What I Eat! www.ifoody.com

Vistamar - Monaco's newest Chef Star!

2016-07-13T12:38:00.001+02:00

Benoit Witz is no stranger to Monaco as he was part of the original brigade that opened the Louis XV with Alain Ducasse 1987. He's had the good fortune to begin his career in Lyon with the doyen, apprenticing in Paul Bocuse's kitchen before stints with Lenôtre at Pre Catalan in Paris and then working at several Provençal Ducasse outposts until he was plucked from L'Abbaye de La Celle in Brignolles (where he had gained a Michelin star) to take over from the retiring one star chef - Joël Garault here at the Hermitage Hotel.

As is my habit I always like to give a new chef or restaurant a couple of months to get into rhythm before I review their offerings and a few days ago I went to the Vistamar to taste some of the magic.

This restaurant is superbly placed to catch the light and even when the terrace is closed the room inside remains airy and luminous. The tables are set nicely apart to keep a tete a tete rendezvous private and this attracts the business and love-dove client.

Now to the food......celebrating neo classical brilliance with a remarkable bias that showcases tip-top local ingredients, that are cooked with a modern mood, innovative yet with superb simplicity and classical restraint.

I started with courgettes three ways, a raw lattice of wafer thin shavings, and then the zucchini warm, stuffed with a mirepoix of squid and aromatics followed by the blossom cradling even more tender fragrant vegetables. It was a plate of beauty that never forgot its purpose; to put this delectable vegetable on a podium! Profoundly well thought out and easy on the eye. See photo

The pressé of foie gras was a grandiose, served with cherries in all their forms, raw, black pepper pickled, chutney and en gelée. The addition of baby raw almonds added a touch of welcomed texture. Boy do I love fresh almonds! Each cherry morsel was a calculated foil to the silken pâte which made the rustic toast almost obsolete. See photo

Next a homemade pasta was a revelation, nestling local red shrimp from San Remo - (that are simply the sweetest, most succulent morsels in all shrimpdon!) Served in an intense iodine broth of teeny shucked clams, with shards of grilled squid and a scattering of raw spinach. Whilst this was not the prettiest of plates on the day; for me this was my favourite by a long chalk with full points for yumminess the sum of its parts culminating into a triumphant saline celebration. Oh Benoit if you going to keep cooking like this you're going to see a whole lot more of me!

I'm told that the pigeon with cherries (see picture) was very good but I cannot comment as i did not try it.

The dessert was a deconstructed strawberry cake which is called a "Fraisiers" in these parts. The pastry straw was an exquisite crumbly flaky affair which celebrates butter and was good enough to be served all alone with just a cup of tea. The sliced strawberries were mounted around a dome of vanilla clotted cream and topped with strawberry sorbet. I wanted to lick my plate but let's face it strawberries and cream
are a magic pairing.

There is a daily lunch menu for 48 euros which I consider extraordinary value for cooking at this level.

If chef Witz keeps this up he'll easily be in consideration for Macaron number #2 and I for one would have no problem in agreeing with Bibendum on that. In fact it's only matter of time as this is his destiny.

Perfect for a business lunch or dinner with very good friends. This is an address to keep on the tip of your tongue.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g190409-d1872061-r388464448-Le_Vistamar-Monte_Carlo.html#

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Yoshi Monaco Eclipses NOBU

2014-03-09T19:06:00.002+01:00

I am so impressed by Robuchon's Nippon Dalliance, he's on point and his plating is breathtaking.

Ultra fresh fish that is full of sublime, silken-subtlety, nuance and presence. His sashimi selection soars, and celebrates the simplicity and complexity of the selection with splendour and majesty. (See the picture below). A "simple" chicken soup is elevated to a stratospheric level of umami with a magic broth that I believe has reparative powers! Every grain of rice has been meticulously loved and prepared. His rice seasoning balances the sourness of rice vinegar, with the ultra white grains, each seemly separate (look at Maki rolls pictures in close up) yet together in harmony cradling the fish.

I am in awe!

Yoshi is an oasis of calm, with a mantra like devotion to the fresh and fabulous. The lighting makes everyone elegant! Efficient for a business lunch, super for friendly get together but easily orgiastic with a lover! Having eaten and raved about Nobu - Monaco recently one must give credit where it's due and recognise that Yoshi is the Principalities champion of Japanese gastronomy and Mr Robuchon is the Maestro with a chopstick as a baton, conducting this symphony!

RESTAURANT YOSHIHôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo4, avenue de la Madone
Tél. (+377) 93 15 13 13
Email : yoshi@metropole.com

Elsa - Michelin Gets it RIGHT!

2014-03-09T19:01:00.003+01:00

Organic from bread to dessert, ELSA reopens with a richly deserved first Michelin Star. I was at the second service of the year March 6 2014 and it was a sublime symphony of savours! Giving total respect to the Ligurian and Provence bio-produce. I'm sold from the BIO SAMA signature plate of shaved veggies with a pea "guacamole' to the velvet gnocchi served in "Garden" - the magnificent almond soufflé breaks new ground. The setting is exquisite, the service non intrusive but attentive and chef Paola Sari is as deft with asparagus as he is with meat and fish. Elsa also features a superb selection of organic olive oil which adds the zing across the plates with a green astringent pepper kick to the back of the throat, let me tell you it's all good in this garden. This guys rocking the good stuff out the kitchen. The Lunch Menu special in the week at 43 euros is a steal of a deal is it perhaps the best value one star deal on the planet! My prediction is that ELSA will be the Monaco address for the power lunch - all season! (see the photos)

Monte Carlo Beach | Avenue. Princesse Grace, - 06190 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France

+33 4 98 06 50 05

Osteria Francescana 3 Stars in the constellation of UMAMI

2013-11-28T00:14:00.001+01:00

At Osteria Francescana There are three menus Traditions (Euro 110), Classics (Euro 150) and Sensations "Molecular" (Euro 180) - There are also three Michelin stars!

To understand where something is today I often find you need to begin with the origins. Like a road map to the larder, the Tradition menu allows you to decode the provenance of this chef, via each dish you're probably meeting his family, his mother, grand mother, and what you come quickly to understand is his profound respect for his home region Emilia-Romagna.

His cooking proffers benchmark recipes, deeply perfected that follow the principal of it ain't broke there is nothing to fix.

This is where I strongly suggest you begin with the Traditions Menu.

I ate 9 courses and left the 12 "Sensations" from the experimental molecular kitchen to my next visit... oh and if you are wondering I have no choice but to return.

In restaurants the process of growth often repeats, a young Chef starts at the bottom peeling things, as they climb the brigade ladder they get to cook and sauce in better and better kitchens, learning from starry macaroon adorned chefs, climbing plate by plate till they get to open a new restaurant with their name on the door, blossoming like a butterfly's cocoon, initial menus tend to respect the past but then comes the requisite dabble in jiggery pokery which allow for the "metamorphosis" ! Next the lessons thus learned on the journey fly out the window and .. The results more often than not disappoint - truth is that innovation in the kitchen is usually just window dressed as a re-tweak or nothing really new at all.

The Modena region is the home of some of the coolest Italian companies such as Ferrari, Maserati and Pagani, it is no wonder to me that food fashionably has to follow suit. This region, Emilia-Romagna is after all at the origin of what most people around the world consider to be the touchstones of any Italian gastronomy. This is where Spaghetti Bolognese (known locally as Ragu) - Tortelloni, Parmesan Cheese, Prosciutto and the holy grail condiment - BALSAMIC vinegar call home.

As the University of Modena was founded in 1175 you can bet they respect and know a thing or two about the "old way" in these parts!

I had begun to question Michelin's three star protocols, having been let down by many of those they have chosen to promote into this gastronomic pantheon. With Osteria Francescana they could easily start a new 4 * category and no one would blink or argue that it belonged!

I chose the Tradition menu and cherry picked a few dishes from the Classics menu as well. but to fully appreciate this restaurant it seems you must have two meals. It is almost like there are two schools of cooking. A traditional one and a molecular one more in sync with the avant-garde modern art on the walls.

A bunker like metal door opens after you ring the bell and you are ushered into a sobre reception hall with hushed hospitality and men dressed in dark suits. I had requested a window when I booked and got table 6 which is a good table indeed!

No freebie starters at all beyond some bread (crisp crust sour dough) and grissini bread sticks:

My menu

Memory of a mortadella sandwich

This is a strange pink colour mousse whose texture and mouthfeel is not obvious but mimics this most original of boloney with a peppering of curried pistachios and a cube of bread. This is an optical illusion; tongue style. Very surprising and quite delicious!

