aixcentric

If you visit one garden this year, this should be it – what a stunner!   It has been designed by 31-year-old artist Matthieu Exposito as part of the Flaneries d’Art Contemporain dans Les Jardins Aixois celebration.  You will find it at the back of Banque Palatine which is 1 ave Victor Hugo – right next to the Rotonde.  Pink threads criss cross the tiny patch which is filled with bright pink papers, scattered like petals across the floor.

His website explains that he ’attempts to convey the alienation of a split society in his creations’.  Whatevs….I just loved the brightly coloured materials shining with the sunlight streaming onto them.  Six gardens in the Quartier Mazarin are open, Saturday (15th) 14-20:00 and Sunday (16th) 11-19:00.

If you are in town and in need of a quick lunch, try ‘La Tarte Tropézienne’, the Aix branch of a chain of cafés dedicated to the eponymous tart. It was first created in St Trop by Alexandre Micka, a Polish soldier who came ashore with the liberating armies. He had his grand-mother’s recipe and started his business in the town. The recipe is still supposedly secret, but the cake is basically a mouth-watering sandwich of sponge and crème pâtissière.  Today I tried their lunch offer of a sandwich, drink and dessert for 6.50€ – the sandwich being a large filled baguette (quite hefty!) and the dessert a slice of the famous tarte. The café also offers salads and snacks. The decor is very sleek and they have a spacious shaded terrace out front.  Friendly service. It’s at 3 ave des Belges (just down from the tourist office, same side of the road).

In the same area, there is Papilles by Laurane which I blogged last year but it’s worth a reminder if you are looking for a  lighter lunch.  It’s a few paces from the Rotonde and offers lots of alternatives. Here’s how it works. You take a printed menu sheet, write on your name, tick your choices and pay the genial proprietaire at the till. Your lunch is made to order from fresh ingredients and your name is called for you to claim it. They have 50 variations of petits pains chauds (1,90€ each) eg artichoke, piperade and Parmesan or  melon, mozzarella and rocket – which can be accompanied by a simple salad or crisps at 1€ extra. The ‘formule papilles’ is 9,80 – 3 sandwiches, dessert and drink. Good quality; nice ambiance; very central.  It’s open weekdays from 9am; closed in the evenings. 
http://www.papillesbylaurane.com/en/index.html

It’s at 12 ave Victor Hugo, just across from the pink garden which I hope you see this weekend.