One of the things I am constantly searching for is good pizza. I know it seems odd, pizza and Provence don’t seem to go together, but you’d be mistaken. And likely pleasantly surprised.
Le Ventoux pizza at La Tentation.
Since coming to Provence I have eaten a great many pizzas. There is truly nothing better than a cold pression (a draft beer) and a tasty pizza on a hot day after a long bike ride. Or for a quick little lunch. Pizza is a perfect package when done well and I’ve been searching high and low for great pizza. Luckily I’ve found a few.
The Sault pizza truck - actually open!
My first mind-blowing pizza was at the pizza truck in Sault, which we accidentally stumbled upon years ago. The pizza had chèvre, tomato sauce and a few olives with a super thin crust baked in the truck’s wood-fired oven. Crazy delicious, we told several friends and for a while, it was a crowd favourite. Then something happened, they seemed to never be open. Sault is quite a long drive from Vacqueyras, so it’s a major commitment and huge disappointment to find it closed. Plus the quality took a little dive so we needed to search out another option.
A few years ago we happened upon Pizza Phil in Bédoin. We had ridden by many times and finally decided to stop in. It’s a little hole in the wall, but it’s always open in the summer, the beer is cold and they have my favourite kind: the Ventoux. This is a regional thing, I have never had pizza like this elsewhere. It has crème fraîche, potatoes, lardons and onions. It’s a take on the Savoyard dish tartiflette on a pizza. What’s not to love? We’ve been pretty pleased with Pizza Phil’s, it generally doesn’t let us down. But I’ve heard in the off-season you might not find it open as often.
And just last week Jason and Dale were out for a very long cycle and needed nourishment. In the beautiful town of Montbrun-les-Bains on the far side of the Mont Ventoux they found yet another piece of pizza heaven, La Tentation. Again, wood-fired with their own version of the “Ventoux” pizza, the dough was soft and the toppings delicious. The only downside was the distance from home.
The stunning village of Montbrun-les-Bains.
Alas, there has been no shortage of delightful pizza over the years, and I hope to continue to unearth more hidden treasures along the way. Bon appetit!
