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La Villa des Lys is attached to the Hotel Majestic Barrière, one of the four palace hotels in
Cannes on the Cote d’Azur. Just along the road, tourists gather patiently to have their
picture taken standing on the red carpet of the film festival. Whilst this restaurant may not
garner the same excitement to tourists, it nonetheless provides travelling foodies with a
sense of anticipation. Oh yes, it's how the other half live - "come on darling, let's park the
£1m yacht and pop into La Villa des Lys or La Palme D'Or." The restaurant is found in a
light airy veranda at the front of the hotel and in common with many high quality food
establishments appears unpretentious and nondescript; you would hardly notice it was
there from the outside.

Once inside we found the meet and greet
warm and friendly; the service for the
evening was to prove professional and
impeccable without being intimidating.
The dining room was sumptuous, the
uniquely oval tables were spacious and
the seating extremely comfortable; an
ideal atmosphere in which to feel
completely relaxed in this beautiful setting.

Bruno Oger has been head chef at the Villa des Lys Barrière since 1995 during which time
he has been awarded French Chef of The Year by Gault Millau (2000) and been rated as
high as 18/20 by that guide. A MIchelin Star has also followed. Bruno started in the
kitchens of Michel Gaudin, and then as a section head at Georges Blanc's Michelin Three
Star restaurant near Lyon. Bruno has also travelled Asia, including Bangkok, where he
developed his palette for a variety of spice and exotic combinations. The theme of Villa de
Lys embraces the local culture as well as hints of his time well spent around the culinary
world, culminating in delivering a unique eating and dining experience.

We both chose the Degustation menu,
which proved good value at 95 Euro,
offering as it did generous portions as
well as the obligatory Amuse Bouches
and pre-puddings. The sequence of
delights started with sauteed king
prawns which without being too rich,
was lifted perfectly by a coriander broth.

The second course proved a special treat for offal fans and more rich altogether - a sweet
and unctuous oxtail ravioli complete with marrow bone and a vegetable and celery nage.
The sommelier had previously provided invaluable assistance in choosing a village
Puligny Montrachet at 95 Euro, which complemented the fish courses perfectly, and while
we looked longingly at the various red Grands Crus from Domaine de La Romanée Conti,
decided to let our wallets live to spend another day. The third course was a fillet of Turbot
enhanced with anchovies, cooked in a cocotte dish, and served with an onion tart. Both
visually impressive and a taste and texture sensation, I sensed an homage to the local
culture. Pudding was a perfect blend of sweet and sharp with seasonal fruits marinated in
maple syrup with a blackcurrent sorbet.

Lional Lavernhe, the restaurant manager, oversaw a front of house that resembled a well
oiled machine and all in all would add this to my recommended list of gastronomic
restaurants.