Thor


    Situated on the picturesque " Cours Saleya " in Nice, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Thor is just another one of those sun bathed café / restaurants, typical of the French Riviera, which Nice has an abundance of. Thor does come across as one of these afore-mentioned establishments during the day, but at night, its like walking into a totally different place - try Scandinavia! But more about that later on, we arrived late one afternoon to sample the food, and of course, drink lots of beer.

    One of the first things that we noticed on sitting down on the terrace, is the relaxed atmosphere of the place, especially when compared to the almost " wheel 'em in, get 'em out " policies of some of the restaurants we've visited down here, especially during the high tourist season; not that the service here is slow, its just nice to take your time over a meal without having to dodge waiters clearing up around you.

    Thors' menu is not extensive, nor is it full of fancy food you can hardly pronounce (especially after drinking some of their stronger bottled beers!). This is the essence of this pub, providing straightforward, quality food and beer, in a friendly atmosphere.

    We ate fresh tuna fish steak in a tomato and olive sauce, and lean roast beef in gravy (we were feeling a little homesick!), both of which were delicious. All dishes are served with a choice of chips, green beans, or salad, and the portions are large enough to set you up for a hard night of hedonism! One offer not to be missed is the mussels and chips, with a glass of beer to wash it all down with - this costs a mere 49 francs! If there was such a thing as traditional pub food on the Côte d'Azur, then this is as close as you're likely to get. If you're around during the day, and decide to give the food a miss, then free pool and darts are available up until 9pm.

    As mentioned before, Thor does have a different side to it when the restaurant stops serving, and it really lives up to the " hot scandinavian atmosphere " that it professes to have, especially thanks to the pubs' many beautiful waitresses! Live music is played every night by some of the best up and coming french bands around, attracting a crowd of all ages, and from all walks of life. To add to all that, the range of drinks here is large enough to cater for anyones tastes; the draught beers include Hoëgaarden (white beer), and Desperados (with tequila). Bottled beers here come from all over the world, including many belgian beers, as well as american, canadian, german, and of course, danish beers. A different bottled beer is on promotion every week at the reduced price of 25 francs, and for the braver souls among you, every Thursday (or THORsday) is tequila night, with two shots for the price of one!

    Thor is an excellent pub, open until 2:30am every night, so make sure you give it a visit during your break on the Riviera! 32, cours Saleya, Vieux Nice.

Tel: 04 93 62 49 90

BY : JOHN TORY AND PHILIP BLUNDELL