Quote: There was very little planning involved in our selection of Bistrot de la Rad. As some friends of mine were visiting from the UK, we decided that it would be nice to visit the rather pretty confines of Villefranche sur Mer for sinner one evening. We planned to find someshere nice either by the port or in the Old Town. As it transpired, the port was extremely busy, so we opted to eat in the Old Town. We browsed the delightfully cluttered and clsoed streets until we came upon a rather pleasant looking bistro. We first stood outside for a few minutes persuing the extensive menus before making the excellent decision to take a seat.

Bistro de la Red was fantastic in every way. We had a onderful meal and the service was excellent. As two of our party were on vacation from England, our group was very much bi-lingual. To my delight, the waiter/manager (I think he was both as the place was very 'intimate') got the balance just right. He spoke French to my girlfriend and I before switching to English for our friends. This may not sound a great achievement, but you would be surprised just how often waiters will speak either in incomprehensibly fast French or patronisingly slow English. Therefore, it was a refrshing surprise when he explained the menu and specials in a clear and friendly manner in both langauges.

The food was also fantastic. I had gnocchi with roquefort sauce. It was a taste explosion. The cheese was rich and full of flavour, but succeeded in not being over-powering. My girlfriend opted for fish, which was also very good (you will have to take her word for that as I do no eat fish). My friend Matt had the Gambas, with which he was astounded. The prawns were large and delicious and came with a plentiful supply of rice.

The main course at Le Rad was excellent, but desert was even better. My friends had Creme Brulee, which was delightful - this is the most common desert in France, but is so often done poorly. It was light with the perfect covering of sugar. My girlfriend opted for a Nutella Tiramisu, which we shared. I was scpetical at the sound of such a concoction. However, despite being heavier than you might expect a normal Tiramisu to be, it was delicious - it was a complete surprise.

Dinner for four at Bistro de la Rad cost a very reasonable 90 Euros. This included four main courses and deserts with two of us having soft drinks and the others beer and wine. The bread and cold water were also plentiful and free of charge.

From journals Visit from a Friend