The fact that Le Villa Massanet has 4.7 stars is surprising and though we don't enjoy giving negative reviews, we feel it's important to share honestly about our experience. Perhaps our party went on a bad night, maybe there was a different chef, we're not sure why, but all three dishes ordered were barley palatable. One of us ordered the duck breast with roasted vegetables. The duck was ordered pink and arrived served on a dark purple, almost black, unrecognizable food, that we later learned was a purple carrot and Romanesco. The duck was tough, not juicy, inconsistently cooked, and unseasoned. No one at the table was able to eat the purple carrots. Hunger, resulting from a full day of travel and not much to eat, forced us to eat just over half of the duck and a few pieces of the Romanesco.
My meal, the Sole Meunière and Mashed Potatoes, was first revealed by the smell of rotting fish. I hoped that wasn't my dish, but I soon realized it was. I have to give credit where credit is due... we truly enjoyed the presentation of the fish. Our waitress filleted it gracefully in front of us and presented it to the table. The fish was then served with a side of mashed potatoes. I was saddened to find that not only did the fish smell bad, but it tasted worse. It was excessively oily and unseasoned despite its appearance; ultimately, it was inedible. I was able to finish the mashed potatoes, which genuinely, were mediocre.
The final dish was the Risotto Tomato with Half Lobster. While we all agreed it was the best dish of the night, that still is not saying much. Simply put, the rice was undercooked for a risotto dish, too heavily dressed with cheese (which was not included in the description), and contained two pieces of tough and chewy lobster that were the both the size of a thumb.
Considering that the duck was pink yet tough, the lobster was rubbery, and the fish smelled as if it were rotting, we've all arrived at the conclusion that their meats are not fresh and not up to quality standard, especially considering the price payed (112€ with no drinks or desserts).
After 12 hours of travel to Nice we were excited about our reservation at this restaurant, especially after reading such shining reviews. Our seat was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the water only to be utterly disappointed, confused, and regretful by our meal.
We do not recommend. read more