Where We Eat: Le Saint Esprit in Marseille

Amongst all the simple salads and cheese plates enjoyed during a couple of weeks off this summer, we did manage to fit in a couple of more indulgent meals!

One in particular stood out head and shoulders above the rest…a Sunday evening at Le Saint Esprit in Marseille where we stopped for one night on the way home.

It’s a tiny spot, tucked into the back streets of the Le Panier district, with tables scattered across the pavement and even a few guests being served on the terrace of the bar next door once things got busier later in the evening

Dish after dish of smart, precise and seriously delicious food came out of the kitchen, paired with a cracking selection of wines all served by people who knew exactly what they were doing and clearly loved doing it. It was everything we’d hoped to find in the much-hyped Marseille food scene!

Two dishes really stood out:

First, a cuttlefish tataki dressed with fermented tomato water, fresh green chilli and shiso leaves…bright, clean and totally sublime!

The other, pictured, was a tomato salad layered with thinly sliced pastrami lamb heart and more shiso. Genuinely the best thing I’ve eaten all year!

That pastrami lamb heart will live long in the memory and very much enjoyed the drying fridge with all the pastrami lamb hearts lined up ready for slicing!

The whole experience had us already planning another, longer visit next year!