Prosciutto from Parma by F.lli Galloni Langhirano

Massimo Spigaroli Culatello antica razza aged 42 months DOP Traditional Modenese

Forget everything you thought you knew about cured meats! I said everything, the Culatello was a biblical experience for me, sitting in front of the slices (see picture) a micro mustard oil apple chutney that is called Mostarda di Mele to act as italian "wasabi" for the slices of meat. The Prosciutto became moot, even insignificant once your brought the Culatello to your lips - a silky texture where it was impossible to discern fat from meat, a umami hit of immense satisfaction as the sweet taste slipped far too easily across your lips - a caress to your mouth akin to a sensual act from your fantasy lover that all too quickly escapes like vapour into the night. Yes that's right I'm talking about just one bite of "ham"!!!

Think Green (Classics Menu)

An celebration of chlorophyll in its different states, some of this was iced, the sweetness of ground fresh peas, perhaps the popeye of spinach, and the verdant appreciation of just cut lawns, doused in warm parmesan curd. In fact this was the chefs tribute to the cows that produce the milk that makes his beloved Parmesan Reggiano cheese. Pretty neat when you think of it that way!

Five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different textures and temperatures (Classics Menu)

I was floored by the intense UMAMI hit on this plate. It was gorgeous and perhaps the most complete dish I ate here. Ages, Temps and textures all different. A strong farm funk aged Parmesan Tuile, cold parmesan turned into a cottage cheese, Parmesan Souffle, a creamy cheese custard and an airy foam. Each from a different age, all strangely familiar as if you are meeting the whole family as well as the uncle we don't talk about.

Tortellini in cream of Parmigiano Reggiano

I noted that not one spice or herb ever stood out in any of the dishes I sampled, in fact they all were here but the chefs light touch hid them from individual prominence so each contributed an essential oil but worked in unison to balance within the complex flavours.

The Tortellini were almost translucent handmade purses of goodness, artfully crafted - as if they were created by Italian leather artisans from another era. The corse filling packed a flavour punch of meat and mortadella which must have been cooked in a chicken consommé because of the profound richness. The sauce coated each piece with a robe of hot creamy parmesan which evoked mmm's and ah's at tables around the room. As they were being served from a copper casserole some diners in the room made the sign of the cross, another one became emotional after his first bite, wiping a tear that had weeped - perhaps for a memory - a longing for his lost mothers kitchen?

Tagliatelle with Bolognese ragù

More than any dish I wanted to see what Chef Bottura would do - he gave his Ragu respect and stripped it literally to the marrow bone, no ground meat at all this sauce was about pulling and shredding the slow braised beef which was cut and worked by hand. The flavours here are deep like unctuous veal demiglace but with the meat left in to dance with the silken hand made super-egged tagliatelli. For me this is the best Ragu I have ever tried! This Bolognese is rich with the wine that once wet the sofrito, a plate that honours all of its Modenese heritage.

Mora romagnola ribs lacquered with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Baby back pork ribs in a balsamic BBQ glaze. The ribs are cooked for hours in a water bath but the are finished inside the BIG GREEN EGG grill and smoker (see pictures) served with a smear of truffled celeriac and also mashed potatoes.

As a huge BBQ fan - I was trumped by this sauce, the complexity of the vinegar, mixed with the braising juices was a heavenly revelation. The ribs so moist that the meat shirked off the bone with the barest nudge of my fork, after I had my wicked way with them, 5 bones laid naked on my plate, like fossils of what once was walking the earth waiting to be discovered my anthropologists. More than anything I tasted - I would travel just these ribs.

Foie gras crunch with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Modena (Classics Menu)

I love meat on a stick! Here in honor of an ice cream bar a rectangular cube of foie gras (quite cold) covered in warm roasted almond shards and filled with a balsamic vinegar centre. This popped and oozed as you bit into it - super yummy.

Cold zuppa inglese

Interesting as this was a mixed temperature dessert with classic flavors.

Oops! A broken lemon tart (Classics Menu)

A slightly salted lemon sabayon dresses the shortest crust pastry I have ever tasted (no wonder it broke) centred with lemon curd ice cream make this mistake into a perfection as a dessert with humour - even the plate in "broken"!

Petit fours came with the Naples coffee which were so original Tiramisu truffles, homemade and better than nutella type chocolates, raspberry and passion fruit jellies, warm bergamot scented madeleines and chocolate biscotti!

The service is attentive and sincere, the sommelier is passionate. The kitchen is welcoming and forthcoming with information. Faultless!

If you consider yourself to be a serious foody then this restaurant is a stamp you need in your passport! It is worthy of your custom and will make you leave Modena very happy indeed!

The Hot Mix Pro http://www.hotmixpro.com/

A secret weapon in the kitchen

As we left.. the Sun kissed the roof!

Cipriani Monaco Review

2012-05-17T13:14:00.000+02:00

First the good news.....Ifoody is back!
After months of waiting Flavio Briatore has finally opened.....
Cipriani Monaco. I waited a week before venturing in as I wanted the kitchen to find it's rhythm, forget rhythm this restaurant is like a 100 piece orchestra with everything working in unison to fulfill your every desire..I have many.
I had to pinch myself, I confirm that this is Beverly Hills style service in Monaco!! Before I talk about the food a word about Stefano, our waiter - the best experience I have ever had anywhere...is that clear, ever had! The perfect mix of advice, care and precision, never invasive, always ready to pour, share and serve; a waiters master class as he anticipated our needs, he may be psychic too. Very impressive!

The team in Monte Carlo have been plucked like Mission Impossible from Cipriani's global outposts, the french Maitre D's from London, some come from Parma, some from Sardinia, Dubai etc...the chef is the group's stove Pope....and all this is good news for the people of Monte Carlo....I predict, this will be the hottest ticket for dinner for years to come. The room spreads the tables widely...they are a little low, immaculately dressed in shear starched Italian linen, that reminded me of the sheets at the Principe I Savoia hotel in Milan, the room was buzzy...table hopping and schmoozing was the lingua Franca ...dam good looking we all were too. The restaurant was filled with heavy hitters, power brokers, Russians, wobbly Louboutin shod giraffes and amazon's that had to almost squat to sit down as if they were eating on their knees. I went with Single Sam who knows a thing or two about women..."this is not the SAS set either" he helpfully pointed out "no hired help" (SAS himself had trotted down the street and was eating there too, perhaps a first) the air swirled and fogged with the dueling scents of 30 exquisitely turned out ladies who had come out, bejeweled and hungry. Everybody was simply gorgeous, ogling - Single Sam was forced to book his chiropractor to adjust his Cipriani twisted neck...without me the next night....he tried to return but alas....no room at this inn. Perhaps, now would be a good time to talk about the food...first surprise, it ain't expensive by Monaco standards, a better deal than, Piazza, Metropole, Maya Bay, Yoshi, and Rampoldi. Quick side note..Piazza still remains a personal favorite! The menu here is a classic and if you have ever been to any other Cipriani you would have a sense of return, of custom and familiarity. In fact once inside, with the exception of the portrait of Prince Albert you would not know you were in Monaco.

A lobster salad becomes perfection for me when the lobster is not over cooked and not fridgey frigid. This was perfect, not swimming in evo but rather kissed by Venetian olive oil that glistened and canoodled the majestic lobster. The basil was snipped to order, look carefully no burned edges, the seeded tomatoes "popped" and cradled the sea food....the haricot vert snapped "al dente style" the plating was bounty rather than twee. Single Sam double dated every dish with me and Stefano took his Solomon duties seriously divvying the bounty with referee fairness.

The treccia di bufala was a lesson in what a Caprese should be, prime ripe seeded coeur de boeuf Italian tomato, virgin white Neapolitan mozzarella flown in that day for you. To me it looked looked like a busty girl out on a date with her best red frock on.

The plating of the Yellow tail was phenomenal, only eclipsed by the sublime taste. A palette of white with shards of green mint, julienned to filaments that spiked every bite with lime freshness. This is date food.

