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Here are two rental apartments in St-Paul-de-Vence near
Le Tilleul.
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
ANTIBES
• Les Figuier de Saint-Esprit
• L'Auberge Provencale
• Yaka
• La Taille de Guêpe
GOLFE-JUAN
• Tétou
CANNES
• La Guérite
VILLEFRANCHE
• L'Aparte
EZE
• Chevre d'Or
ST-PAUL-DE-VENCE
• Le Tilleul
• La Colombe d'Or
CAGNES SUR MER
• Restaurant Lou Lou
MOUGINS
• A La Table d’Edmund
FURTHER AFIELD
• L'Auberge de la Penne
ROSA’S TIPS
• Making the Most of the Market
• Wine Bars: A Corking Night Out
Looking for restaurants in Nice?
Visit our restaurant guide to Nice on our Nice Pebbles site
Le Tilleul
St-Paul-de-Vence
+33 (0)4.93.32.80.36
For Lunch, Dinner, or Tea
We would have overlooked this large restaurant in the centre of Place du Tilleul had it not been recommended by two of our guests already. Overlooking the hills of St-Paul, with a large terrace which commands the whole square, you would be forgiven for thinking Le Tilleul is a tourist trap. And perhaps it is, but full credit to it—it’s a good one.
The waiters are polite, attentive, and well informed about the 7 entrees, 13 main courses, and 5 desserts on offer. The tables are extremely well presented with sparkling cutlery and salt and pepper pots, fresh flowers in a vase, and freshly laundered individual tablemats even on the sun-drenched ones outside.
The menu is offered in both English and French and whilst the dishes are by no means simple, there is something clear and uncomplicated about each dish. It is quite a high priced menu but when considering the quality of the food and the prime position of the restaurant, we think the prices are fair.
For 14 euros, you can begin with the usual suspects of homemade fish soup or a salad nicoise. More unexpected choices might be a pastille of chicken with crispy almonds, fresh coriander and winter salad, or perhaps pumpkin crème brulee with foie gras and sweet spices. For 18.50 euros you could choose the home made foie gras with quince chutney and gingerbread.
There are two pasta dishes, one risotto, five meat dishes and four fish. I was very pleased with my risotto with scallops and green asparagus. Matthew opted for the pot ou feu with the cheek and tongue of beef and winter vegetables. He said it was good, but he wished he had ordered the slab of fresh cod with chorizo rice and soya sauce, which a neighbour had and it did look especially good.
The desserts are very special here. We think that might be because Le Tilleul is also a tea house. A large part of its clientele pops in for just tea and cakes. My favourite is the raspberry trifle with white chocolate at 6 euros. Matthew favours the homemade tarts. Well he would! There are also a pistachio crème brulee, chocolate mouse, and a cheese board on offer.
Wines here are generally served by the glass, which is perfect for a lunch time menu or if you are ordering different things. We are both red wine fans, but on both occasions of eating here, it has been good for me to opt for Bourgogne Chablis with my fish courses, whilst Matthew has taken a glass of the Cote du Rhone.
Le Tilleul is open every day both for lunch and for dinner. If this isn’t an option for you, we’d highly recommend it as a pit stop for just tea or coffee with perhaps a sneaky dessert. They take credit cards but only for orders over 30 euros.
– Gayle, Riviera Pebbles. If you would like to contact Gayle, you can email her at gayle@nicepebbles.com.
Rosa says,
The Riviera can offer some mouth watering desserts. One that is found less easily in restaurants is a simple lemon soufflé. If you want to make your own, I can share with you the recipe from chef Christian Plumail who runs the famous restaurant L’Univers de Christian Plumail on the edge of the Old Town in Nice. The finished dessert is pictured above.
All you need is 3 eggs, 60g sugar, and 2 locally grown lemon for an ethereal result.
- Carefully butter four individual soufflé dishes and sprinkle with white sugar.
- Zest the lemons and chop the zest finely. Squeeze one of the lemons and set aside the juice.
- Separate the eggs. In a mixer, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture thickens and lightens in colour. Add the lemon zest.
- Clean the whisk and beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add the sugar, then the lemon juice bit by bit.
- Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and beat with a whisk to lighten the mixture. Add the rest of the egg whites in two parts, folding them in gently with a spatula.
- Fill the soufflé dishes almost to the top, smoothing the surface with a teaspoon. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Place the dishes on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 F (180 C), preferably on the convection setting, for 8 minutes, until well risen.
- Serve immediately—a soufflé waits for no-one!