Fabien Lefebvre, former Michelin-starred chef at Octopus, decided to return to his roots by opening restaurant Pica-Pica in Béziers. Located on a corner of the spacious Place Jean Jaurès, it is an excellent asset to the town. On the menu? High-quality tapas and other beautiful dishes with an eye for detail. It’s a shared-dining concept, although sometimes this might be difficult…
Warm colours
At Pica-Pica, you can enjoy your lunch or dinner on the shaded terrace, as you often do in the South of France. However, this time, Chéri and I preferred eating in to enjoy their sophisticatedly designed interior to a maximum. I love the warm colour scheme mixed with modern artwork, designer lamps and a classic black and white checkered floor. The velvet chairs aren’t only pretty, they’re very comfortable too. And in summer, when the night falls, you are treated to a free light and music fountain show on the square in front of the restaurant.
Tapas fan
Restaurant Pica-Pica is all about sharing outstanding tapas with your loved ones. The lunch menu, served on weekdays, is between 24 and 29 euros. You can also eat à la carte, where you have a choice of dishes to share (from 2.50 to 26 euros). Chéri and I are both big tapas fans, so we decided to pick a few starters and combine them with a skewer (called ‘picas’) and a main dish. As we eat regularly at Pica-Pica, we have our favourites. So, two croquetas de jambon (2.50 euros each), the sea urchin and tobiko tarama served with blinis, the houmous, and the deviled eggs found their way to our table as usual. These appetizers were served first, so they felt like starters.
Shared dining
While we waited for the next round of tapas, we could peek into the open kitchen. The chefs all had everything well under control and, soon enough, we had four new plates in front of us. Of course, Chéri’s favourite patatas bravas had to be ordered. But we also tried three new dishes: the pica skewer with grilled artichoke (13 euros for two) and the ‘whiting in good spirits’ (‘merlan de belle-humeur’, 24 euros). The side dish consisted of a couple of big fat ‘panisses’, or chickpea fries. Of course, we shared all the food, but when it came to the desserts, we both found it a bit difficult. Chéri gave me a tiny bite of his millefeuille tropézien, and so did I with my ‘cloud of strawberries’ (both 11 euros). And this is why Pica-Pica is one of our favourite restaurants in Béziers- and around. Maybe yours, too?