For many carpaccio is the signature dish of Harry's Bar in Venice and it is worth mentioning that it is from there that Cipriani's have mushroomed around the globe, however for me the Rigatoni all Amatriciana is the bellwether, the gold standard, could Monaco's outpost rock that beacon for me.....I peeked over the edge as the serving dish was brought out and there was telltale hope, crimson bright tomato sauce clinging to the pasta...this looked promising...I twirled a rigatoni on the tines of my fork and then gingerly let it cross the transom of my lips, it hit my tongue and the first sensation was the ripe sauce with an immediate smoky hit of bacon, the pancetta and tomato were entirely two flavors that entwined in my mouth and came together as seasoned lovers would after weeks apart, full of longing, passion and desire. The next sensation was the al dente rigidity of the rigatoni, who showed up for the occasion clasping the fruits of this dish in its embrace. My eyes welled up, I'd been reunited with her, she's exquisite and she needs me like I need her, her name.....Amatriciana but alas I know she is not faithful and here lies the rub, she's been seen courting Pieter.

Turbot is perhaps the most noble of fish in the sea, albeit a white canvas, whilst the flesh is firm, the taste is ready to mop whatever saucing takes the chefs fancy and as luck would have it was capers that danced this dance, the wallflowers were three lonely turned potatoes who looked out of place in the presence of the fish

Pacherri al Genovese was a deft surprise, sold as a pasta dressed with 50% onion and 50% veal sauce we did not know what was coming but when I asked Stefano what it was his eyes rolled up into ecstatic acknowledgement that was akin to a blessing or benediction. All that was missing was a tap of the nose, a secret handshake and mystic door opening against a sidewall...I felt that I was being led into a private club of the knowing the choice to order this got me his benediction of approval. Don't let the picture fool you...this was an umami tousled epiphany...this is why we slaughter calves and why we should continue to do so for a very long time. This dish will cure vegetarianism!

After the main courses were cleared three waiters appeared with a living dessert menu, each clad with two different dishes. We tried three in the interest of you dear reader.

The triple chocolate cake was magnificent, the frosting swaddled the cake and creamy dark chocolate in a bittersweet creamy tango. The Venice cake was like a meringued Tropezienne light and gay, the final choice was made to order vanilla ice cream which was regressive and took me back to that poultice hot summer that was 1976 and the memory that ice cream can save the day.

H

I

Cipriani Monaco
1 ave Princesse Grace
98000 Monte Carlo
Monaco
+37793254250

Location:Monaco

M:brgr Montreal's home of Burger happiness!

2011-01-09T16:03:00.000+01:00

There are a lot of pretenders to the burger throne, Jeff Dichter is not one at all!

He has good reason to be smiling as do his diners as he has created

M:brgr A temple to the bun!

Who would have thought I would have found such a great burger joint in Montreal! I'm talking world class good! Great service, that's our waitress above next to owner Jeff. I believe her name was Ariane, she was gooooood! So at M:brgr brilliant recipes, fun food and a deep menu dance together!

So it will not come as a surprise to you that ordering a burger is a touch more involved that simply cheese or no cheese. The permutations are endless as is the whimsy.

Perhaps it's better to steer past the hyped $100 Kobe Burger (2 patties, bacon, grilled pear, foie gras, brie, fig jam, asparagus, Piave del vecchio cheese, garlic roasted ham, porcini mushrooms, honey truffle aioli and truffle carpaccio.) PLUS sweet potato fries, regular fries, french fried onions, arugula and cherry tomatoes)with Fois Gras and grilled pear and Truffles

The first dilemma is to choose your meat.

Next Choose the wrapping, Whole wheat, white or Lettuce and then review and select the cheese and toppings menu; you might make a u-turn on the part of the menu labeled

Crazy expensive! It's serendipity!

(see below)

and....just like magic!

So what did I choose? After some scrutiny I went for caramelized onions and blue torta mascapone/Gorgonzola cheese cradled by killer white buns!

Click on the picture above for a closeup You want one don't you!

A pulled pork sandwich, that would not shame a North Carolinian! The home made pickle relish is an exquisite foil for the dusky umami rich smoked BBQ unctuosity!

Beyond the burger M:brgr has a proper well thought out menu and in the interest of you dear reader I delved!

Mac and cheese was a guilty pleasure!

Gargantuan al dente Macaroni, showered with shaved parmesan spiked with pungent white truffle oil

Chicken Tikka Tacos were fragrant and spicy!

Sweet potato and onion fries were moorish, piping hot and correctly salted!

Quebec's famous Poutine with homemade gravy, no comment!

This is the scene of the crime!

M:brgr- Is a gastronomic Cirque de Soleil!

Desserts were outrageous! A huge hunk of home made Chocolate cake, was dark and drowned in a wet chocolatey glisten, thankfully they serve it with an ice cold shot of milk! God, I miss the frosting!

Here, a deep dish chocolate cookie, served piping hot of course with first class vanilla ice cream! Which promptly melted all over the cookie!

The Tiramisu here would not have been out of place in Rome, Milan, or Venice - it was a textbook execution with properly dunked coffee soaked ladies-fingers and an overflowing marscapone tophat, with what I thought was the faintest hint of Marsala - all dusted with cocoa!

Really, really good!

I made some happy discoveries in Montreal and will be writing further on these restaurants in reviews to come but M:brgr is safely ensconced in my little black book of great world eateries....

It has superb bar and hilarious generous cocktails and it's kid friendly, the prices don't gouge, I like the whole package here! Well done Jeff!

www.mbrgr.com

2025 DRUMMOND
MONTREAL
Tel.+1 514.906.2747

Jeff

2025 DRUMMOND • MONTREAL, QC • H3G1W6 • t.514.90m.brgr (514.906.2747)

Carette - A Paris legend that is still in! Best hot chocolate...yup!

2010-11-06T18:09:00.002+01:00

Carette, is an institution and rightly so!

For more than 80 years this art deco temple of tea and sweets has held center court in the famous Place du Trocadero and now it has opened a second outlet in the Place Des Vosges.

It is the pre-eminent cafe par excellence. It has a rare quality in Paris today - astonishing service; kind, caring - motherly waitresses. Some have been here for more than 30 years and they are still happy to serve!!! The food remains fab!

The view looking out from the well heated terrace after a Autumn shower....

They have several specialties which you must not miss. The finger tea sandwiches would satisfy the most discerning pinkie waving Englishman. The Egg salad, chicken and chive and tomato sandwiches are simple genius. The menu is heavy on salads and the plat de jour always is hyper fresh home cooking.

Today I tried this starter:

Endive and Roquefort salad, this was clever in that the endive was shredded and placed in the endive quills, the walnuts were fresh, from this years season, just harvested, the perfect bitter foil for the rich blue cheese.

Carette's Onion soup is text book Paris, I guess the capital does not have any particular food specialty of its own beyond Steak Frites and Onion Soup but this is the reference. In fact I'll be honest it was placed before me and I dove right in forgetting to snap it pristine as delivered...so this picture is three soup spoons later!

It is harmony, caramel, umami, lush veal stock, glistening onions, great bread and of course melting cheese - bubbling brilliance.

The inside of Carette is such a turn on, macaroons, marshmallows, Paris Brest, St Honore, Tarte aux Citron, all taken to the apogee of the art.

Let me take you through this perfect St Honore - A crusty burnt sugar topped crisp chouxs, piped with vanilla cream then topped with a fleck of gold leaf. This makes me happy!

I guess you are wondering what about the Hot Chocolate.....Wait no longer... I saved the best for last.

Well I must say I mulled over whether Carette or Angelina's provides the best cup of Parisian Hot Chocolate, in fact it has been an issue of some reflection for a while now. They are both so good, in fact Angelina's has made a business of its elixir but Carette does it for me, less sweet, more chocolatey, lingering on the lips and it dances the jig with the whipped cream!

Want some?

http://www.carette-paris.com/uk/

4 Place Du Trocadero
75016 Tel (33) 0 1 47 27 98 85

25 Place des Vosges
75003 Tel. (33) 0 1 48 87 94 07

Ralph's clothes are better than his food! (PARIS)

2010-08-14T16:03:00.000+02:00

Ralph's is all the rage, hard to get into (beg Chloe or Simone the aloof telephone gatekeepers) and better still read my review and avoid altogether.

I never go to a restaurant that has just opened as I want the joint to find its feet and get into the rhythm, firing on all cylinders which usually takes a couple of months of running in. I also feel it is inaccurate to review during the pre-opening - open house, as this never truly represents what a punter experience will be like on an anonymous wednesday evening in November.

My only positive, the room and courtyard at 173 Bvd St Germain is a gorgeous, sumptuous, clubby, a wood panelled beauty. It is like you are arriving into a wonderful country house with all the luxury trimmings, with attentive and smiling staff.

Then after they pluck down the bread basket it is all down hill..... the food is a shocker! All the more so as the chef plucked from Frechon's - Bristol kitchen and was trained in NY blah, blah...

