Put your dough up, this is a robbery! In a caffeinated dive in Marseille, Axelle Poittevin (ex-chef at Éclectique) and Thomas Benayoun (ex-barista at Dose and Café Kitsuné in Paris) are carrying out a hold-up in the Notre-Dame-du-Mont neighborhood, in what used to be Flocon de Sel. Inside this tiled bistro space, the duo behind this razzia, or surprise attack, serve well-crafted sandwiches, which are even better when paired with one of their specialty coffees. The day we went for lunch, there was an Asian fusion banh mi meatball sandwich drizzled in soy / sesame / oyster sauce, with vegetables pickled in black rice vinegar; a vegetarian sammie stuffed with roasted Romanesco broccoli and celery, plenty of black peppercorn pecorino with a halloumi-like texture, purple cabbage and a raucous “magik” sauce, in a cheeky brioche bun from their neighbors at Pain Pan !. Before the sweet loot: an intense lemon, poppy seed and toasted fennel seed cake, a cool chocolate-almond cookie or even the occasional Basque citrus cheesecake. // Victoria Bout
FEELING THIRSTY? Coffee, coffee and more coffee! Order it black or with milk but know that it’s always roasted by the teams over at Ben Mouture, La Tisserie and Deep (€2 to €4.50). Otherwise, there’s Datxa kombucha (including an excellent sencha-fig leaf flavor at €5.50 for 300 ml) or natural cider from La Maison Hérout (€5 for 330 ml).
PRICE: Sandwiches €9-10, desserts €3.
