Gastronomic meal in Mougins

France is of course one of the top gastronomic destinations in the world. And one positive thing about living on the Cote d'Azur is that it has an exceptional number of gastronomic restaurants even for France - I guess we can thank the large number of rich French and expats who live in this neck of the woods for that... And one village which has an exceptional number of gastronomic restaurants in Mougins. The reason ? I suppose the proximity to Cannes helps, as does the picturesque beauty of the old village. One of the best restaurants in France, Le Moulin de Mougins, used to be located here (well, still is, actually, but it's lost its Michelin stars along with its reputation...).

So, I was quite keen to join Mathilde and a bunch of her colleagues (Julien, Charlotte, Julie and Aurelien) for an impromptu lunch at one of those gastronomic institutions - L'Amandier. It's nicely located in one of the historic stone buildings in the old village. What's great about this restaurant is that their food is not only great, it's also reasonably priced. I went for the Menu Plaisir, as it had a tasty sound to it...

And the verdict, then ? I pretty unreservedly liked it. Everything was great - the service, the food (creative, with big enough portions), not forgetting about the great company either ;-). I reckon this is one of those places that's pretty close to getting their first Michelin Star - just a bit of extra effort and they'd have it I reckon.

Yummie!