Ian P.
Yelp
For our first dinner in Nice, I looked up Les Deux Canailles, and was intrigued by the proposition of French cuisine with a Japanese influence. I emailed the restaurant during the train ride to Nice, hoping to secure a reservation that same night. By the time my wife and I arrived at our hotel in Nice, we were confirmed for our dinner!
Arriving at the restaurant, the place was fairly small, but well appointed. There were even a few interesting art pieces that had a comical sense to them, which was refreshing to see, given the abundance of serious restaurants in France. We decided on the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairing for 100€.
The amuse-bouche was a plate of mini creme puffs that had a savory filling to them. These actually tasted a bit stale and were a pretty disappointing start. First course was a couple of plates; a quarter of onion that had chorizo spread inbetween it's layers and grilled and a langoustine tartare accompanied by a breadstick wrapped in jamon Iberico. The langoustine dish was very good, but the onion dish was something I had never tried before and was a really creative and delicious dish. Second course was a seared foie gras on top of a broad bean and peas risotto. Both the foie gras and risotto were cooked excellently; another great dish. Fourth course was John Dory over a stew of beans and other vegetables, accompanied by a shrimp "croquette" that looked like it was encased in a long ribbon of potato. Fifth course was a Japanese Wagyu steak with red wine sauce, accompanied by some steamed vegetables. The steak was cooked well, but the dish lacked any flair or creativity that was in the other dishes. The dessert that ended the meal was vanilla ice cream that was topped with pieces of strawberries, strawberry glaze, pistachios, chocolate crispy rice bits, and a sugar crusted freeze-dried mint leaf. There was also a small chocolate creme brulee, but the 'sundae' was amazing (the creativity was back!). I ended the meal with a glass of Taketsuru 21, which was a great finish.
The whole experience was pretty good, but I have to say that there were a few things that could be improved. The initial attention that was paid to our table was pretty slow, especially considering that there were only two other tables occupied. The menus that were handed to us seemed like someone printed out the menu from their home printer and glued it to a large piece of black construction paper; it shouldn't be that difficult to get some professional menus printed. Lastly, one of the unique traits of the restaurant, is their collection of Japanese whiskeys, but these were not explained or brought up really at all. In the end, the creativity and flavor combinations that were put together by the chef, create a unique and delicious experience that, if some of the loose ends could be tied up, could really take them to the next level.
