Cafe de la Sardine sur Les Vans

Magnificent A word of advice: go there on foot Closed Monday and Tuesday

We are often very unfair, but it is a truly exceptional place. The menu is fun, there is even a little Greek side.

Hear, hear, noble companions of plate and well-stocked table! In my capacity as a humble but fervent connoisseur of the sardine, a small fish so often underestimated but oh so subtle, I could not fail to visit a house with a promising name: La Sardine sous la Vigne. Did I eat it with satisfaction? Listen carefully to what I say, and you will judge. From the start, the promise was high: a sardine served in all its glory must, in my eyes, meet criteria of excellence that are not easy to satisfy. Do you know, for example, that the flesh of a freshly caught sardine must be slightly firm to the finger, without giving in? That the eye of the fish, bright and without opacity, is the first guarantee? And that ideal cooking cannot exceed the precise moment when the pearly skin reveals its richness of aromas without sinking into bitterness? My demands, although high, were put to the test here. Ah! What a revelation that was! The sardine grilled over a wood fire, subtly brushed with a drizzle of fragrant olive oil, seemed to me like a culinary masterpiece. The cooking, mastered with rare precision, allowed the delicacy of its flesh to express itself while exalting its marine scent. Better yet: the house had taken care to serve a sardine in escabeche, a subtle preparation where the vinegar dances harmoniously with the herbs and spices. A success worthy of the best Mediterranean traditions! And what about the daring marriage between sardines and vines? A garnish of lightly candied grapes accompanied a dish of marinated sardines with a grace I had never tasted. Those fools who claim that sardines are just a simple dish would do well to dip their bread in it! To conclude, I would say that La Sardine sous la Vigne honors its name with brilliance and imagination. This place stands out not only as a temple of the blue fish, but also as a vibrant tribute to this humble jewel of the seas. Let foodies and discerning palates go there without delay: they will find the excellence that the specialist that I am recognized there.