A French detour

In a world where food continues to transcend borders and boundaries, compelling dining experiences are proliferating as cuisines from specific regions are cooked up in far-flung corners of the earth.

Some chefs carry the flavours of their homeland across continents and others celebrate the immigrant stories and ingredients that have shaped their local culinary landscapes.

Whether it’s a South African chef introducing Afrikaans flavours to Nice, an Indian chef bringing the vibrancy of his homeland to Dubai, or a Brazilian chef paying homage to the generations of immigrants who transformed that country’s food culture, these establishments show how the universal language of food can connect, inspire, and create conversation across countries, oceans, and continents.

Restaurant JAN | A South African in Nice

A South African restaurant isn’t exactly what you’d expect to find when wondering through the side streets of Nice’s Old Port district — certainly not ones that serve the likes of bobotie, biltong and melktert. But these aren’t your usual bobotie, biltong and melktert, and this isn’t just any South African restaurant.

It’s Restaurant JAN, the eponymous and flagship restaurant of South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, who has attained and retained the commendable achievement of a Michelin star awarded by the eponymous guide.

Jan Hendrik, ever the exceptional aesthete — with an impressive eye for detail — has created a space where he brings the flavours of home to France’s fine dining scene. On entering JAN, you are enveloped in an atmosphere of refined opulence, the dark-blue walls, with their wainscoting and mirrored inlays, nod to the French setting and perhaps a time gone by, an elaborate flower installation stands at the entrance.

These elaborate details are juxtaposed by the simplicity of the dining room with the understated elegance of classic white pressed table clothes — albeit set with Baccarat crystal stemware — illuminated by an impressive yet unassuming installation, which is changed per service to ensure each table is perfectly lit.

It is a space of contrast, extravagant yet refined, classic and modern — and it works beautifully, creating an intimate, comfortable dining room. The music is worth noting too, adding to the ambience and in line with the restaurants philosophy; you’re likely to hear some French classics, and a touch of jazz interspersed with South African classics — which, while subtle, is a fabulous addition to the experience.

On to the food and the menu presenting guests a taste of South Africa. The cuisine deeply rooted in the chef’s South African upbringing, expressed through fine French technique, both classic and modern.

His profound appreciation for local and seasonal ingredients — all suppliers are listed at the bottom of the menu — sees him use the best the surrounding regions of France and Italy have to offer to recreate these iconic local dishes in ways you’d never expect. The emotions evoked by nostalgia of these favourites are further elevated by exceptional and unexpected ingredients.

There are mosbolletjies, served with butter balls in the shapes of French poets and musicians of old. Mine was the fabulist Jean De La Fontaine, one of the most popular French poets of the 17th century. Lathered atop the fluffy bread, he was superb.

Then there’s the snacks, featuring the likes of the bucchu-cured trout, and a brilliant little brioche topped with biltong butter and florets of radish — each a glorious morsel of familiar South African charm.

JAN’s signature apple with haddock cream, Tête de Moine cheese and pancetta is as strong as ever, but beautifully refined from previous iterations. The cold apple, the nutty cheese, the briny, subtle haddock cream and the crispy, smoky pancetta coming together in unexpected but brilliant harmony.

The mains see France meet South Africa with beef fillet and foie gras served with a bobotie — though this certainly isn’t your auntie’s bobotie; this one has lentil and chanterelle mushrooms topped with a silky custard, finished in the oven for that signature crispy top. A fantastic accompaniment to the very French beef dish.

Then it was up from the table and across to MARIA, the cheese room just across the road. Sixteen cheeses (from cows, sheep and even goats) are — in true JAN fashion — magnificently displayed in the centre table. Each comes with a compote, preserve or accoutrement well suited to the each cheese.

The meal ends back at JAN with delicate, fresh desserts, perfect to end off a menu of this calibre. The little amasi, strawberry and rose bonbon coated in silver leaf makes for a glorious palate cleanser, which leads the fig and citrus dessert — a stellar, fresh and sweet ending to a seriously fabulous meal.

A meal at Restaurant JAN is something that naturally tugs at the heartstrings, but which equally entices and impresses guests from around the world. The combination of South African heritage and French culinary excellence, on a little side street in Nice, turns out to be quite spectacular indeed.

From the 2024 / 25 edition of Wanted Watches, Jewellery and Luxury.