Dinner at Les Pêcheurs

This spring, Stacy DeBroff and her daughter Kyle, embarked on a seafood adventure in Nice, France. This post continues coverage of their culinary experience.

We asked our wonderful concierge, Frederick, for seafood restaurant recommendations, and he directed us toward the best of the best in Nice. He booked us a reservation at Les Pêcheurs, a seafood restaurant on the far side of the Nice Port, a good 10-minute walk away from the touristy section, which achieved one of our goals of eating where only locals dine. We soon discovered why Frederick sent us here! En route, we took in the pastel buildings that line the port, as well as a huge World War II memorial carved in the stone cliffs.

The waitress first brought out a warm flour and cheese cookie appéritif and smoky Niçoise olives. The small, native, purple-hued Niçoise olives have a sweet briny taste and always come with pits inside.

Then, we started with a seafood, cherry tomato, and olive oil linguini. Beautifully presented, the dish featured a sprig of lemongrass and rosemary tucked into a freshly cooked jumbo shrimp, on top of a warm bundle of linguini, nestled in seafood and simmered tomatoes and surrounded by the creamiest, freshest mussels we’ve ever tasted. A beautifully arranged side salad came, as well.

For our main course, we ordered a traditional bouillabaisse, a renowned regional dish and one of the chef’s specialties. The bouillabaisse featured a rich and flavorful seafood taste and the chef served it with grated cheese, bread, fresh garlic, and a homemade garlic aioli on the side. The stew itself contained an assortment of locally caught fresh fish, including various types of white fish and cod.

We also ate a beautifully presented and detailed dish of jumbo shrimp, cooked in a tangy sweet glaze and served with coconut rice and crunchy scallions. It also came with a baked sweet potato mash with crumble on top and a zucchini “cappuccino” — a hot, light zucchini purée topped with fresh alfalfa sprouts. The plate was even painted with a glaze strip with sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

After coming out of the kitchen so we could compliment him on his amazing food, Chef Yanis Broch advised us that “you eat with your eyes first and your mouth second.” All of his food conveyed this motif and his attention to detail made for a beautiful presentation, followed by delicious and complex flavors that kept us eating even when we felt full. The chef also told us that his grandmother inspired his cooking, so he incorporates locally caught fresh seafood with Asian and other exotic spices. He managed to serve beautiful and flavorful classic dishes with modern and exciting twists.

We finished off the meal with a fresh pistachio and mango sorbet, topped with a caramel wafer and fresh star fruit, and a warm papaya and vanilla crumble, served with turmeric-flavored ice cream. Hungry yet?

We loved this restaurant so much, we booked another reservation for later in the week. We finished off the meal with a complimentary homemade limoncello digestif made by the chef from lemons grown in his own garden! Simply brilliant food! And, it proved the very best of our dining while in Nice. We wrapped up our first day already welcomed into the fresh seafood and culinary flavors of the south of France.

You can see more pictures from our meal at Les Pêcheurs on Pinterest.

For more tips, photos, and insights, check out the Sea Cuisine Facebook page. Also, check out their French Seafood Spot video where The Seafood Guy prepares Herb Crusted Cod with Pesto Roasted Tomatoes and Artichokes.

Disclosure: Stacy DeBroff and a guest received complimentary roundtrip airfare, hotel room, meals, and transportation from High Liner Foods for their trip to Nice, France, to facilitate this review and post.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.