By Marco Hugo Barsotti MHB 
You are listening to a new special of France Today in podcast and on Centrale Milano 1575 kHz.
Presidential holidays and table by the sea
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte spend their summer holidays at the Fort of Brégançon, the summer residence of the French Republic. A few steps from the residence, in the Cabasson quarter of Bormes‑les‑Mimosas, the couple regularly stops at the restaurant La Cabasse, overlooking the bay and surrounded by views of the Hyères islands. The proximity, less than two hundred meters from the fort, makes the venue an almost mandatory stop for presidential guests, so much so that the owner calls it the president’s “neighbor”.
The menu on stage
La Cabasse offers Mediterranean cuisine that puts fresh fish and seasonal specialties at the centre. Starters range from a ham, cheese and summer truffle sandwich to a selection of fried beignets with chili sauce. Salads, including the classic Caesar, are priced at twenty‑one euros. For raw‑food lovers, tuna tartare in sashimi style and sesame tataki are twenty‑five euros. The meat section offers everything from a burger to a pork rib, with the beef pavé reaching thirty‑eight euros. Fish dishes range from a “fish and chips” fillet at twenty‑two euros to a grilled demi‑lobster, the most expensive option at thirty‑two euros. Among pastas we find fresh salmon and gravlax spaghetti at twenty‑four euros, or tagliatelle with parmesan cream, ham and summer truffle at twenty‑three euros. Each course adds a five‑euro extra for a side of choice, which can be vegetables, salad, fries, rice or another pasta.
Desserts, ice creams and drinks
The dessert completes the meal with a crème brûlée at eight euros, while rum baba, vanilla‑cream éclair, fresh‑fruit pavlova and Norwegian omelette are around twelve euros. Ice creams are offered at three euros for a single scoop and seven euros for three cones. Alcoholic drinks have an eight‑euro surcharge, while whipped cream costs three euros. For the youngest, up to ten years old, a dedicated menu is available at fifteen euros.
History and management of the venue
Facing the gates of the fort, thirty meters from the beach, La Cabasse enjoys a panoramic view of the fort itself, the Hyères islands and the eponymous town. The restaurant was renovated by Laurent Bondil, who turned a struggling old bistro‑pizzeria into a mid‑range venue, personally curating its gastronomic offering. The presence of French presidents at Brégançon is a tradition dating back to 1968, the year the fort was declared the presidential summer residence. Although Macron’s ritual visits each summer are not publicly confirmed, the restaurant’s proximity to the presidential villa has made La Cabasse a reference point for the press, tourists and security staff during stays.
Rachel’s Editorial – The real scandal is the president’s restaurant bill
I will now read you my editorial of today.
What can we say, dear readers, when the press takes a break from political discourse to talk about demi‑lobsters and the president’s truffle sandwiches? It’s almost a ritual: “Macron spent 38 euros on a beef pavé, but he signed a biodiversity law.” But who really remembers the figures of a decree when the mind is already clouded by the scent of Mediterranean cuisine? This is the real scandal: we are hungrier for gastronomic gossip than for analysis of state budgets.
And so, while “serious” journalists strain to explain French foreign policy, the most shared headlines are those revealing how much a cocktail at Cabasse costs. It’s not a coincidence, it’s a market trick: the public remembers the price of whipped cream, not the unemployment rate. Ultimately, data‑driven analysis serves no purpose except to fill pages with numbers that no one will read; it’s easier to remember that the president was able to enjoy a 25‑euro tuna tartare just steps from the fort.
But let’s not stop at the menu: the biggest paradox is the “extra 5 euros for side” variable. It’s almost a miniature fiscal analysis! If France were truly to reform taxes, perhaps it should start with this logic: for every political decision, add a hidden “extra” for the most unsuspecting citizens. Thus, while the Macrons treat themselves to a crispy Caesar at 21 euros, we wonder whether that price hides the next pension reform.
In the end, the truth is that these tiny food scoops resonate on social media more than a press conference. The public wants to know whether the president can afford an 8‑euro soft drink, not whether he can negotiate a trade agreement. And perhaps, precisely because of that, we should stop sinning with seriousness and make room for these “behind‑the‑scenes” pieces that, after all, tell us much more about a leader’s real life: his ability to have breakfast in style, a step from the fort, while the rest of the country wrestles with its current account.
Koan of the day
Monk: Master, why does the president spend so much on a demi‑lobster just a few meters from his retreat?
Master: Because the taste of a nearby luxury is more digestible than a distant tax; the dish becomes his shield against the bitterest questions.
Monk: But if food is only a mask, what truth remains behind the 38‑euro bill?
Master: The truth is that every euro spent at the table is a silent vote for those who, in the kitchen, decide who may sit at the political table.
This is all for now. From the Paris newsroom I am Rachel Costa: this is France Today with Centrale Milano 1575 kHz.