The crab cakes were oily, the inside not warmed just beyond tepid

Drama followed in another failure the bacon dominated grease bucket sold as clam chowder, a sorry soup on the account that the bacon had not been properly rendered (see close-up below) and had become gelatinous porcine chewing gum, the broth was too thin. Anyone hear of beurre manie or a simple roux?

Hoping for things to look up from this point on, my daughter ordered grilled chicken and guess what, they served the Fried chicken, an ordering gaffaw, she decided to keep it but.... when she cut in to it, it was raw, raw at the bone as blood seeped onto the white plate, not nice at all.

Chicken Act II was a huge improvement over bird Act I but this chick was over-cooked!

Hoping for redemption via a cheese burger, you can probably tell from looking at the picture what the problem is, the burger had sat waiting for service and so its cheese had coagulated into a cold burger cocoon, the meat was dry and over ground, the floury and pasty grey the burger fell apart; the crime - the meat was too lean. Even Ralph's Manahattan consultant, Danny Meyer knows you need a minimum of 20-25% fat and a corse grind to make a juicy NY burger. No need to send the chefs to the big apple when you can send them to the Shwartz's Deli in Marais for a little lesson.

Dessert felt like that little leaf of mint below all show and no substance, the fruit was greenly unripe and made me pucker, as if I had downed a shot of bitters.

The cheesecake, advertised as New Yorky was not even fit to be served in New Jersey, what a joke, over sweet, not dense, not NEW YORK at all!

By all means buy clothes but bypass Ralph's!

Ralph’s
173 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris, 6th Arrondissement
+33 1 44 77 76 0

Mirroir D'Argentine mind blowing dessert in a secret Swiss glade!

2010-06-04T14:27:00.000+02:00

This Is the Mirroir D'Argentine Peak in Solalex Switzerland

I have sat on this report for some months now! I am torn between revealing and keeping the secret, I choose to relent, in the gastronomic interest and the greater good of my followers.

The secret alpine vistas are taken from the restaurant pointing down the valley, a magical place of natural beauty, it never fails to send the hair up on the nape of my neck.

Here is my beloved Mirror D'Argentine.

Above the glorious Mountain called the Mirror D'Argentine, in Switzerland near Villars Sur Ollons, over looking an alpine cul de sac quaintly named SOLALEX.

The restaurant is named after the mountain that towers over it; when the sun angles catch the peak just right, this glacier carved rock shimmers in the bathed reflection. Nestled at the base: A wonderful gastronomic address, the restaurant called The Mirroir D'Argentine! It is owned and operated by Lucien, Andre and Martine Jaggi, this is an address to note, recommend and lust over. On a personal note I have been coming here regularly for more than 15 years.

The menu changes daily and features local produce to such a degree that the board might say, salad of wild herbs I gathered this morning from just behind the restaurant, or sauteed wild mushrooms I just picked. On my last visit it was homemade large ravioli filled with nettles and wild roquette. The pasta pillows were opaque thin, and set off by a tomato sauce that was only part of the story. What I love is that these are one time only dishes, they will never be served again. Good for one night only! I will cover two other dishes but I want to stress above all that it is this dessert that makes this place legend and worthy of a serious drive to get there.... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Here fresh water perch are simply sauteed with new cabbage and roasted potatos

Rabbit with Polenta is tonight's other special.

As this place is about two hours drive from Geneva and one hour from Gstaad I may as well give you another picturesque reason to visit. Waterfalls anyone?

I travel for food, often I will travel for one dish in particular, last week I called ahead and said I'm coming tonight make sure you have the Mille-Feuille on the menu, verbatim it translates into a thousand layers!

The best I have ever tasted is not in France but here in Solalex! Without further delay let me show you what I'm talking about, here are pictures of this pleasure, please click on the image to scrutinize up close. Let me take you through this major sweetie!
(please click on the first photo below to see the pastry up close)

There are four ingredients, the pastry, the unsugared vanilla whipped cream, the creme patisiere and mara de bois strawberries!

I can reveal that the pastry has five turns and is sent through a special machine to work the dough and butter together.

The dough is also interweaved with icing sugar to caramelise the layers of cooked pastry. The dessert is put together on order, with the pastry meeting the wet ingredient and food as it leaves the kitchen. More than anything this keeps the whole shooting match crisp. This is a major foody address!

Restaurant

Miroir d'Argentine

Famille Jaggi

1882 Solalex - CH

Tél 024 498 14 46

Fax 024 498 41 20

http://www.solalex.ch/Anglais/index.htm

St Cezaire sur Siagne Brasserie de La Fontaine

2010-05-27T18:10:00.000+02:00

Here is a little gem jewel of a town, nestled behind and above Grasse and about 6 miles from Cabris. The Brasserie de la Fountain is now under new owners and they are nice! Settled in the 1400's three thousand lucky people now call it home. The reason to visit is to look out over the Point de Vue. The point of view or lookout to us Anglo's is located at Place du 8 Mai 1945. From here at a altitude of 1500 feet you can see for miles to new horizons. A single of Olive tree set in this perch this is the perfect setting for the infinity before you. The square it's up in the left most corner of the picture the river Siagne murmurs and cascades down in the valley.

I try to come here at least once a year, it is far from the mad rush of Cannes, Monaco and just about everywhere else. This day I was late, late and hungry having been refused a meal in four restaurants in Cabris, (GOOD FOR FOOD) so I had no choice but to search for a meal here.

I was not planning to blog The Brasserie de La Fontaine but it was open and for that I was grateful, my expectations were zero. As it was so late they offered me the choice of one dish on the menu as they were setting up for a big party later on that evening. I said the Goat cheese salad would be perfect. It was stellar way beyond by expectations. Crisp filo case filled with sharp molten chevre and crisp smoked lardons, wild leaves all tossed in a honeyed vinaigrette.

With our coffee I tried some apple tart.

The burnt bits were amazing, the apples tart ,celebrating homemade goodness. A simple meal to be sure but welcome nevertheless.
Brasserie La Fontaine
3, Place du Général de Gaulle
Tél : 04 93 60 84 86

http://www.saintcezairesursiagne.fr

Best PASTA of the year and 15 euro lunch to boot!

2010-05-20T18:45:00.002+02:00

Adagio in Monaco wakens a backstreet above where the train station used to be in Monaco.

1 rue Bioves is home to this new lunch deal!

Here is waiter Michele nice chap he is too. This light, white and airy space has a kitchen set to one side.

Poking out of the kitchen is head chef Sandra with second Svetlana. The menu changes daily. This was my lunch:

Macaroni with speck and Gorganzola and ricotta ravioli with tomato sauce, this was remarkable, the smokey pork was savorised by the blue cheese. The ravioli were perfect with a scintilla of acidity that gave the dish oodles of tomato love.

Next wafer thin slices of rare pink roast beef, rosemary/thyme jus, green bean and sauteed potatoes. Are you seeing the slices! We are talking a thin deal here!!! You get your choice of a glass of wine or mineral water too. PS I had dessert as well but I ate it before snapping a picture, this is a worthy address to remember.

Went for dinner and it was less interesting. My guest had Italian steak tartare which managed to mess her stomach. So now you know!

tel. +37797981556

1 rue BIOVES Monaco

ps they have three parking spaces too

Mirazur Menton

2010-05-10T23:40:00.005+02:00

Mirazur is a place filled with talent, and it is easy to understand why Michelin has starred the joint....but the problem is the food just because you can serve someone a vegetable in a dessert, and make it pretty should you?

The table is laid with modern settings, odd shaped cutlery and non-conventional crockery, it's as if the entire rule book of convention has been discarded not because it is outmoded but because the mantra is "different must be better than what has come before" which is often not the case. The place is remarkable value with the food at Eur 55 for the discovery menu (7 courses) however drinks are dramatically overpriced. I ordered a Virgin Mary, tomato juice with Worcestershire sauce, some celery salt and a shake of tabasco that set me back Eur 20.00 NB plain tomato juice is Eur 15.00 when you put that into perspective with the menu at 55 it is a ripoff.

This I likeed alot!! Freebie starter of fennel and other finely sliced greenies, topped with a fragrant infant wild strawberry which was far to young to have been picked from the patch.

2 out of three not bad, let's start with the one dimension onion tart, heavy over-caramelised onion clumped onto dough, greasy, cloying, it did not belong on the same platter with the wonderful cauliflower mousse with roquette pesto.

The thimble of chevre was on a granny smith sliver that was instantly forgettable!

