Hello and welcome to Food Neighbourhoods on Monocle Radio, where once again, we visit the places locals love for their food and drink.
Today we're heading to France's oldest city, Marseille.
Known for its sunshine, sea and saffron, this melting pot of a port town seamlessly blends French, Italian, Mediterranean and North African cooking, traditions and rituals.
Here, Sarah Grice takes us on a tour of her favourite spots.
Take a listen.
Marseille's reputation precedes it.
A city of sunshine, sea and saffron.
Yet the city is also infamous for political corruption, crime and soaring gang violence.
As the late, great Anthony Bourdain put it, the city is a victim of bad reputation and bad history.
And as it turns out, exactly the kind of place I like.
But what has Marseille to offer in terms of culinary delights like Marseille itself?
The answer is, to use a well coined phrase, a melting pot, as it seamlessly blends French, Italian, Mediterranean and North African cooking traditions and eating rituals.
When you think French food, you might have visions of white tablecloths, fine dining, butter and cream.
Not so in Marseille, where the cuisine is inseparable from the sea and the surrounding Mediterranean coastline.
Arid, rocky and teeming with flora, fauna and wildlife.
The food here comes drenched in olive oil, almost always involves seafood and fresh vegetables, and is enhanced with a colourful, mouthwatering array of spices that nod to the city's blend of cultures, cuisines and languages.
I was lucky enough to catch a long weekend in Marseille in late September.
With a group of friends, including the perfect tour guide, my good friend, the food writer and chef extraordinaire, Sophie Wybird.
We spent three sun soaked days exploring the city's vibrant, exciting food scene.
Straight off the plane late Thursday evening, I took a bus from the airport to the city centre and hopped off.