Rouge

Gautier Creissard (Yves Camdeborde’s former right-hand man) and his wife Alexandra (who used to work in the hotel industry) set down their bottles of Rouge in this cheeky bistro (glossy tables, painted barstools, one stone wall, one tiled wall) in Nice’s increasingly hip antique dealer neighborhood, just a stone’s throw from the harbor. Here, the duo serves natural wines alongside small southern plates: a beautiful pair of Parmesan and tapioca croquetas; a delicious tomato carpaccio from Jean-Charles Orso, sprinkled with feta and puffed spelt wheat; plancha-grilled squid with chorizo from Éric Ospital; (extremely) buttery and garlicky razor clams; a delightful mini pork and piquillo pepper burger with homemade ketchup; a block of sesame-crusted tuna saku in an anise-scented fennel velouté; delicate zucchini blossom tempura… And for something sweet afterwards, there was vanilla rice pudding or a divine lemon cream sprinkled with berries. // Laëtitia Sayre 

FEELING THIRSTY? Tantalizing bottles (all of which are served by the glass): a Beaujolais from Fabien Forest (€7 a glass), a Minervois red from Jean-Baptiste Senat (€48 a bottle), a Bandol white by the Domaine Ray-Jane (€40)… 
PRICE: Pan-fried dish of the day €12 (lunch), small plates €5-12, desserts €6-9.