A frothy soup, they said vegetable, (but which) was milky and topped with a Parmesan tuile which was indeed both crispy and parmesanny with a long cheesy aftertaste. No big deal!

One of the best things I ate was the courgette ribbons lassooing asparagus, served with vanilla and honey dressing, which was piqued by pink grapefruit zest and segments. It was delicious.

The bread was innovative, Almond and Cinnamon, Italian flat bread "music sheets" cereal bread, Olive Oil infused foccacia and crusty country rolls came next.

Good idea, mousseline light mashed potatoes with baby fava beans, sauteed Morel mushrooms topped with a garlic foam. Shrooms were dumbly over salted, the garlic foam tasted faintly of a metalic note. 5 out of 10.

The breast of pork was served on a citrus emulsion, but the chef chose to intertwine the decoration with a wasabi sauce which was the equivalent of a sumo wrestler doing a Viennese Waltz. (see the green puddles above) No you shall not go to the dance! The 12 hour Pork was cooked as a low and slow affair at 63C (I'm not making this up, that was what they told us) which was pan seared for crusty crackling. Alas it was not very crisp and rather than melt in the mouth fork tender morsels mine was stringy and too tough!

So capucine flower sorbet with sweetened pea coulis!! In a word....Jabberwocky! The head waiter was very excited for diners to guess the combo...but why???? Unbalanced!

Saffron custard, coconut mousse was slightly better, I kept waiting for the weird combo to hit me and the waiter to announce another strange pairings but this one came and went benign.

This was high strange! Strawberry on a verbena granita, all good so far, then I tried the sugar tuile and which was filled with a Corsican cream cheese known as Brousse, so called because its curd is beaten before being drained. It is ewe's milk cheese sold in plastic cones, it crashed the fruit party with a farmyardy aroma followed closely by a salty mule kick and a lingering dairy barn taste; a gastro train wreck! It triggered an unexpected gag reflex, this was just nasty. I guess turning down the cheese course meant the kitchen had to sneek some in elsewhere.

The last food slate was put before us ushering a final round of guessing, argentinian inspired Mate Macaroons where mated to orange flower marshmallows and Pistachio tuiles. The final humor was iced lollipops that were universally adored.

The restaurant is 50 meters before the Italian border and the parking lot is shared with the French customs inspectors!

Owner Chef Mauro Colagreco was absent on the day I reviewed.

www.mirazur.fr

30 Avenue Aristide Briand
06500 Menton, France

+334 92 41 86 86

Beach Extraordinaire! La Reserve Mala Beach Cap D'Ail

2010-04-27T15:29:00.000+02:00

Cap D'ail neighbours Monaco to it's west, In 1560, 700 soldiers staged here to attack and conquer Monaco; they failed! The beach was settled in 1933 in memory of the ballet dancer Mala who was the friend of the last Russian Tzar, today its known as the Plage Mala, historically attracting a Russian clientele and such notables as Colette, Lord Beaverbrook; after 1945 Greta Garbo and Winston Churchill were frequent visitors too. Today they got me for lunch!

Arriving by boat, the Reserve has a zodiac tender to bring boaters to shore. In my experience, Beach restaurants tend to be basic affairs that charge stupid prices for bad food, accordingly my expectations were low.

I certainly was not prepared for what came next, plate after plate of brilliance, superb service married to wonderful atmosphere. The beach layout is tables with white awnings, comfortable seating makes this a remarkable place for lunch. Did I mention the great bar, cool music and sea breeze!!!

My group shared appetizers, we started with a pizza but it was devoured before I could snap picture one!

A Caprese, with a twist; basil sorbet, meltingly unctuous buffalo mozzi, Italian tomatoes and wild roquette arrived and gave us the first hint that this was no ordinary beach shack.

An orchid topped crunchy salad followed with a honeyed dressing.

These spring rolls were perfection! The mint and lettuce cradling the wonderful hot crunchy, far east filling.

Grilled Gambas with asparagus, crunchy carrots and beetroot vinaigrette were a magnificent perfumed success.

Grilled, line caught seabass!

Here in this closeup you can see the fresh parsley and garlic licking the Vongole (Clams) with an olive oil emulsion. Super, simple and good!

This was the best of the best, Linguine, with mussels, cherry tomatoes, clams, garlic and a plump grilled gambas crowning the glory. Off the scale good!

Instead of the usual Domain de Ott our waitress suggests we opt for a cheaper selection a magnum of Clos Beylesse Rose, it was the cool, refreshing and tremendous, the florality married impeccably with the fare we had ordered. As lunch wound down to dessert the piles of shells and discarded carapace were everywhere, the table sound was chorus of shells being sucked and cracked longingly as hands replaced cutlery. Here is the damage!

More than just fruit, this is art, 9 fruits in all heralded dessert, ripe and sweet, this wonderful lunch drew to a close. Great value, superb setting, attentive service and a brilliant kitchen, add the sun and you have perfection!

Below samples from the menu, the address and web site.

Entrées

La Grande Salade de la Réserve - 16 €
Carpaccio de Boeuf Mariné aux Copeaux de Parmesan - 16 €Variation de melons et Poivron Grillé au " Patanegra Iberico " - €
Salade de Crevettes au Piment d'Espelette - 14 €
Tomates et Mozzarellas à l'Emulsion de Basilic - 14 €
Salade de Langouste aux Légumes Confits - 26 €

Pizzas

Marguerite - 12 €
Scachiatta - 16 €
Végétarienne - 16 €

Pâtes

Spaghettis aglio olio Peperoncino - 12 €
Fettucine Frais au Pistou - 14 €

Le Panier du Mareyeur

Sur le Grill selon la Pêche... -

Poissons

Tournedos de Saumon en Brochette de Citronnelle - 16 €
Langouste Rotie au Sabayon Champagne - 49 €
Tagliatta de Thon " Wasabine " - 18 €
Gambas Sauvages Saulées au Basilic Frais - 26 €

Viandes

Carrée d'Agneau au Miel d'Oranges et Poivre Sarawak - 32 €
Filet de Boeuf à la Crème de Roquette - 24 €
Brochettes de Poulet grillées à la Fleur de Cactus - 16 €
Selection de Fromages, Salade d'Herbes Fraîches - 8 €

Desserts

Mille Feuille de fruits Rouges " Puit du Dragon " - 12 €
Banane Rôtie au Lait de Coco - 8 €
Moelleux au Chocolat Mi-cuit, Crème glacée au Gingembre - 9 €
Crème Brûlée Renversée au Safran - 8 €

You can reach the restaurant by sea or road with ease
La Réserve de la Mala
Plage de la Mala
06320 Cap d'Ail
Tél : +33 (0)4 93 78 21 56
Fax : +33 (0)4 93 78 29 42
lareserve@capresort.com

Mythic! - Le Petite Maison In Nice

2010-04-23T19:54:00.004+02:00

There are restaurants on the Cote D'Azur, past and present that gain mythic reputations! Oasis at La Napoule, Felix in it's hey day on the Croissette in Cannes (No Longer, now a tourist trap), gone too are the three star glory days of the Moulin de Mougins and though we have eclipsed the apogee of Tetou in Golfe Juan it is still really good! Gladly Nicole Rubi's Petite Maison is firmly ensconced in this constellation of gourmet greatness. I get happy from the moment I know that I'm going to be eating there. Happily, Nicole loves me and I love her, I know there are others who find her brusque and obstreperous but I'm not one of them! I'm mad for her! Perhaps it is because she's my " Pissaladiere dealer"!!

This is the good stuff meltingly sweet confit of onions on a flaky pastry tart with little diamonds of Niçoise of olives, hit with salt a sliver of hidden anchovy or two and a little olive oil. This is the region on a plate.

The best idea here is to come with friends, friends who like to share and order many starters rather than the main courses which are less beguiling. This joint is packed, tables caddy corner one another, serious eating is going down!

Battered courgette blossoms are the trumpet that warns spring that summer is next. The beignets are served with a tomato dip! Incredibly good!

Yes dear reader them there are some gooooood eating tomatoes! Raw purple spiked artichokes are given olive oil and lemon juice dressing! Superb simplicity!

Grain mustard, toasted crusty bread, confit tomatoes, coarse salt and piping oven hot veal marrow bones are served family style, make sure you get at least one for each diner!

Tuna carpaccio with mango dice is drizzled with the OO and covered in Riquette, which is French for Roquette (English) or Arugula (USA) PS - in some parts of France they use the sobriquet - Roquette too as it is already French!!

