Nick and Rosemary, friends settling in the Luberon, had chosen first one, then a second restaurant on the port at Cassis, a charming little Mediterranean resort with charmless parking arrangements.
The first was rejected on inspection of a couple of grim internet reviews. One writer had gone once, been disappointed, gone again and found it even worse. Surly service, a carafe of water served almost at the end of the meal and so on. The second just looked less inviting on close inspection than online.
So we ended up at the Le Clos des Arômes in the rue Abbé Paul Mouton, far enough away from the waterfront to require effort from both would-be customers and restaurateur. After spending two hours on the mostly shaded garden terrace, we were broadly agreed we had chosen well: roughly €30 a head for a good three-course meal with a bottle of Aix-en-Provence rosé.
I insisted on daube de boeuf, hardly a summery choice but perfectly enjoyable, and everyone else raved about the sauce with their cabillaud. I had been equally free-spirited over the starter,opting for carpaccio de saumon while the others all went for a salade de rascasse. The service was not so much friendly as jolly.
Cassis is hardly alone in having a parade of restaurants on the port where the potential for passing trade is so great that value-for-money seems to suffer.
Nor is it the only resort where parking presents a challenge. We were forced higher and higher above the town until, beyond the Sapeurs Pompiers and the line of coaches, a few meter-controlled places appeared. Easy getting down into town, good exercise but sticky on the way back.
The shop and museum devoted to Eau de Cassis, shown above, is also tucked away a little, but well worth a visit. The eau in question is not hard liquor but scents and soaps, so it had to be interesting - and stimulating to the sense of smell - to make any kind of impression on me.
The road into Cassis from the motorway is lush and hilly, the sea views could have been placed there by enterprising tourism officials.
The visit was pleasant but fleeting. With Marseille so close by, it is not hard to understand why it might be tricky to park. Clearly, you need to get there earlier than 11.30am on a beautiful September Sunday.
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