No way around it: it’s veggies for dinner
Even though my love affair with vegetables only began a few years ago, I’ve always been a fan of carb-heavy vegetarian dishes. Growing up, I don’t think I even looked at a menu in an Italian restaurant: it was always capellini pomodoro, or angel hair pasta with olive oil and fresh tomatoes. Grilled cheese, omelettes and tofu salads were my other go-tos, both in restaurants and at home.
So I was interested when I heard about a vegetarian restaurant in Nice, and even more intrigued when I found out that it was a set five-course menu every night. I made a reservation for two, bribed a meat-loving friend with the promise of wine, and ventured out of Vieux Nice and over to the Port.
We found La Zucca Magica easily, with its simple terrace and outside wall lined with La Guide du Routard awards (the French equivalent of a Lonely Planet). Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we took a seat outside and made our only decision of the night: red, white or rosé.
It was bizarre not having to look at a menu: I didn’t realize how ingrained that process is in our dining rituals. We didn’t get to chat about what looked good, what we were thinking about trying, what our final decision was. Within minutes, our first course and carafe of white wine was placed in front of us.
I’d been warned that the five-course meal was extremely filling, and that if you wanted to make it through, it was best not to finish every course. I’m very disappointed I took that advice, as the first course was my favorite and I didn’t even finish it! The red pepper stuffed with grains, feta cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes blew my traditional pepper stuffed with ground meat and rice out of the water.
The next course was a lemon and verveine soup with a huge hunk of ricotta. While I didn’t think this looked as appetizing as the red pepper, the delicate flavor combination immediately won me over—as did the creamy and delicious cheese.
We then had a tomato stuffed with pesto and some sort of zucchini mash. I adore pesto, but I’d never thought that stuffing a tomato with it could be considered a dish—however, I’m happily proven wrong. I’m not the biggest zucchini fan, but it just tasted so fresh that it was hard not to enjoy it. (And it was my friend’s favorite dish of the night!)
Moving on, we had a cannelloni with mozzarella, tomato and basil that rivaled any I’ve had in an Italian restaurant. The last course was a cinnamon apple strudel with a vanilla ice cream that was as light as whipped cream.
We both agreed that we were the perfect type of full when we finished: we didn’t have any desire to eat any more, but we didn’t feel overly stuffed. The portions were generous while still being manageable—and I think this was the first time that I haven’t wanted to eat bread in between courses! The beauty of this format is the constant change: it keeps you interested, engaged and eager to try more. The menu changes daily, although it follows a few rough guidelines: one of the first two courses is a soup and the last course is always dessert. Eggs and cheese are just as integral as vegetables, so this certainly isn’t vegan-friendly.
For just 27 Euros, it’s a great deal–and it proves that meat isn’t necessary for a great dining experience.