The petit farci are stuffed veggies such as courgettes, eggplant and tomatoes brimming with meat and veg.

The star of the show this night were the warm jumbo shrimp cut on the bias and served with julienned basil and OO and Lemon emulsion. The shrimps were slight warm, soft not springy with a never been frozen quality, scrumptious to oh00oooo and ahhh extremes!

Calamari were exemplary and moreish, what is there not to like about crisp, hot fried goodness?

Continuing the trend breaded rosemary chevre boules melt in your mouth good!

Spicy tomato and basil chili spaghetti rounds out this evening. We got a freebie refreshing mandarine sorbet to cleanse the palate!

This is a wonderful place to eat with friends, not good for stiffy biz meals at all. Remember you'll want to pass plates and eat family style. The room is darkly lit but beautifully accented by the candles that dress light on to the baskets of lemons and vines of tomatoes that act as edible table features.

Nicole sold a franchise to the ZUMA owners in London and have opened up a stellar UK outpost behind Claridges in Brooks Mews but whilst it is faithful to it's mothership the food is more fussy and the menu much longer. http://www.lpmlondon.co.uk ie: More is less!

Le Petite Maison in Nice is an institution, it merits it's laurels and does not sit on them at all!!!

The current Nice menu is below!

Pissaladière
Olives de Nice en tapenade, radis et cébettes
Cœurs de laitues à la Caesar’s
Marinade de poissons et crustacés
Thon finement taillé, citron, cébette, piment rouge et mangue
Coquilles Saint-Jacques marinées, pépites de truffres
Les petits farcis Niçois
Salade haricots verts extra fin à l'huile d'olive et vieux balsamique avec foie gras

Salade d’Artichauts violets
Tomates pays, mozzarella di buffala, basilic et huile d'olive
Fins beignets de fleurs de courges
Salade de Nice
Salade aux parfums d’orient
Le chèvre frais rôti à la crème de romarin
Foie gras de canard, caramel de balsamique
Saumon fumé Maison, Pain aux céréales et chantilly
Avocat au saumon fumé en salade
Spaghetti à la tomate fraîche et aux piments

Truffes : Melanosporum
Oeufs de poule au plat, mouillettes aux truffes
Salade mélangée, herbes et truffes
Brouillade de truffes
Maccaroni aux truffes
Risotto aux truffes

Langouste puce Royale de la Méditérranée rôtie
Homard bleu grillé
Salade de homard bleu, fruits et légumes

Coquilles Saint-Jacques nacrées, rissolées à l’ail
Les grosses crevettes à l'ail et au four
Les crevettes tièdes à l'huile d'olive et basilic
Les crevettes grillées et flambées
Crevettes et crabe en tempura, sauce spéciale
Calamaretti fritti
Grenouilles dorées au beurre, ail et persil

Rougets de roche du pays en friture
Loup de pêche locale cuisiné "comme on aime"
Loup cuit dans la croûte de sel
Sole de petit bateau cuite au beurre
Thon comme un tournedos au poivre
Linguini onctueux au homard

La Côte de Bœuf avec moëlle
Le filet de Boeuf au poivre, grillé béarnaise et Rossini
Le châteaubriand
Poulet Fermier élévé au grain, farçi au foie gras
Côte de Veau de lait Fermier cuisinée en cocotte

http://www.lapetitemaison-nice.com/

11 Rue Saint François de Paule - 06300 Nice | Tel. 04 93 92 59 59 | Fax. 04 93 92 28 51

Tang Freres the Fresh Source of Asia in Paris

2010-04-10T23:18:00.001+02:00

Tang Freres (Tang Brothers) is the source of most imported asian produce in Paris. They are the largest asian supermarket west of China! Originally from Laos and with the Main store in the 13th quarter at 48, avenue d'Ivry 75013 Paris
France

Tel: 33-1-45-70-80-00

Huge parking under the premises as well!!

.

If its Thai, from Vietnam or China, they have it fresh! Alladin's cave that champions and inspires the cook in you..

What a learning curve, you have to keep pinching yourself to remind yourself that you are still in Paris.

Here a rows of green herbs. Many I simply don't know how to use, but testing and trying them is part of the fun. On this trip I learn't about Hairy Basil, a cross between thai basil and lemon grass. Below some this incredible bounty!

Banana Flowers

Can somebody let me know about this Rao Ram (Phak Pheo) Vietnamese Cilantro

I'd love to figure out how to use that!

I want to show you some of the fresh fruit on offer too.

This is Jack Fruit

Saboutier tastes like a collision of date and Kiwi

A vietnamese "Sugar Apple"

Here Cinnamon Apples, I wonder how one would use these? Any ideas?

Meat and fresh fish counters are also bulging displays piled high!

Every packaged sauce, and condiments you can imagine is featured on aisle after aisle of brands that are unfamiliar and proffer a steep learning curve. You really are on your own, though I have had to ask other shoppers for advice, albeit sometimes they look at me bemused and laugh me off with a "don't be so silly" look!

On this occasion I used the Tang Freres goodies for a superb salad. Hope you enjoy this recipe! It's a keeper

Vietnamese Chili Chicken Herby Mint Salad

Poach 2 kilos of chicken breast in enough water to cover with three thai chilis, a red onion cut in four, 5 sticks of lemon grass bruised with the back of a knife, the stalks of two bunches of coriander, four pieces of roughly chopped Galangal (Thai Ginger) and a big bunch of thai basil. BOIL UNTIL just cooked through then remove chicken from the stock, to cool on a rack. Reserve the stock for thai Yom Gai soup if you want or freeze.

The salad
1 Head of CHINESE CABBAGE julienned
4 carrots sliced on a mandolin to make ribbons
250 grams of bean sprouts
2 Bunches of Spring onions (Cebettes)
1 Bunch of Coriander
1 Bunch of mint sizzle cut

1 bunch thai basil
1 1 trevise/radiccio julienned

Dressing
3 THAI red chilli, seeded and minced
2 fat garlic clove, peeled and minced
4 tbsp sugar (Prefer PALM SUGAR)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
Juice of 10 limes about to produce a cup of juice and the juice of one large lemon
1/3 cup Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce (nuoc nam or nam pla)
1/3 vegetable oil sunflower is good
1 Red Onion, finely sliced
black pepper
3 bunches of mint leaves only
2 bunches of thai basil leaves only
2 bunches of coriander destalked

Put the herbs for the dressing in a food processor with a few spoon of the oil and pulse slowly to control the effect. You must avoid it pulping or liquidizing, herbs must remain as finely chopped herbs

In a bowl, combine the chilli, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lime/lemon juice, fish sauce, oil and onion, black pepper. Taste to see if the balance of sugar, spice, vinegar, citrus is right!, you can always add a bit more of any ingredient.

Add the herbs to the bowl and mix all together.

slice thinly or shred the chicken and transfer to the dressing and mix it making sure to soak all the chicken in the dressing. Put in fridge for an hour

Arrange the cabbage, sprouts, carrots and treviso on a plate interlacing herbs and spring onion within the cabbage. Leave a hole in the middle of the plate and fill that with the chicken.

cover with any remaining herbs!

Casa Olympe, A brilliant bistro!

2010-04-05T20:58:00.001+02:00

I have a list of restaurants that sit patiently waiting for me, for whatever reason, I don't get round to eating at the address and the list grows bigger by the week! Usually for me it is because either the restaurant is in a part of town I don't often get too (I know it's a lame and lazy excuse) or because another establishment close by always claims my buck first. The Casa Olympe stars finally aligned when the Dutchman called me from London and said, I need to be in the 9th quarter next monday at 1500 to meet a bank! Open Monday, 9th arr.... the rest as they say is history.

Missing out all these years on Casa Olympe has been a huge stupidity of mine, it's way beyond bistro status and way beyond being just a neighbourhood haunt too. If you come from the school that good things often come in small packages then you've sat down in the right place!

This pocket sized restaurant is my kinda place!!

The most tempting dish on the entire menu was a starter! A small dutch oven (Cocotte) of exquisite earthy vegetables such as pumpkin, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, potatoes, swiss chard and smokey bacon! A fair snip of chive, coarse pepper grindings, a tablespoon of good farmy creme fraiche and a little piment d'espilette brought the garden to to my table! Thankfully the bread is so crusty good that you can use it to mop up the final sugars left in the now empty pot.

Here I lay out the fixings from the pot for you to scrute and click on for a closeup!

