URBAN GUIDE

Might it be the smile on the customers' faces that tells you the cook is a happy man? Three Marseille chefs tell it like it is.

Christophe Négrel at the Lauracée, formerly of the Martinez in Cannes, says that "a customer who comes into the restaurant looking glum and leaves with a smile on their face" is a source of great joy. "A chef who can make people forget the worries of their day has scored a goal," he adds. While culinary excellence is of the essence, what counts for him is when the departing diner shakes his hand and keeps hold of it, thanking him with stars in their eyes.
"To me it's the opinion of my peers," says Frédéric Charlet, owner of the Bistro du Cours, awarded a Bib Gourmand by Michelin Guide in February this year. "One of the most emotional moments of my life was when Vincent Maillard, the chef who trained me, came to eat at my place and said 'You're good, you know'." But happiness is contagious: "It starts in the kitchen; it gets conveyed to the staff and spreads to the dining room. I like human contact, I like sharing, laughing, organising the aperitifs. It's no accident that my restaurant is a bistro, it suits my style."
Malcolm Gardner at the Schilling in Rue Caisserie (Panier district) is a shy Scot who shuns microphones and cameras. But he's happy at his stove, or with a display of quality produce. "You can't separate good work from good produce," he says. "The produce is a daily challenge and an inspiration; I have to think about it and how best to cook it and what to pair it with." One thing all these men agree on is that the measure of happiness in the kitchen is the smile on the customers'

faces.

• Le Lauracée
96 rue Grignan, Marseille 1er Tél. 04 91 33 63 36
Formules midi : 19,50 et 23 € 

Menus : 36, 45 et 68 € – Carte : 60 €

• Le Bistro du Cours
13 cours Julien, Marseille 6e 

Tél. 04 86 97 59 11
Formule midi : 20 € 

Menu : 32 € – Carte : 40 €

• Schilling
37 rue Caisserie, Marseille 2e Tél. 04 91 01 81 39
Formule déjeuner : 19,50 € Menu-carte : 29 €