A 4-Course Menu for a Classic French Riviera Dinner
Ever been to the coast of Cannes, Nice and the equally delightful coastal villages of Menton and Antibes?
This section of the Mediterranean region—Monaco and the French and Italian towns along the Ligurian Sea coastline—is known as the French Riviera or Côte d’Azur, and it’s a top global destination for the wealthy and fashionable.
Apart from the gorgeous sea views and glamorous lifestyle, French Riviera cuisine is a significant part of the area’s charm. Visit a Le Petit Maison or LPM restaurant and bar near you to understand its appeal. Note: LPM locations include London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Hong Kong, Miami, Las Vegas, Limassol, and Mykonos.
What makes French Riviera cuisine so remarkable? The coast of the Ligurian Sea is a beautiful and bountiful region, providing high-quality ingredients, such as the freshest seafood, courgettes, peppers, oranges, lemons, basil, garlic, fennel, olives, artichokes, spinach, and tomatoes. When married with masterful technique by those who take both fun and food seriously, they make for unforgettable plates of food that sing and dance on the palate.
Therefore, a great French Riviera-inspired dinner is one that highlights the quality of the ingredients and demonstrates the chef’s obvious respect for them. No dish is overworked nor overcomplicated. Instead, everything is a skilful melding of flavours to create effortless deliciousness.
If you have a reservation coming up at the LPM French restaurant in Dubai and are wondering what to order for dinner, consider the four-course menu below, which blends light and fresh flavours with a touch of richness and a variety of textures, creating a cohesive, balanced and satisfying dining experience:
-
Hors d’Oeuvres: Huîtres, Tabasco Fumé Maison et Quinoa Croustillant
How about a starter of huîtres or oysters? A dish of raw oysters is a favourite first course in French cuisine because these shellfish are light, briny and refreshing.
Huîtres, tabasco fumé maison et quinoa croustillant is a dish of oysters served with homemade smoked tabasco sauce and crispy quinoa. The homemade smoked tabasco sauce is made of slow-smoked tabasco peppers, salt and vinegar, while crispy quinoa is oil-drizzled quinoa roasted or toasted until it’s golden and crunchy.
In this dish, the hot and smoky tabasco sauce complements the oysters’ fresh brininess, while the crispy quinoa adds an interesting texture contrast to the silkiness of the oysters.
Alternative: Calamars Frits
If you’d rather not have oysters, you can get calamars frits, which is crispy-fried squid with paprika and green chilli. Like the tabasco oysters dish above, it’s also light, with a similar crunch and a touch of spice, and the squid’s pleasantly mild and neutral flavour should make a good introduction to the succeeding courses.
-
Appetizer: Salade Niçoise
Salade Niçoise is a quintessential French Riviera dish. It’s a salad you’ll find anywhere when you go to Côte d’Azur to visit, which shouldn’t come as a surprise because it originated in the French town of Nice. It was such a hit because it showcases the ingredients native to the region: fresh tomatoes (salted), anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, and olive oil.
Through the years, the dish has evolved to include tuna, anchovies, and other green vegetables, and as salade Niçoise made its way around the world, it has been modified to include non-traditional ingredients. Thus, the salad Niçoise you’ll find in other parts of the world is likely not the same salad you’ll find in Nice. That said, the spirit of the dish—simple and healthy, made from locally available ingredients—remains.
If you really want authentic salade Niçoise, though, find a French restaurant that specialises in Côte d’Azur cuisine (e.g., La Petit Maison).
Alternative: Salade de Lentilles Vertes
Salade de lentilles vertes is green lentil salad with apple and burnt tomatoes, and it’s a good, heartier alternative to salade Niçoise. The earthiness of the green lentils with the sweetness of the apples and the brightness of the tomatoes offer substantial texture and fresh flavours.
-
Les Plats: Loup de Mer Préparé en Croûte de Sel With a Side of Gratin Dauphinois
Fish is a common main course in French Riviera dining, so you can never go wrong with a main course of salt-baked sea bass with artichokes and tomatoes. The fish is delicate and moist, thanks to the salt crust, while the artichokes and tomatoes add brightness.
Enjoy this main dish with a side of potato gratin. The creamy, garlicky, buttery, and cheesy layers of thinly sliced baked potato complementing the lightness of the sea bass is chef’s kiss.
Alternative Main: Daurade Entière au Citron
If the sea bass is not available, opt for the whole sea bream baked with Provençal herbs and lemon. This dish is fresh, bright and filling, just like the sea bass.
Alternative Side: Broccolini
If you prefer something less rich for the side, exchange the gratin Dauphinois for the broccolini with chilli and ginger, which is lighter, greener and fresher but complex, spicy and zesty at the same time.
-
Dessert: Crème Brûlée à la Vanille
Vanilla crème brûlée is the classic end to a flawless French Riviera meal.
Alternative: Gâteau au Fromage Frais
How about a fresh cheesecake, say, a vanilla cheesecake with a berry compote? It’s creamy, fruity, and sweet—an excellent note on which to end a wonderful dinner.
A Taste of the French Riviera
If you want a taste of the French Riviera, opt for seafood (oysters, tuna salad, sea bass), tomatoes, olives, lemons, and other typical ingredients from the Ligurian Sea coastline. The standard is fresh and high-quality ingredients prepared simply but skilfully.
Try the above four-course menu at an LPM restaurant near you. Just ask the staff for their wine-pairing recommendations, and you should be all set for the evening.
