St Tropez - Cafe de Paris

They say that you pay for position, and you certainly do pay for the position of Café de Paris, located in the port at St Tropez, underneath the famous Hotel Sube.

However, once inside Café de Paris you could be almost anywhere.  The heavy red velvet décor and dark wood is more in keeping with a Parisian brasserie than a Mediterranean Provencal port.  Sitting in the bar, the ostentatious boats are no more than a sparkle in the distance, and as the wall curtains mysteriously close at around 9pm, the place takes on yet another persona as a discotheque.

The food is awful and awfully expensive.

A comprehensive menu offers all things to all men.

A selection of Thai / Asian dishes at around €20; various combinations of sushi and sashimi, ranging from €20 to €40; duck, fillet steak or chicken, all between €21 and €32.

We started with the ‘Hors-d’oeuvre l’Asian’ at €24. A plate of 4 very greasy spring rolls and two prawn dumplings arrived (within seconds of placing our order) accompanied by lettuce and manky mint.

‘Magret de canard laque’ (€26) was inedible.  After attempting several pieces of the duck, my jaws gave up as my teeth begged for mercy.

‘Brochettes de poulet sate’ was basically pieces of chicken on skewers with some sate sauce.  It was poor pub food but not at pub prices (€21).

The burger (€17) the female at the next table was stuffing in her mouth, seemed a safer, but still over priced, option.

There are no bargains to be had in the wine department.  I estimated local wine prices at being around 25% more per bottle than ‘less flash’ eateries in the vicinity.

If you are looking for a bar on the port the best option is probably Joseph Le Quai, next to the famous Sennequier café, which is open to the port and can some times have entertaining live music.


Café de Paris
St Tropez

04 94 97 00 56

http://www.cafe2paris.com