Restaurant Name: Cafe Borghese
For those intent on seduction, this lunchtime-only restaurant (actually classed as a cafe) is perfect.
It is away from the tourist trap areas yet only a step away from the Port. It is stylish and trendy and packed midweek to its smokey gills with beautiful people. The interior is dark (may be that's why everyone looks so good :-) and there is a wonderful wrought-iron contemporary chandelier. The whole place has that careless, distressed, shabby-chic, arty look as though it has evolved this way slowly over time rather than the result of thoughtful tasteful design.
This would be the place to impress someone with your understated good taste and local knowledge - you would just need an air of nonchalant insoucience to carry it off. I loved it here. We ate here in February - a good month for cosy 2-hour lunches, leaving the cold rain outside.
Favorite Dish: We all had the daube (beef stew with carrots) and gnochi (Italian potato-y dumplings) It was excellent plus a bottle of red wine. I'm trying to find the bill, I can't remember the prices but they were average to less than average, sorry to be so unhelpful. The menu, with prices, is written up on a blackboard which is brought to your table and there's a choice of about 5 starters and about 5 main courses.
There is a small terrasse for eating outside in the warmer months - I would have to re-think this place for the summer - I expect the whole atmosphere would change.
From the road, the outside of this reataurant looks nothing special but I think that makes it even more of a gem when you go inside.
It reminded me of a weekend in Paris several years ago (for the first time without the daughter) in a tiny packed restaurant along Passage Jouffroy near the Folies Bergere.
This time, the daughter was very much present :-( Never mind, she proves a Stern Critic on the pudding front. The chocolate pud here found favour.
Gentlemen, this is your chance to impress and seduce; I reckon you'd be on a promise after lunch here.
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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Phone: 04 92 04 83 83
Address: Cafe Borghese, 9 rue Fodere, 06300 Nice Port
Directions: By the Port of Nice, just behind the Notre Dame church on place Isle de la Beaute. The restaurant gets packed with locals during the week so get there early (that's 12 noon) or pop in and reserve a table for later.
Website: will try and find that bill...
Other Contact: lunch only, open most days
on May 1, 2004
