One of my favourite restaurants is Au Vieux Four in tiny Gourdon, where I had a scrumptious risotto piémontais with roast chicken, followed by a chocolate gâteau with mango sorbet for dessert. It was one of the best meals I had in the south of France, also made memorable by the fact that it was preceded by a stren-uous, steep, two hour-long hike up the mountain, all the way from Pont-du-Loup to Gourdon!
I love the unpretentious Loco Loco in Villefranche-sur-mer. Last year, after having a delicious seafood salad there, I wanted to pay with a credit card, unaware of the fact that they only took cash - which I didn't have. Jean Pierre, the waiter (and co-owner, but I didn't know that at the time), graciously directed me to the nearest cash machine (which wasn't really that near), trusting that I'd go back and pay him, which I did, of course. It felt good to see him again upon return to Villefranche-sur-mer one year later, although I only saw him briefly in the narrow alley outside the restaurant. I didn't talk to him but posted this story on Instagram with a photo of him, and was surprised in the most pleasant way when a young girl left a comment saying, "That man is my father!" Isn't it lovely how we're all connected somehow in this digital age!