The first time I visited L'Auberge Provençale, Michael Winner was enjoying a slap-up meal by a small fish tank. He enthused over the plate of food that rested half-demolished in front of him, and he seemed to be enjoying quaffing the bottle of wine he had ordered. The tank was strangely devoid of marine life, but I'm sure this was purely coincidental. Back in Cannes at the end of last summer, it seemed appropriate to head back to L'Auberge for a further taste of Provençal cuisine.

L'Auberge was founded in 1860, and is the oldest restaurant in Cannes. We took our corner table and perused the board of fare. The interior is very understated, with exposed beams and a hint of local colour. In contrast, a few vivid paintings on the wall depict Provençal bullfighting and musical scenes, and this dose of modern art almost, but not quite, deflects attention from the 'traditional' guitarist, who was wandering from table to table as we tried to choose what delights to sample. A couple of set menus are available, alongside the á la carte selection, and the menu changes every month.

With four people in our party, there was plenty of opportunity to try a selection of dishes. While the others opted for the set menu at FFr148 (approx £14.30), I went á la carte, tempted by a mouth-watering main course of filet de boeuf poëlé au foie gras (beef with foie gras and a baked potato) at a modest FFr198 (approx £19.00), with a meli mélo de salade et saumon fumé á l'Auberge (smoked salmon with salad) to start with at FFr85 (approx £8.20).

We chose a bottle of Château de la Huste Fronsac 1982 as an accompaniment (FFr350/approx £34.00), and although the wine list seemed quite small, every bottle looked perfectly drinkable, from the cheapest at FFr100 (approx £9.60) to a Château Beychevelles Grand Cru 83 at FFr950 (approx £92.00). It seemed that the better the bottle you ordered, the bigger the glass was brought to enjoy it from. Our large glasses offered the perfect platform to enjoy the fine initial nose - "You can see what it is going to do," said my brother, "so we'll just have to see if it does!" It did.

The starters arrived and our eyes bulged at the sizeable portions. This is not an establishment that has made its name through nouvelle cuisine. The moules Provençale came in a tomato sauce with hints of aniseed, which proved perfect for saturating bread. The ravioli was flavoursome, and the smoked salmon tender. Lester's plate of raw vegetables looked the most traditional of all, and a delicious anchovy dip ensured that it was not just a selection of healthy vitamins.

By now the wine was 15 minutes old, and had already developed from being woody, thick and pungent, through a phase of caramel, to having a subtle hint of tobacco on a frosty morning with a bouquet of smokey port. Jilly Goolden, eat your heart out!

The mains arrived, along with a waiter brandishing extra cutlery. "Here are your instruments of torture," he proffered as we looked at each other questioningly. We needn't have worried: my beef was superb. So eager was I to tuck in that I almost forgot to try everyone else's dishes for good measure. The blanc de vollaille farcis á la tapenade with coulis de poivrons doux (chicken with olive and sweet pepper sauce), and gambas and lamb en croute were hard to resist, but I had to settle for just eating my own. The verdict was that they were all delicious.

A dessert of chocolate fudge with vanilla sauce proved the most popular, and when we had paid the bill (a very reasonable FFr1,200 (approx £115) for four, including wine), they presented my girlfriend with a Provençal gift - a little cushion stuffed with sweet-smelling local herbs. We slipped into the warm evening air, and ambled towards the Vieux Port and our boat bearing smiles of satisfaction.

L'Auberge Provençale, 10 Rue St Antoine, Cannes 06400, France.
Tel: 0033 492 992717.

December, 1998