Home -
Austria -
Benelux -
Channel Islands -
Germany -
Italy -
Poland -
Russia -
Spain -
Sweden -
Switzerland -
Turkey -
United Kingdom -
United States
Back to reviews in France & Monaco
I wondered how I was going to get to the Villa Marie for dinner. Since I do not drink and drive, but I do dine and drink, I could not use my hired motor car. A taxi would have been the obvious answer anywhere else – but not in St Tropez. For some reason unknown to me, taxis are rarer than badly dressed visitors in this smartest of seaside resorts. But the Villa Marie itself supplied the solution to my quandary in the friendly form of young Vincent. Vincent drives the vehicle which acts as a shuttle between the hotel and the Place des Lices, in the centre of town. Thence he took me to my dinner and thither he brought me back from my dinner, and in the few minutes of each journey he was a charming and affable companion.
You will gather, dear Reader, that the Villa Marie is not in the town centre. Instead, it occupies a beautiful garden on higher ground outside the built-up area – an arrangement which means that it offers to its guests not only views of the sea and of the Bay of Pampelone but also the pleasure of a verdant retreat from the world beyond. As soon as I arrived I liked the sense of privilege all around.
I liked, too, the dining room. It is in the form of a greenhouse, with a glass roof and a colour scheme of black, white and coral. It is a luxurious greenhouse, of course. Its floor is of stone, the dining chairs have Rococo twirls and plump cushions, the napery is beige and the sparkling glassware is by Spiegelau. Fat candles burn on the tables and the waiters – orchestrated by Restaurant Manager Guillaume Bott – wear white shirts. There is canned music, but it is low and inoffensive. I sat next to a potted palm, looked out across the terrace to the distant Mediterranean and thought I was going to dine well.
And I did. Chef Lionel Arnoux sends out plates which have a prettiness which is entirely appropriate to this pretty setting. Clearly, he knows how to find ingredients of the highest quality and, equally clearly, he has the skill to transform them into dishes which delight his guests.
I found the menu a highly appealing document, and I could happily have ordered from it virtually any item. In fact, I began with a dish which brought to me on a plate the colours, flavours and textures of Provence. This assembly of raw and cooked vegetables, with oil and lemon sauce, was a treat for my eye and for my palate. Then I tucked into a wheat ‘risotto’ – chewier than a normal risotto, reminding me of lentils – with green asparagus and summer truffles. This was well-balanced and satisfying. But certainly the highlight of my meal was the meat course. The saddle of lamb was gorgeous, and its companions – crunchy polenta, hazelnut crumble, spinach and olive juice – brought balance and contrast of the most delightful kind. Sadly, I petered out at this point, and therefore missed a pudding which sounded just right for me – strawberries, with basil, green zebra tomato and soft cheese ice cream. (These four courses were 114€.)
The wine list is French and Italian. It has 223 offerings, including 23 magnums. Prices run from 40€ for a 2009 Valpolicella to 2,800€ for the 2002 Pétrus. Those of you who like to guzzle first growth clarets will be pleased to see 2001 Mouton Rothschild (850€), 2001 Margaux (1,100€) and 2006 Lafite (2,500€).
The Restaurant at the Villa Marie is a fine destination for dinner, and you can get there easily, thanks to Vincent and his shuttle. I suspect that it is also rather a good hotel.
Chemin Val de Rian, 83350 Ramatuelle/St Tropez, France.
Telephone +33 (0)4 94 97 40 22
Fax +33 (0)4 94 97 37 55
Email: contact@villamarie.fr
www.villamarie.fr
