Old School... and still got it!

Old school… A term that best sums up the feel, décor and food available to patrons of the venerable Le Mas Des Oliviers. However, don’t let the term deter you from this wonderful French restaurant, since, just as “Frank The Tank” concluded while pounding back a hit off a beer-bong with a bunch of rowdy under-age college students, once the food hits your lips, it’s so good. Basically, the restaurant, the food and it’s regulars haven’t changed much since the mid-1970’s, when the restaurant switched formats from a wild, swinging, booze-filled, party-all-night disco, where streaking was a definite possibility, to a more demure and classical French restaurant that serves well-known French fare with a Mediterranean twist. What it lost in all-night, disco-fueled partying it more than made up for in food, drawing many young professionals, most of whom were probably still hung-over from the night before, for weekly business lunches (liquid) and dinners, thanks to a tight, well-executed French menu and an inviting Cote d’Azure-villa-esque decor.

After 30ish-plus years, Le Mas Des Oliviers still offers pretty much the same experience, the same menu and caters to the same people, obviously a little older now and hopefully a little more sober, but trust me, not a lot of change in this case is a good thing. Walk in any day now with an old regular for lunch, someone who remembers the “good-old-days”, and you’ll be greeted by a friendly Maitre D’ or bartender who remembers said regular by name, and possibly previous exploits, be recounted of stories of good friends and good times around the bar, and then quickly seated, drink in hand, in the regular’s favourite spot, that looks like it’s been reserved for them for years. Once seated, you’ll notice the Mediterranean décor, the stone floors, classic white-washed clay walls, ornate wrought-iron art, all of which gives you the feeling that you’ve walked off a yacht in Cannes and walked into a local home for a meal by the sea.

The menu, mostly classic French, and not the cheapest in town either, is well worth the premium as can be seen by the long-term loyalty and consistency with which regulars keep returning. Try starting with either the homemade pate or the charcuterie plate, then move onto the mains. If you like French cooking, just about anything will do since it’s all very good, from seafood, to escargot, to the grilled meat you can’t really go wrong. However a few entrenched specialties stand out that are a must for newb and old-boy-blue alike. Try the steak tartar, which is magnificent and almost melts in your mouth, with hints of provence spices and capers, or the seared tuna which is touched only so-slightly by the grill, salt and pepper, with an amazingly fresh buttery texture and served with a tasty wine-reduction sauce, or finally the piece de resistance, the classic Bouillabaisse or French fish soup, which has a ton of seafood that has been simmering together in a delicious broth for what must have been hours for it to have turned into the nectare of the gods that is this soup. What ain’t broke, don’t fix, and as time and the quality of the mains can attest, these specialties of the house certainly don’t need changing.

Once through the main, talk to the friendly and well-dressed wait-staff for a recommendation on desert. Apart from offering you something appetizing like chocolate mousse or profiterolles, perhaps an expresso alonge to wash it down, they may even have a story or two to tell you about a certain regular and a night that maybe shouldn’t have been expensed on the company card. Good times! Well, the times may have changed, the clientele might be older, but the experience at Le Mas Des Oliviers hasn’t and that’s a good thing, and thanks to the up-and-coming new generation of regulars, who not only can re-live the past but create new stories of their own, the spirit of good company and great food live on. And as Beanie so rightly pointed out to Frank after his hangover had worn-off and he had found his clothes again, wouldn’t you want those times to keep on going?