No menu, just the details of a fantastic lunch chalked up on the board.
She could have taken a job in a prestigious restaurant; she prefers to introduce customers at her neighbourhood bar-tabac to the opulence of a chicken pastilla with almonds and raisins, the indulgence of a burger made from slow-cooked pork, the character of rack of lamb in a herby crust and the intensity of a dark chocolate tart. Léa Bizalion grew up in this part of Manosque and now she’s come back – to the tavern by the number 80 bus terminus. From the catering school in Avignon she moved on to Brunel in Avignon and L’Epuisette in Marseille. Then she spent two years with Antonin Bonnet at the Greenhouse in London, worked with Yannick Alléno in Courchevel and then at the Mandarin Oriental Paris. “You have to be able to defend yourself in this trade and
I copped a lot of aggression,” says the pint-sized, obstinate and kindly person with the tough personality. “I’ve had a belly-full of Michelin; I just don’t want to do that any more. Do really good cuisine yes, but chase after stars, no,” says Léa as she prepares a celery remoulade with organic potatoes. “Everything here is home-cooked the same day,” she says. She’s here because one day she had the nerve to tell the owner that she loved his bar but nothing ever happened there. He, son of a Neapolitan chef, sensed her potential and hired her. Since then, her pitch-perfect cooking and fine-tuned seasoning have aroused a wave of enthusiasm.
Bar-tabac Le Terminus,
372 rue d’Endoume
Marseille 7e
Tél. 06 07 05 54 23
Par Pierre Psaltis
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