Juan les Pins is perfect for al fresco dining for families – it has a nice combination of warm temperatures, sunny skies and lots to watch as you dine (people and traffic). Whilst there are numerous eateries situated right on the beach and waterfront promenade, you can find a decent restaurant to eat down a side street, or away from the main hub.
This week we ate dinner at Le Pousse Pousse (12 rue Dautheville, 06160 Juan les Pins. Telephone: 04 93 61 41 99), a restaurant specialising in Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. The decor is understated Asian fusion of buddha statues and a handful of black and white photos. There are plenty of tables inside which were mostly full with diners, and more tables situated outdoors on the terrace with awnings on the pedestrian street.
Our waitress spoke English, and the staff speak French, Dutch and Spanish also. All of the staff we encountered were pleasant and courteous. There was a high chair available for our son. We chose to sit outside and the menus were promptly given to us and drinks orders taken. We all decided on the 20€ menu each (3-courses), and a serving of steamed dim sums for our son. Two of us had glasses of rosé, and two of us had beers (they offer Heineken, Tsing-Tao and Singha). I appreciated that they brought the dim sums out first for our son. Meals were delivered to our table quickly (and cleared quickly), however they forgot to bring my partner’s main course and we had to request it again – they were apologetic and swiftly bought it out to the table and reduced our bill slightly at the end.
My entree was a cold chicken salad which was tasty and fresh with crunchy bean sprouts, grated carrot, fresh mint and a delicious light sauce which I stupidly forgot to ask them what it was. My main course was a mild Vietnamese chicken curry which was also really delicious and I had opted for a serving of perfumed white rice. I think this was a better option to accompany this curry than the fried rice so as not to compete with the flavours in the curry. For dessert, I chose the sorbet and received a scoop of passionfruit sorbet which was very refreshing, and a scoop of coconut-flavoured sorbet which was creamy and rich. My dinner companions had dessert-envy but enjoyed their chosen selection of nougat.
The bill was just over 100€ for four 3-course menus including rice, two bottled beers, two large glasses of rosé and a serving of dim sums.
A good option if you desire an Asian-inspired meal in Juan les Pins. To view their menu and prices visit their website www.lepoussepousse.com
Note: I am unsure if the toilets for this restaurant are accessible as we sat outside on the terrace and did not enter the restaurant; I will find out and update this posting.
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