarkable art collection. You may begin with smoked salmon or foie gras from Landes if you've recently won at the casino. If not, you can count on a soup made with fresh seasonal vegetables. The best fish dishes are poached sea bass with mousseline sauce, and sea wolf baked with fennel. Tender beef comes with gratin dauphinois. A classic finish to any meal is a soufflé flambé au Grand-Marnier.

This little village made me think of John's mom, Adele who is a stunning artist. Every little shop was unique in its own way, whether it was selling art or olive oil. 

Picking a restaurant is always the toughest task for me, especially when people tell me to choose and especially when you walk past Saint Paul's 1 Michelin star restaurant and you know it will be outstanding but you can't afford it. We walked through the village and stopped at a "very french" bistro facing the most beautiful view! In these little villages they hardly speak english and with my poor culinary french, I tried to attempt the menu without any help! I ordered a beef stir-fry, which to my disappointment was grilled courgettes and peppers stuffed with beef mince. So my French was worse than what I thought, but at least I got the chocolate tart right!

Situated on a little hill, this is the stunning view you get from a distance

Art galleries

Restaurants