Simple beauty
Canova (Toulon)
GETAWAYS • Provence
When I first met Francesco Consolini in 2022, he was still a daytime chef at another restaurant in Provence’s coastal city of Toulon, then would head over at night to run his own, Canova.
At the beginning, Canova was a simple concept: every dish €10, wine by the glass €5, bottles €25. There was always a handmade pasta dish on the menu, honoring his Italian roots, alongside seafood, raw and cooked, dressed in vibrant sauces in nearly every color imaginable. A few tables outside, checkered tablecloths, a cheerful host — pure trattoria spirit.
You had to book early; it filled up fast.
I remember my first meal there vividly, a burst of colors and aromas that exploded onto the plates. The place has grown since then. Francesco can now devote himself entirely to his “baby.” The terrace stretches down the little street, though reservations are still essential. I’ve never seen Canova anything but full.
Today, the format has evolved to a set menu at 42€: one amuse-bouche, two savory dishes and one dessert per person. Each additional plate is 10€. Wines still start at 5€ by the glass and 25€ by the bottle. The portions are generous, the flavors, irresistible.
Late last September, the menu still had the brightness of Provence’s summer, peaking in fall’s direction, slowly welcoming warmer flavors. Tatin-style puff pastry, caramelized onions with Banyuls vinegar, Comté and Vin Jaune emulsion; aged tuna crudo with sumac, ajo blanco of melon and cashew; cod with clams, chorizo, white wine and smoked yogurt; scallop carpaccio, tom yum reduction, Sichuan pepper chili oil.
Every element is cooked to perfection, fish with flawless doneness, sauces with precise balance, meats slow-cooked to tenderness.
The combinations hint of inspirations stretching from Southeast Asia to the Pacific coast of South America. You can’t help but wonder how he manages the feat of turning out a menu of nine dishes and two desserts from such a tiny kitchen.
On the wine list, he always has Domaine Les Terres Promises, by far the most interesting wine estate in the area. It’s a perfect choice as you linger over Canova’s gorgeous plates. –Candice Chemel
→ Canova (Toulon) • 19 Rue Richard Andrieu • Tue-Sat 7h30-23h • Book.