L'Oiseau Rieur sur La Ciotat

19/08/2024: Careful and pleasant service, quality cuisine, idyllic setting. We had a wonderful evening with the sea in the background.

18/08/2024: They earned a Michelin star this year and while the food was great, I felt it was slightly lacking compared to other Michelin restaurants we came across during our trip to Provence and the Riviera. The thing that stands out as needing the most improvement was the service- it was slow and not as attentive as it should be. They gave us our menus and did not return for 20 min until we flagged them down asking to order. Maybe they were short staffed? Also, I know we are in France but all the other Michelin star restaurants had servers who spoke fluent English. There wasn't any staff here that spoke English well and sometimes it was difficult to understand their explanation of the dishes we were eating. This is not a big deal, but again for Michelin restaurants I have higher standards. We had dinner which was a good value at 98 euros each. The restaurant faces the ocean and we had a relaxing dinner, although it took a full 3 hours due to the slow service. The food was outstanding. I really enjoyed the vanilla bourbon emulsion that came with our fish. It was perfect. The pork was tender and served with the most amazing sauce. This restaurant knows how to pair the correct flavors to accompany the main ingredients in their dishes. Their lemon dessert was one of my favorites I've had on this trip.