Wednesday 15 May 2013

Trastevere, Quai de l'Amiral Courbet, Villefranche-sur-Mer

One of a clutch of waterfront restaurants in the picturesque port of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Trastevere is a traditional Franco-Italian eatery, mixing pizzas with classic French dishes, such as moules mariniere. On a warm evening, you'll probably want to sit at one of the tables next to the yachts floating in the unusually clean seawater, separated from the restaurant by the very quiet road. Trastevere is fairly expensive, but it serves large portions. For example, a big bowl of salty fish soup (14 euros), comes with shredded cheese, mustard and plenty of croutons. Or you can start with a huge pile of white bait, which can be a bit dry. Among the mains, the steaks are thick slabs of good meat, but can be surprisingly overcooked for a French restaurant. A tad more healthy is the filling seafood risotto - a succulent and salty special. Its fat grains of rice are soaked in a scrumptious sauce. Trastevere's service can be a little gruff and sluggish, but is good enough. 7/10