The most breath-taking view you can potentially have: Restaurant Dan B. – La Table de Ventabran (3. August 2019)
The Dan B. was not only recommended by the Guide Michelin but also by the concierge in the hotel we stayed at in Aix-en-Provence. Ventabran is a bit remote and it takes a bit to get there. Also, your car shouldn’t be too large as the roads are rather small. However, once you’ve made it up there, you will see why it pays off to visit Dan B.
I went for the “menu béton” (EUR 97.00) which started with an “assortiment de tomates de pays, huile d’olive d’ici, vinaigre de tomate, burst goût tomate, meringue verte, eau de tomate, copeaux d’olives, crème d’avocat, basilic” which was basically different types of tomato and at first I thought it was somewhat boring but it was actually absolutely delicious!
The next course was a fish soup but served in a decomposed way – the “met signature de Dan: La soupe moelleuse de poissons de roche, rouelles de pommes de terre à l’huile de tomate, fenouil croquant, pastis, aioli, biscotte fusette” was really tasting like a fish soup. Something I had not expected! But it was tremendously interesting in terms of taste.
The “médaillons de homard bleu servis en vinaigrette au citron et huile d’olive de La-Fare-les-Oliviers, radis croquant, salade de melon et concombre, iceberg abricot, eau de melon et concombre, zestes de citron, gel verveine” did not only look great but the lobster was actually tasty in terms of flavor. And the combination with the citric taste of the vinaigrette really made it quite an exceptional experience.
The meat course was rather small in terms of size but all the more enjoyable in terms of flavor combination – the “tranche de boeuf Simmental prise dans la noix d’entrecôte maturéee, rôtie, anchois au sel maison, poivron rouge fumé texturé, peau d’aubergine croustillante, crème d’aubergine brûlée, sauce câpres et thon servie froide à part” was outstanding. Especially in combination with the salt and the anchovies – two strong flavors! But definitely worth trying!
The “pre-dessert du jour” was very peachy.
The final course was the “Coco-Mango, ganache montée noixde coco-vanille, insert et capsule mangue-passion, bounty, gel citron, sorbet à la mangue, mangue fraîche” which was strongly driven by the mango taste but was somehow not matching the refined preparation of other dishes.
Last but not least, there were some friandises served to finish off the evening.
Now, while the food was definitely good, the restaurant itself is a truly impressive piece!
When you enter – and we were the first ones to arrive – you see how amazing the layout and setting of the Dan B. is. You have an amazingly breath-taking view all over the valley. And it’s all open. It’s a covered restaurant but the whole front is open and there is not even glass. It is just breath-taking!
And when you book, please make sure you ask for a front row table. We were in the second row due to short notice reservation! It is even amazing in the second row but in the first, it must be even better!
But also the inside is appealing – the whole place is just gorgeous!
So, when you are in the area, you should definitely give the Dan B. a shot! The place is absolutely breath-taking, lovely, amazing, good food for a fair price. And friendly service. However, in terms of service, there is room for improvement. They are not as attentive as they should be, but else, this place is definitely among my most favorite places when it comes to the view and experience!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Dan B. – La Table de Ventabran
Rue Frédéric Mistral 1
13122 Ventabren (F)
Tel.: +33 4 42 28 79 33
Homepage: http://www.danb.fr
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
