THE
INSTIGATOR
Art & Culture magazine
NEWS
PHOTOS / Chez Lulu Hyères / Photos © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
CHEZ LULU
HYÈRES
LOVE LETTER FROM LULU
Not far from Toulon, in a hidden corner of the South of France, Hyères is well-known for the great philanthropist Marie-Noëlle de Noailles’ summer house, the Villa Noailles, where Jean Cocteau, Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali and many of their eccentric friends spent some endless and careless time.
Today, the Villa hosts the Festival d’Hyères, the International Fashion and Photographic Festival in mid-October, and the Design Parade Hyères in June.
Just below the Villa Noailles and the famous Jardin Remarquable, there is a small family-run Mediterranean restaurant, Chez Lulu, situated in the heart of the city, on a pedestrian street Îles d’Or.
Each dish radiates the generosity of home-style cooking. The restaurant serves French and Italian cuisine, the best of the best Italian dishes prepared with love.
They have artisanal pasta from Puglia, made with hand-selected organic wheat ground in traditional mills. "It’s our signature dish. The pasta comes from Gravina in Puglia, my brother-in-law’s village.”
Chez Lulu, every product they sell is hand-picked and tested by them. Their terrace is famous for its best ambience, filled with loyal friends, international stars, artists, photographers, and designers; however, the restaurant remains a very cosy, familiar place where one could only dream of having a table
Chez Lulu
Hyères (France)
PHOTO / Chez Lulu Hyères / Photo © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
PHOTO / Tenuta Le Querce / Photo © Courtesy of Angelina Wines / Artwork by Zoltn Alexander
TENUTA
LE QUERCE
BARILE
BASILICATA
THE (H)ART OF WINEMAKING
Leonardo Pietrafesa founded Tenuta Le Querce, a 30-year-old Italian vineyard, which still maintains a small, traditional production of wine.
With his wife Valentina, they both come from creative backgrounds: architecture and interior design. Valentina also works as an art curator with gallery owner Marco Venturi of MadeinBritaly (London), bringing recognition to Italian ceramics.
Choosing to grow Aglianico del Vulture grapes came naturally, as it is the only DOC grape in the area. (DOC stands for an Italian classification ensuring grapes come from their designated origin)
Food pairing is also an exciting subject for them. All Aglianico del Vulture reds are perfectly paired with red meats and any tomato-based pasta sauces. The Tenuta Le Querce range is completed by Angelina Brut, a sparkling white using the traditional champagne method.
THE INSTIGATOR went for a tour in the region and for a special wine tasting at their vineyard.
Leonardo sat down and, with a clear memory, told us a little anecdote of a rather unconventional maintenance of the wooden barrels. “A small woman came by the house, and to thoroughly clean the inside of these barrels, she removed all of her clothes and crawled inside the large barrel. It was the only way to ensure that the inside wood was scrubbed and properly cleaned. Perhaps it gave that special something to the wine itself.”
These memories for Pietrafesa keep alive the need for tradition in the winemaking craft. Read about wine and food in our article.
Tenuta Le Querce
Barile (Italy)
PHOTOS / Café Paulette - Nice / Photos © Courtesy of Café Paulette
CAFÉ PAULETTE
NICE
GRADMA IS ALWAYS RIGHT
Perfectly situated between the old port and the Garibaldi square in Nice, there is a family-run café-restaurant, Café Paulette, that definitely deserves attention.
Grandma’s recipes always work, and Paulette was right to pass on her passion to her grandson, Arnaud Fallet. He would certainly make her proud today. The café is not an uptight restaurant; it is a stylish, cosy place with a conservatory-style terrace at the front, with black and white furniture and a lot of daylight. The back, reserved for the restaurant, has a heavier stone wall, dungeon style. We definitely preferred the front.
Café Paulette is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and it is the most popular brunch on weekends, or for nibbles at any hour. They have an excellent selection of wines from the region.
It’s the perfect place to enjoy dishes like a lovely sesame tuna tataki, calamari, and Coquille Saint Jacques, sea bream ceviche with tiger leche, lemon tajine, and many Franco-Mediterranean specialities.
Café Paulette
Nice (France)
VIDEO / PHOTO / Bar Termini London / Video Photo © Courtesy of Bar Termini
BAR TERMINI
LONDON
LITTLE ITALY
GRAND STYLE
Approaching downtown in a convertible with Scarlett Johansson and Martin Scorsese could be a perfect opening scene for Bar Termini. Our film starts at Stazione di Roma Termini in 1950, the godfather of the London-based bar, as the name derives from Italy's biggest railway station.
Bar Termini is a magical place with a consistent fifties-style, an award-winning coffee and cocktail bar, a meeting hub, a touch of Italy; in fact, it is the entire Roman Holiday on Old Compton Street, Soho, London.
Our in-depth article and interview with the co-founder are coming up shortly.
For the time being, would you like an Espresso Al Bar?
"Chocolate. Without a grain of madness, there is no reasonable man." François de la Rochefoucauld
PHOTO / Louie London / Photo © Courtesy of Louie London
LOUIE LONDON
GUILLAUME GLIPA
LONDON
LOUISIANA IN LONDON
The elegant French brasserie LOUIE London, one of the most exquisite restaurant-bars hidden in Covent Garden with its delicate, skilful cooking and shellfish bar, will introduce you to the best of Creole and French cuisine. Start the w-end with cocktails on the 3rd floor.
Interview with owner Guillaume Glipa.
PHOTO / Portrait of Mary McCartney / Photo © Courtesy of Mary McCartney
MARY MCCARTNEY
GARDEN TALK
LONDON
SERVES IT UP
Following Mary McCartney’s successful television series on discovery+ Mary McCartney Serves It Up, and her recent talk at Sketch with Brandei Estes of Sotheby’s London, we shall be meeting her for some serious, hard-work gardening and an interview to share her sincere love of cooking and favourite recipes.
We shall also be talking about photography, portraiture, The Beatles, and her upcoming book.
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