aixcentric

Very much enjoyed my first visit to this glossy mall yesterday.  Thank goodness it was quieter than the weekend when150,000 visitors crammed in.  As the capacity is 24,000, the doors had to be closed from time to time on Saturday, the first day of opening. ‘Plein comme un oeuf,’ reported La Provence.

Inside, there are 190 shops and restaurants, with anchor department stores Printemps and Monoprix.  Very much orientated to fashion, it has brands new to Marseille – Michael Kors, Paradise, Tumi – as well as large outlets for the well-known shops like Accessorize, H&M, Zara, Adidas, Quiksilver and so on.

For the home, we liked Du Bruit dans la Cuisine (lots of temptation), plus there’s a large Maisons du Monde and a Darty.  The shops are generally beautifully designed with artistic displays and statement lighting.  The whole mall is glossy, stylish, light, spacious…..and has seating areas and lots of loos.

Outside, there is  the long terrace facing the jetty and further out the Ile de Frioul.  Lots of happy chaps watching the boats…The restaurants open on to this terrace and plan to be open until 01:00hrs for sunset and starlight dining. 

But, I have to say I was disappointed with the choice of restaurants.  There are four or five (Beef House, Dalloyau, Le Roy René etc) but they are very much geared to formal dining and were mainly set with starched white cloths for lunch, even at 10.20.  We just needed a coffee! 

I had hoped to find a couple of cafés outside – there is a Starbucks but that’s inside – so we had to perch at one of the few tables available for casual drinks, at one of the formal restaurants, and didn’t get a particularly friendly reception.  There are some eateries downstairs in the food hall, but without much seating.  So for lunch we left, crossed the road to Les Docks and ate at the Picnic Café.

Such friendly people.  The food was good too.  I had the quiche of the day (carrot and curry – odd combination but nice), salad and a tirimisu for 10.60 and my friend ( to be thanked for having read about this café) was very happy with her choice.  It was a burger bun, black because it was made with octopus ink. Inside were baby seches and coquilles St Jacques as well as roasted veg. http://picnic-cafe.over-blog.com/

The view, alas, was a row of cars and not the beautiful Med but it was a much better ambiance.  Perhaps things will improve at the Terrasses du Port for shoppers who want a coffee or a light lunch- it’s early days.

Les Docks is being converted into a commercial centre too – opening next year

What is fascinating is that Les Docks will soon be a big shopping centre too – and it’s right opposite Les Terrasses.  This gracious 150 year old building is being redeveloped to house offices, cafés and ….80 shops.

And further along towards the Vieux Port, work is advanced on the area beneath the massive Cathedral to make another shopping centre, Les Halles.

Clearly this is great for local employment, perfectly situated for all the cruise ships and is transforming a part of town that was sadly neglected. 

But one has to wonder about the impact on some of the existing local businesses especially in the Panier and  the traditional shopping areas.