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| Entrance to La Route du Miam |
La Route du Miam
1, rue Moliere, Nice
Driving back to Nice was also uneventful, save for a petrol stop and a longish drive into town to the hotels. We got dropped off to check in and Steven went to their hotel and drop off the car. The Villa Victoria Hotel (33 boulevard Victor-Hugo, 06000 Nice, +33 (0)4 93 88 39 60 Euro175) was well located at a brisk ten minute walk into the central shopping area. Pretty garden view from the window, though the room was a bit pokey and small. Lenglui followed Lorraine to the Musee Chagall and I went off in search of a second hand store I had spotted from the Tram during our earlier day in Nice. At ground level, Nice is pleasant though crazy amounts of cars zip past. Also need to look out for the big trams which creep up silently as you cross the tracks.
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| There's a sign on the wall... |
Back for a quick shower and into a cab for dinner at La Route du Miam. This was the restaurant we had missed for some reason on our previous visit. As memory serves, it was decided to buy the Bresse Chicken and barbecue it back at the Villa. Literally translated as "The Road Of Yum", La Route du Miam is a total hole in the wall place that takes about sixteen people maximum, and it proved to be one of the tastes of the entire trip. The duck we had was nothing short of magnificent - total Wow. Chef Michael and wife Marie ran the place like their home, with Marie serving (and helping to drink) a wide variety of somewhat mediocre wines to punctuate her engaging stories. Chef stuck to his beer. After some so-so salad starters, we went straight for the half duck and, oh man oh man, I can still taste it now. Juicy, tender, amazing skin and firm bite. Absolutely stellar. The wines were pretty standard and not standout, but it didn't matter. We were having the duck of our lives. Screw your Michelin stars - you get a duck like this you don't want to leave. Ever. Food for the soul. Amen. And the potatos roasted in duck fat - absolute perfect match. One of our party who fancies himself as a cook tried to get the recipe from Chef but didn't get past first base. Quite right too. The blog "iknowalittleplace" (from where the photo below was lifted - I was having too good a time to take any) says there are lardons, foie gras and duck herbs in it. We think there is brandy on the skin. Totally wonderful.
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| I look at this and I salivate like Pavlov's dog - utterly stellar duck |
Next to the Beef and Bresse Chicken in Beaune, this was the most memorable dinner of the trip. Om and amen. The gods fates and stars aligned for this one. Again, go if you get the chance and while it is still around (it is as of April 2015). Places like this are few and far between. Slept like a pig.
Trattoria Alla Langhe
6, Corso Como, Milan
Woke up early for the cab to the train station for the 7am from Nice to Milan, arriving after a five hour ride to get picked up and transferred by Alex to the apartment before heading to shop and eat at the Trattoria Alla Langhe. Apparently we had been here before. I have a vague memory of a raucous night with lots of wonderful ham and salami and prosciutto pig bits and serving Le Volte. This time was lunch and was way more subdued, except for some building work going on upstairs and next door.
This place is on the same street as a uber trendy fashion outlet, sporting all the latest in avant garde and high end wearables. After my usual swift tour, I sat down and played with the new iPad.
We shared a mozzarella salad with prosciutto ham and Lenglui and I shared a ribeye - tasty enough, though a shade overtenderised. Presume there must be a reason why this place is worth the fuss and fifteen minute taxi ride, though it wasn't evident on this outing. Good swift and attentive service, though.
We took a cab ride back into town to take a stroll along the roads where all the serious fashion houses are located - the Via della Spiga and Via Montenapoleone which would, absent a few detours, get us back to our digs. Surprisingly, very little was bought here. That changed once we got into the Department store - two new suitcases got snapped up in swift order. Took a stroll to Peck to buy back ham and cheese for KL. Went back to the digs. Don't remember what we did for dinner that night. Not much more memory of what happened. No photos either. Not a great fan of Milan for some reason - but then all I seem to have seen is the shops. Got final packed and the car for the airport took our bags and us to Malpensa. it was further out than I remember from previous and was a Euro90 trip. The airport was madness, with everyone checking in at pretty much the same gates and then long queues to get squeezed through the security check. All this took the best part of two hours, so not much time to do anything. Can't remember much about the airport nor the flight back home. Sometimes holidays end earlier than the day they are planned to. I guess I just wanted to get home and relax. Which we did. Nice to get back and slob out in comfy clothes with the TV and the aircon. Simple pleasures.