Proving yet again that simple and delicious is way better than complicated and not!!
The double-barreled Scott (who came with the Dutchman) was not coming to Paris for a plate of roots no sir, he preferred to order tubers and fine french ones they were too. Served with a warm egg "mollet" that dripped its gold liquor to great effect when prodded.

I waited to have some asparagus of my own on my veal chop, in fact they looked so splendid on my friends plate that I asked Madame Versini, the Lady of Olympe whether I could change the garnish planned from wild mushrooms to asparagus. No problem!

There is a rustic quality to the dishes served here that I can relate too, nothing overpowers the main ingredient on the plate, everything seemed to enhance the star turn, not unlike a harmony of tight backing singers behind a great songstress.

Steak (Special of the day) with fondant potatoes (I'm guessing duck or goose fat) bitter leaves meet the dijon and bob's your uncle... we were pushed for time so we all shared one dessert!

Pains Perdue avec sauce Caramel Buerre Salé, translation lost bread with caramel made with salted butter...

To focus your attention here are some other items from the Menu!

If you don't come often to Paris all I can say is read it and weep!!!!

Warm Pig’s Ear salade with Herbs

Chestnut flour Pancake with a poached egg and melted butter

Snails in a lightly Garlicked green Herb bouillon

Pumpkin Soup with Rock Mussels

Crispy Black pudding with a mixture of wild Lettuces

Roast thyme-flavored shoulder of lamb
Pan-fried farm-raised Guinea Hen from Challans with two kinds of cabbage
Crusty sweetbreads with Pantelleria capers
Mackerel in a papillote with Herring“caviar“ and olive oil mashed patatoes
Veal chop with bay leaf, pan-fried mushrooms
Scallops with Celery, Olive oil and Balsam-flavored cream
Bacon-Studded Tuna fish with onions
Spiced grilled Pig’s Head with green lentil beans

48 rue Saint Georges, 75009 Paris Tel : 01.42.85.26.01
They have a good bilingual web site too with updated dishes and pictures
http://www.casaolympe.com/index.html

Say Cheese!

2010-04-01T15:07:00.000+02:00

The next two blogs highlight two corner stores, both in the Marais in Paris and both run by passionate owners. First up Le Fromagerie Trotte - owned and operated by brother Pascal and Jean Philippe (Trotte) who are thankfully completely submersed in the art of ageing cheese! Experts in the craft!!

This is a miniscule hole in the wall, pictures below, benefits from its own "caves" underneath where chevres and alpages Comté bloom and age uniquely. (More about Alpages later)

Trotte specialty is aged Gruyère de Comté an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. Available in 12, 18 and 36 months of age. He chooses Alpages cheeses that have been made when the cows are grazing at altitude during the summer. This makes the best even better, when you then add the "taste" that the cheese gets from the particular bloom of the TROTTE CAVES you got to cheese heaven and back!

The other specialty here is goat cheese. Again, the unique effect on the cheese as it ripens in the Trotte caves is the miracle before you.

I am in love with aged goat cheese, the complexity, length and layers of the flavors linger beyond the bite. The acidity present in a young cheese is almost absent at this point, some of them will flake, chalk others will have incredible waxen depth, almost honeyed with amber notes. With all the consolidation of the various ma and pa shops in Paris, Trotte remains fiercely independent. He works with the farmers directly, visiting them, meeting the herds on the hoof, working with the producers!!! I have learned so much from him. He introduced me to Le Vieux Berger Roquefort, here on the left below. Forget everything you have ever known about Roquefort cheese, treble it and you have this marvelous cheese. Miniscule quantities are available. It enters the mouth as a salty sharp blue, almost gritty in texture, immediately creamily melting, almost sugar like into an umami fountain of oral pleasure. Roquefort after all has the highest level of naturally occuring glutamates of any food. A world of good!

Trotte also feature Coolea which is the cheese champion of Ireland and Kerry. Stellar unpasteurised Cheddar, Stilton and Manchego complete these offerings!

Fromagerie Trotté
97, rue St Antoine
Paris 75004

Thoumieux, Oh boy are we gonna have fun!

2010-03-25T21:48:00.004+01:00

I'm so glad to have found Thoumieux, radically renovated and updated to becoming the cool eaterie of Le Moment in Paris.

I spoke to the chef (ok, ok, ok I do that without much excuse) Jean Francois Piege, I accused him of culinary robbery, "hands up, I'm guilty, why not take a bit of this and a bit of that from ITALY, FRANCE, and SPAIN, that's what's modern cookery is about" our chef exclaims! Mixing is only one part of the game here what's more awe is the brilliance of Piege's culinary reinvention.

With all the magic on the plates it's no surprise that the joint is mirrors, mirrors and more mirrors everybody is flattered by the lighting and that may explain why there is a distinct difference to the night and day clientele. I went for Lunch and Dinner on the same day so this is what I know.

The lunch crowd is the business end of show and dinner is ....show business. One sexy crowd, people watchers will be rewarded as the place is elbow to elbow with the in-crowd or as the French say tres MONDAIN! Definition belonging to fashionable society. The music at night is a twinge to loungey loud for me though!

I love menus where the choice is complicated and many selections sing to your palate, "choose me!" When you run down the menu you'll wish that you are with at least three good friends who want to share the tastes.

With the menu you are given a DIARY (I'll leave you to discover it) and this:

Here it is from another angle:

The crusty bread, which is outrageous by the way served with a cup of flaky salt, for the raw milk pat of butter and a sardine tin that does in fact contain sardines that have been smushed with "Vache Qui Rit" (Cow Who Laughs brand of French soft white processed cheese) I dare you to resit this! Impossible!

The signature dish is the pizza revisted!

You are going to have fun with this one, a souffled matzo wafer thin crisp crust (that's the pizza part) covered in a dress of wild arugula, nestled on smoked tuna, sprinkled with a Parmesan shower, all of this cocooning a hidden trove of burrata and calamata olive puree like a secret purse within. This is wild to eat, imploding with the first fork.

The optical delusions just carry on with squid Carbonara... Here is how it looks as it set before you.

Hidden under the Carbs is an egg yolk, the smokiest of crisp bacon, a little creme fraiche, more Parmesan and grind of corse pepper but then when you fork the plate you do a double take.

Hey that's not spaghetti at all but the calamari in question. One word Superb!

Even this serving of asparagus takes the ordinary to extraordinary it lifts a perfect spear to new vistas with a hard boiled egg mustard vinaigrette, coating and glistening each mouthful. Pass the bread!

More humor pearl barley Paella with pimenton spanished shrimps and grilled piquillos!

Is this this is all becoming clearer....

Goujonettes of sole here served with an air light whipped tartare sauce that is robust and lifted by the squeeze of fresh limes.

Raw and Cooked Fois Gras, is first pan fried then pressed hot into a terrine to cure. It's plated with raw apple and some spiced apple sauce. A great duo, take notes!!

VITELLO TONNATA is revisited in the Quasi de Veau to brilliant effect. Look at this next picture closely.

If you click on the picture above it will enlarge and I will point out some rather clever twists. In the back of the plate is a tube like pate paste of preserved lemons with tuna which is the tonatto condiment of the veal. The meat has been seasoned with more than salt and pepper and the jus encroaches under the mash potato which is topped by purple spud chips. Serious YUM, YUM

Corn fed chicken, morels, cream and spinach....

Pork belly crusted in crispy onions and crackling with shredded cabbage!!! Hey I said Crackling!!!

Dessert does not let the side down one jot either.

Churros and Rolls are covered in popping sugar that sets off a noisy clack click in the mouth is served with dipping hot chocolate and turned to order vanilla ice cream. One day we will all have a Paco Jet.

Here Creme Caramel revisited, we have the cream for sure, but imagine a mixture of the best of genre meets Creme Brulee, Hybrid to be sure, I shot two angles so you could see the crispy top and the depths of the salted thick salted caramel base below the vanilla speckled cream.. I would go back just for this!

If you add great service, valet parking and great value at less than 50 euros a head, then you'll understand why you'll leave as one happy camper!

Thoumieux ... and now for my next trick!!!

http://www.thoumieux.fr/

Open every day lunch and dinner till 23h30

9 RUE SAINT-DOMINIQUE | 75007 PARIS | T 01 47 05 49 75 |

Amaya is my favorite restaurant in London

2010-03-17T16:08:00.000+01:00

Amaya near Harrods is my fave spot in the capital, there is nothing like it. A fusion Indian with fresh and brilliant flavors, spices and original tastes. Nothing is nuanced or bland, every bite is an explosive firework of flavor. Nothing is super hot or chilied to extreme, I would say perfume, layers and texture are the touchstones here. Above all you will encounter new flavors and originality with every dish. Things you believe you already know are revisited and updated. The condiments of dry rose petals, tomato chutney and ground peanut dust transport the food off the charts.Modern to be sure with respect for the historic spices that underpin Indian cuisine.

