Livingston – Introduction

We have become addicted to Marseille. We have visited many times and every time we go there we stumble upon new treasures. Certainly there can be problems getting in and out of the city if you are driving. We have sometimes been held up in traffic jams on occasions, but once you get into the city proper getting around is not much of a hassle.

It is also a good place to walk around. There are some gentle rises but not too many steep parts. And the food and wine is both varied and, if you do your research, very, very good. We say you should do your research because if you are looking for some experiences such as bouillabaisse, there are both very good and very bad experiences awaiting you.

If you want interesting food based on good quality ingredients and cooked with skill and attention then you should begin your trip with a visit to La Mercerie. We first came across the team here when they had a pop-up in Arles and we were most impressed.

Since opening in Marseille they have attracted a clever team and are doing great things. We always enjoy our visits there. We have included a review of this venue on this Web site.

Therefore we knew, given its provenance (the team from La Mercerie), that we would enjoy Livingston, but we weren’t quite prepared for just how much.

The food is beyond delicious, with some dishes, like the mussels, having you feeling that eating them will boost your wellbeing.

The pizzetta was pure indulgence and the chicory, grilled over charcoal, smothered with anchoiade and then showered with Parmesan is only the sort of dish you could offer if you are 100% confident in the quality of your produce. It would not make sense to make the whole dish based on one vegetable unless it was extraordinary, which it was.

And the fish (tonine, which must be related to tuna) was a joy to eat.

The Livingston menu has a page listing, for each dish, the source of the key ingredients (it would become our future shopping list if we lived in Marseille). It also lists the names of each person working that night, another good thing!

Livingston has lots of delicious wines to choose from, with a very strong list of orange wines. And to show how confident they are about their offerings many of the wines have no added sulphites.

And it is open on Sunday nights!

You can find out more about this restaurant on their Web site here. We have also mentioned Livingston in our survey of the best places to eat in France outside Paris here.