THE REAL RIVIERA

Dining on the Côte d'Azur means more than glamour and glitz.

- KATE BETTES

WHEN I LIVED ON THE CÔTE D'AZUR, MY go-to treat was a plain crêpe. No sugar. No lemon. Definitely none with fresh strawberries and Nutella, hot and dripping from the edges.

I wasn’t born with boring tastebuds. The reality was that I was 18 and living as an au pair on 70 euros a week, which didn’t quite allow me to immerse myself in Nice’s impressive eating culture. I never bought the chilled Provençal rosé in the beach clubs of Cannes. Instead of lingering over long lunches in vineyards, the one-euro espresso and a croissant did me just fine.

But now I was back: sipping Sanpellegrino under the blue-and-white umbrellas on the beach, steps from the Art Deco hotels of the Promenade des Anglais that I never dreamt of entering as a teenager. And this time, I wasn’t going to waste my second chance to eat like a local.

To do that properly, I needed to understand where I really was. The Côte d'Azur is far bigger than people realise, stretching from the citrus trees of Menton, along the neoclassical streets of Nice, and beyond the beaches of St-Tropez. It’s impossible to define a single culinary identity across that space - despite the stereotype of summertime superyachts, spooning caviar and sipping Champagne.

Beneath the spectacle lies something quieter. A rhythm the whole Côte shares, of unhurried meals, easy-sipping cocktails, and cooking made to be shared, not shown off.