"After cooking at Semilla, a popular modern bistro in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, chef Matthieu Roche moved to Marseille and opened this intimate bistro with co-owner Camille Fromont near Le Vieux Port in the heart of the city. A native of Aix-en-Provence, Roche says he returned to the south because he missed the high quality of the produce available there and also the energy of Provence’s largest city. A low-key dining room with cement floors is the backdrop for dishes like carpaccio of black mullet smoked over fennel stalks with a salad of cucumbers marinated in turmeric and horseradish; gnocchi with a sauce of ramps and baby broccoli; and a passionfruit tart with a lime-meringue topping and lemon sorbet." - Alexander Lobrano