Le Poivre d'Ane — Restaurant in Aix-en-Provence

The seating for this restaurant is largely outdoors in a public square that bustles with people all day long, being central to the old town. Not being a fan of public eating, this put me off a bit, but the lovely staff were able to find me a table out of the way where I could enjoy the ambiance but nor feel like I was on display.

The meal was started by a tapinade of tuna and olives that was quiet nice. I could get used to surprise amuse bouches.

For entree, I had Tartar of Bass with granny smith apples and curcuma. The seasoning was perfect and the flavours balanced so well. The apples had just the right touch of sweet and acidic that set the dish off.

I followed this with a filet of beef served on cured Spanish ham and pureed potatoes. Again, the balance of seasoning was perfect and the flavours really punched.

For dessert, I had grilled pineapple with lemon custard and a flaky biscuit. This dish didn't turn out as well as the others, but I put that on the Pineapple, which is a fickle... it can be distressingly sweet or distressingly tart. If it had been on the sweeter side, then it would have been perfect with the lemon custard. As it was, the pineapple in question was mostly tart, so the whole dish came off as quite sharp. Still, it was not unpleasant.

The service is not slow (which implies laziness) but the staff is small and when the dinner rush kicks in it can take awhile for them to make the rounds. None the less, the police and helpful in recommending...

It is a mystery why this place isn’t busier. I spent 5 nights in Aix and ate at only the best rated restaurants. They were all good, but this was the best for imaginative use of flavours. Foie gras with smoked herring and a red mizuna salad was great and the Wellington equally impressive. At €53 the set menu is a bargain. My only criticism was that the food came a little too quickly with not enough time to digest between courses, but that is subjective and down to personal preference. I had the same issue with the other restaurants in the town….a trend perhaps influenced by the large number of American...

This is an extraordinary restaurant that deserves it's high grade. The service is lovely and incredibly helpful, explaining each detail of the dish with care and pride. The restaurant is small but they have done a beautiful and simple decoration. The entrees we tasted were the crab stuffed pepper and the lamb ravioli. Each more wonderful than the next. Mains were Pollock in a turmeric sauce, and scallops with bok choy and sesame sauce. All fantastic. Desserts were equally extraordinary, a poached pear with cream and hazelnut ice cream, as well as the Aix brest, a deviation from the Paris brest. We...