nº87 / CHEZ LULU / HYÈRES / FRANCE
- Zoltan Alexander
- May 1
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
A Mediterranean French-Italian restaurant, Chez Lulu, is well-hidden in the South of France, in Hyères, below the Villa Noailles. Lunch or dinner? If you are lucky to get a table.
Review by Zoltan Alexander
CHEZ
LULUThe only address you need to know in Hyères, apart from the Villa Noailles
Prisencolinensinainciusol
What? If you can pronounce it, you are definitely the right customer Chez Lulu. Indeed, there is no meaning to Adriano Celentano’s rebellious song from 1972, with Raffaella Carrà.
Does it matter? And who does not know this song, anyway?
If you do, Chez Lulu is indeed the right place for you to be.
PHOTO / (top) Jardin Remarquable / Photo © Courtesy of Zoltan Alexander / (bottom) Chez Lulu / Photo © Courtesy of Chez 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.
Opened in 2009, this unique culinary inspiration is a vibrant gastronomic palette created by owner and rather unconventional chef Jean-Étienne Parrocel and his culinary muse partner Lulu, alias Lucienne Ferrer.
PHOTO / Interior Chez Lulu / Photo © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
The menu changes daily and seasonally, featuring the best of the best Italian dishes prepared with love - love for food, and love for each other.
"Essentially, we are monopolising Italian cuisine that is deeply regional. When you’re in Tuscany, you don’t eat Ligurian food, and when you’re in Sicily, you don’t eat Tuscan," Jean-Étienne explains with a certain rigour but with a great smile.
Then Lulu joins in - “We often travel to pick up the goods ourselves when the quantities are too small to ship. Every product we sell is hand-picked and tested by us. We are loyal and have kept the same suppliers over the years. We frequently go to Panzano in Chianti to the butcher Dario Cecchini, pass by at Gianferrari, near Parma, for cured meats and cheeses, and, of course, Florence, where Jean-Étienne’s sister Anne-Marie runs a wine shop.”
PHOTO / Mozzarella di Bufala Chez Lulu / Photo © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
Chez Lulu, the small 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. The heart of the place, the radiant Lulu, takes care of the guests, and with her, there is no small talk, just real connections.
PHOTO / Salads Chez Lulu / Photo © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
What’s on the menu?
Each dish radiates the generosity of home-style cooking. The restaurant serves exquisite French and Italian cuisine, starting with Mozzarella di Bufala, followed by Perugina sausages with polenta, Carpaccio and Puntarella salad, and the famous pasta dishes with seafood. And the seafood is fresh, fresh, fresh!
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,” explains Jean-Étienne, then adds jokingly, “I only have to finish cooking it in the pan. That’s my secret."
PHOTO / Ravioli and below Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia Chez Lulu / Photo © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
The menu continues with Lemon Ravioli, peppered Pancetta and Arugula, Linguine alle Vongole, Millerighe al Tonno, Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia, Gnocchi with Porcini mushrooms and Gorgonzola. All paired with a fine bottle of Taurasi from Campania, a glass of Barolo of Piedmontes, or Chianti of Toscane, from Castellare du Castellina.
PHOTO / Dolce Chez Lulu / Photo © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
The story continues next door to the restaurant, where the couple opened a delicatessen store Au Frigo de Lulu, for Italian dishes, sweets and gourmet products.
What would Hyères be without Lulu?
INDEX
COVER
Chez Lulu
Photo © Courtesy of Chez Lulu
Cover design © ZOLTAN+MEDIA Paris
BAR RESTAURANT
Chez Lulu
Hyères (France)
PHOTOGRAPHERS
© Chez Lulu
VISUALS & WEBDESIGN
© Zoltan Alexander ZOLTAN+MEDIA Paris
WEB LINK
