Introduction to La Merenda and Cuisine Nicoise
La Merenda, the restaurant of chef Dominique Le Stanc, precisely captures what the Foodtourist.com site is all about! We are not primarily concerned by the ambience of a restaurant, how easy it is to book, whether there is valet parking available or even whether there are convenient toilets.
What we are primarily looking for is good food that reflects the stated intentions of the owners. At Le Merenda we find exactly that. Perfectly cooked, honest food that uses the best ingredients and reflects the soul of the cuisine of the region.
There are some drawbacks at La Merenda. There is no telephone so it is difficult to reserve a table. They do not take credit cards, so you need to find somewhere that dispenses cash. And, the stools do not have backs on them, so they are not conducive to long lunches! However after almost two decades of first eating here, we are drawn back time and time again to experience the honesty and deliciousness of the food.
One change that has occured here is a leap into the modern world where you can now book a table via Instagram where they use a link to Zenchef to implement the booking! You can also book on https://lamerenda.net/.
La Merenda is very small and you could easily miss it as you walk up rue Raoul Bosio, unless you look for the push bike parked outside.
The food and ambience at La Merenda
The tables are placed so close together that the only way to be seated is to pull the table right out. At the back of the room is the open, tiny kitchen where you can see the chef at work.
Many of the locals engage him in discussions about the food. On our most recent meal we sat next to a very regal local lady who was interested that we had travelled so far to revisit the food. She seemed almost anxious that we would again like it! When we pronounced the tomato tart to be a tour de force she let out a sigh of delight.
You find out what is available at La Merenda from a tiny blackboard menu that is brought to your table (there is a larger menu shown above but not everyone can see it clearly). Another, with the extra dishes, is placed above the door. Some slices of good, strong bread are placed on the table.
You will notice on the menu above that there are four “rules” at the top and sides of the blackboard. “Pas de CB” means no credit cards – you must take enough cash to cover your meal. “Pas de téléphone” means that there is no telephone – you cannot phone for a booking. “Fermé le week-end” says that it is closed at the weekend. “Reservation sur place” means that you can reserve a table by dropping in before service and asking for a table or via the link on Instagram.
On one occasion we started with a simple salad of roquet and goats cheese with three tiny olives and a dish of stuffed sardines done in the nicoise style. Both dishes were prime examples of simplicity and honesty in food. Perfect flavours and perfect technique.
Pissaladiere
On our most recent visit to La Merenda we returned to the Beignets de Fleur de Courgette (fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese) and a slice of the most incredible Pissaladiere, one of anchor dishes of Cuisine Nicoise, where the subtle taste of the anchovy that infused the thick layer of perfectly caramelised onions sitting on a base of perfect, crumbly dough was an exercise in balance and perfection.
Beignets de Fleur de Courgette
For main course we once tried one of the best examples of daube of beef that we have experienced anywhere in France. It was long cooked, flavourful and simply melted in the mouth. Accompanying the daube were chick pea ‘chips’ – a classic dish of the area known as panisse. They were stunning.
A dish of tripe (also accompanied by the chick pea dish) was similarly a La Merenda classic which we tried once again on our recent visit.
Veal tripe with Panisse
On one of our previous visits we ordered the stockfish stew. The waiter seemed concerned that we might not understand what we were ordering. When we explained that we understood the strong flavours of this dish and were looking for an authentic example he relaxed.
He needn’t have worried. We loved it. It is a dish of very strong and complex flavours but it is definitely ‘worth a journey’! We were delighted on our recent visit to see that it was again on the menu and just as satisfying as always.
It is interesting to read about why a dried fish from the north of Norway is used regarded as a speciality in Nice and also is held in very high regard in northern Italy as well. These fish are attracted to northern Norway by the Gulf Stream currents that sweep up past the west coast of Scotland and on to Norway.
The fish are attracted to the warm currents and are easily caught there. But there is more to the story. After catching the fish, they are strung up outside on wooden frames to dry. The ambient temperature is such that it never reaches freezing and it never get too warm, so the fish dries perfectly.
The dried fish is perfect for exporting and the Italians have grown to love it over the centuries it has been exported to that country. And the knowledge of this fish has penetrated the eastern edges of France, hence the reverence given to it at La Merenda.
As an aside we should mention that in the one time we have eaten at the very posh Le Louis XV in Monaco, we saw a dish on the menu made from dried fish and asked if it was the Norwegian stockfish. The waiter seemed concerned about whether we would like it, however when we explained that we had loved the strong flavour when we had tried it in Nice, he relaxed and seemed genuinely pleased that we liked this local dish.
Now back to La Merenda. It is rare in a small restaurant for the chef to be proficient at all facets of a meal. Often they fail when it comes to dessert. Not here. A perfect piece of lemon tart with absolutely stunning pastry and a vanilla cream (like a crème brulee without the caramelised top) were both a lovely end to the meal.
We were lucky on the most recent visit to La Merenda to find Tourte de Blette on the dessert list. This is a tart made from Swiss chard and pine nuts. Our slice of this compelling dish was even better than the examples we have tried here in the past. Pure perfection!
Tourte de Blette
On our first visit, a bottle of vin de pays from the Var area accompanied the dishes and Badoit mineral water was also served. On our next visit the offering was a Cotes de Provence appellation from Domaine de Matourne which is near the pleasant village of Flayosc.
Now the offering has expanded slightly with a naturally-fermented white, red and rose from Domaine Toasc from the little known nearby Bellet appellation that lies within the city boundaries. We enjoyed a bottle of the Vermentino that has sufficient acid to work with the tripe and the stockfish.
We can unreservedly recommend La Merenda to all those who value exciting food experiences.
You can read more about Cuisine Nicoise by reading our story about Jacques Medecin, the former mayor of Nice who wrote a book about the dishes of Nice because he was afraid that the younger generation were no longer learning how to cook the dishes.
Jacques Medecin’s detailed book on the cuisine of Nice
You can also link to Dominique Stanc’s La Merenda Web site, some of the pages are only in French:
