Lunch at Colombe D’Or
Over a hundred years ago, a farmer started a cafe and added a few rooms. During World War Two artists fled Paris and paid for their stay in art, a deal that has most definitely paid off for the owners today. In the heart of the high reaching mediaeval village of St Paul de Vence, lies this cafe, that is now a hotel called Colombe D’or. Beyond the stone facade, lies a place, where crudites arrive in giant woven baskets and the wine is perfectly chilled, a giant thumb sits in one corner and a surrealist mural in the other, hedge fund managers soak up the cool and dignified place, while other intrepid travellers nibble on their radishes. The hotel was once the meeting spot for Picasso, Miro, Matisse, Chagall and others who had chosen the well beaten path of the painter leaving the big city behind for a sunnier climate and that magical Provencal light.
On the day we arrive, the iron door creaks open, laden with a mass of green ivy and framed by spherical trees - a dozen or so tables are laid out with white umbrellas, sophisticated and chic well dressed couples sit side by side, with Americans, British and the rest, nibbling a whole tomatoes while checking out the pastel cursive font menus - distinct as they are understated. Old school bottles of Perrier dot the tables, if there were no iphones on the tables, this place would not look much different to how it did 30 years ago. Provencal fare is du jour, ham and melon or simply grilled fish, lashings of ivory mayonnaise upon tart chicory leaves, and slabs of pate, poulet and peche on the grill, the stand out is the raspberry vacherin, an ice cream and meringue creation, topped and tailed with a raspberry bottom and coulis, chased with with a eau du vie, of Poire William and one cigarette - this is a great meal. The hotel itself has only a few rooms, with a family sized pool, with an Alexander Calder sculpture sitting over it.
This is understated luxury and the food is simple, but sometimes that is all you want - a chicken with one sauce and one sort of vegetable, something that is non-confronting and predictable, meat and three veg, it isn't going to stress you out, ‘trying to like something’ like the gels and foams at Michelin establishments not far away. Rose a la piscine, a delicious mayonnaise and poulet with pomme de terre is all one needs. The food is simple, but served on a trolley has a sort of drama to it. We are not staying, so wonder back to our little hotel down the road, the air warm, bellies full and the sky turning a marbled pink.
