30/03/2026: We had never tried bouillabaisse before, so we chose to go to Fonfon, renowned for serving one of the best in Marseille.
Unfortunately, the experience didn't live up to our expectations. The broth served was very thin and quite watery, far from the richer, slightly thicker texture usually associated with this iconic dish. As for the fish, it seemed a bit dry.
This impression was reinforced after recently watching a documentary on television featuring a very different bouillabaisse: a darker, richer broth, accompanied by fish that was clearly much better prepared.
Furthermore, one of our companions simply wanted fish soup, which was, incidentally, very good. However, the waiter insisted we order two appetizers, refusing to serve us just one on the pretext that we weren't ordering main courses. This practice particularly surprised us: it's the first time we've encountered this type of demand in a restaurant. Given the price (€65), we were quite disappointed with the experience, which didn't match our expectations or what we'd seen elsewhere. The rest of the dishes, however, were very good.
30/03/2026: I made a reservation to celebrate my 64th birthday. We were shown to a nice table, and settled down for hopefully a great experience.
We weren't asked if we wanted an aperetive, but we requested them anyway, but weren't given time to enjoy them as our starter arrived whilst we were still half way through them.
The seiche starter was actually very good, as was the bottle of Cassis red. My partner's Bouillabaisse arrived, and was in general ok, apart from sand in one fish, which we should have complained about at the time. My assiette de pêcheurs was full of good quality well cooked fish, but way too much on the plate, and lacking in presentation.
We chose the profertoles, which the waiter kindly and correctly advised us to share, these were very good. I was twice asked if I wanted coffee with the desert, and twice had to say not now, after my desert
With better presentation, more manageable portions and less hurry, it would have been a far better experience.
All in all, rather disappointing birthday treat.
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