As you will be able to tell the spoon went into the lettuce cups before the finger got on the camera shutter.

Here spiced chicken is blended with crunchy julienned raw veggies and served in a lettuce cup with a tumeric tinged curried dressing.

Chevre and mandarin salad is a super refreshing foil to the perfumed food.

Regular readers to my blog will know that this humble dish of broccoli grilled with burnt edges, hot off of the tandoor skewers is the summit of Amaya. The signature dish! The ginger yoghurt dressing is a miracle marriage, this is simply the most perfect veggie dish I have ever tasted! This sauce is so moorish I am capable to dream of it from afar, I scour the internet for the recipe have once been told it's contents with quantities. It is unbelievable delicious!

I am told the secret to the moist chicken breast after the Tandoori inferno is a six hour marination. Here the smoked Chicken Tandoori. NB The best Tandoori Chicken is Black Pepper!

The Black Pepper Tandoori Chicken on the left is perfectly balanced with two dipping sauces and on the right seasoned the chicken chops some very complex layers of flavours .

These are Chicken (Lamb is also available and often preferred) lollipops sweet tomato tangy with a chili kick. I also adore but don't have a picture of the tomato ginger prawns which are stupendous. NB Garlic is very present in this food!

Another veggie dish this time sweet potatoes with tamarin sauce. I first thought this would have been too sweet or overkill but not this acidulated topping takes the one dimension yam on a leap of flavor and good taste.

Amaya get's super busy at night. It has one Michelin Star (rightfully so) and I would recommend booking. I find the internet site the best place to stake a table. I have sent more than a 100 friends over the years to Amaya and it always turns up as a foody fave!

Amaya, Halkin Arcade, Motcomb Street,
London SW1X 8JT
tel: + 44 (0)20 7823 1166
fax: +44 (0)20 7259 6464
email: amaya@realindianfood.com

Zuma London

2010-03-15T00:53:00.075+01:00

There is a funny old law on the books in France that says it's illegal to sell a little bird called the ORTOLAN, (a Bunting/Finchy type oiseau) however it is not illegal to eat them. The french consume this delight whilst hidden under a napkin, supposedly this increases the perfume, personally I believe it is to hide the guilt and shame of the diners civil disobedience. Soon I fear legislation will come to limit yet another delicacy, wild Tuna. In fact I'm starting to feel twinges of guilt everytime I think of TORO, something that I have eaten on a regular basis for the last 25 years.

Zuma Restaurant in London is a Toro meister, Here is some O-toro sashimi I ate last time there. I am somewhat obsessed with this natural wonder.

Here I open my Kimono to share a Toro Closeup, this is the supreme silken brilliance that is endangered of being banned! I feel increasingly guilty showing you these, this is TUNA PORN!

Above the Zuma Toro Sushi.

Here Toro and Leaks...

Ok enough with the Toro. So let's talk about Zuma. Zuma is to Nobu what Belgium is to France, it OVERJAPS! It is beyond the borders of Japan... it is does not play by the rules that would limit a Nobu, but that is a good thing. Zuma is in my London top 10, which includes Amaya, but that is for another posting. Zuma is full of whimsy, the gastronomic equivalent of Tim Burtons Alice In Wonderland!

Look at this Chili Squid with Jalapeno's - if you see what I mean. Nippon meets Mexican Mariache! The squid is greaseless crisp, hot and twangy good but this chili pepper has never been to the land of the rising sun....ever!.

Zuma is not frightened to nick the best culinary tricks from any cuisine look, at this Tomato and Aubergine salad.

It would not be out of place in any modern Italian or Greek eatery, the only scintilla of Japan is the shredded shiso and scosh of yuzu in the dressing.. Same for the Wagyu/Kobe carpaccio, not exactly screaming Tokyo either.

Let's be clear, the lack of any cultural provenance or the adherence to a particular national cuisine liberates Zuma from the limitations inherent in a "true- trad" Japanese restaurant, this is not a handicap but rather a release from the "binds that tie" which are well deployed as you have seen. When you consider the sea bass "new" Sashimi I soar with elated approval.

Zuma's food fushion is easy on the eye. Here skewers of grilled Asparagus with sesame citrus vinaigrette.

I love the lobster tempura served without even the hint of greasiness; these guys know how to run a deep fat-fryer.

Black MISO cod (A NOBU) signature dish was and is a failure I have tried it on several occassion and it pales in comparison to the real deal, the dilemma is that for whatever reason the fish is too fishy and the sauce too sweet, maybe it's the miso (too much white) used or the marinading process itself. It cloys! It's culinary karaoke!

I'm happy when they put heat to TORO too, ok why would you want to do that to perfectly A1 fatty tuna, better served raw I hear you exclaim... well look at this then!

Japanese skill with a touch of whimsy lifts this Tuna to great heights. Not so the grilled Wagyu!

Between you and me this was the least interesting thing I ate, was it good meat, Yup, was it correctly cooked Medium rare, yup again but the terryaki sauce did little but sweeten this great meat, a steak that needed a salted zinger, sadly sesame ain't something that piques my palate a menu mistep.

Lastly let's talk about something that is not on the menu:

the SECRET VOLCANO OF CHOCOLATE dessert.

This is in my top ten list of desserts in the world, yes, ever anywhere. The secret is the most subtle but real presence of a caramel aftertaste that arrives late in the mouth and lingers on the palate for more than a minute, the problem always is that it is the last bite that hits you this way because it's simply is impossible to wait a minute between bites. I have no photo of it either because it arrived and my guests hit it; better to say, gobbled it all up before I could shoot it for this blog! I'm just glad I got one forkful and a smear on the back of my spoon!

Zuma
5 Raphael Street
London SW7 1, United Kingdom
020 7584 1010

www.zumarestaurant.com

Check out this website

2010-03-12T19:10:00.000+01:00

In my top ten Ami Jean in Paris. Check out this stunning photography from the web site.

Click Here!

Drouant, Drouant!!!

2010-03-12T16:44:00.001+01:00

Consistency, service and fair pricing must be the touchstone of any great dining establishment, if you also get to add, great food, ambiance, decor and valet parking (Hey this is Paris) one pretty much has the whole package wrapped.

Drouant hits all the above and more. The Euros 43.00 lunch is superb three course value. This is the home of Alsation Antoine Westermann!!

After ordering the chef comes over and nixed my choice, suggesting I avail myself of Paté en croute, I usually steer well clear of brioched mystery meat but decided to follow mine hosts suggestion. Boy was I a happy bunny that I did so too.

From the top of the terrine layers and layers of flavor starting with a super buttery flaky pastry intensely extracted veal jelly, paté, a slice of moist ham, and duck fois gras, peppered throughout with green pistachios. This is so unbelievable good, the countryside on a plate. The flavors lingered on my palate for more than a minute of each bite. I was told afterwards that 12 herbs and spices are used to develop the meat flavors. It was on a scale of supergood and yum combined.

For main course: Quasi de Veau, Veal with carrots and sage.

Was that how you thought it would look? Mushrooms and wilted spinach anchored the dish skilfully. If you look closely and you can by clicking on the meat above you will see the attention to detail as the meat has been re-seasoned after cutting, there are the grains of salt and pepper invigorating my lunch.

I was sent out two desserts both on the Apple theme, first a Apple melba.

Granny Smith Sorbet, apple sauce and calvados whipped cream topping with a health dose of vanilla for good measure running from north to south.

This apple pie was spiffy as well call it a Normande style. The menu is highly seasonal and specials change daily, there is no risk in going here, always at the top of it's game.

Drouant

18 Rue Gaillon, 75002 Paris, France 0033 1 42 65 15 16‎

drouant.com

Le Cote Jardin The good deal lunch in Monaco

2010-03-11T20:44:00.001+01:00

Hidden behind a winding corridor inside the Hotel De Paris you will come upon the Cote Jardin, it's become the surprising power lunch spot in Monaco; where the room is peppered with government suits, business men and local residents. The quality of food, the stellar service and the price (49 euros) makes it the lunch deal in town. When it's warm, the Jardin spills open and you can eat al fresco. Perfect for April-May - September-October.

Above mini provençal omelettes and roasted cherry tomatoes.

The lineup always includes two hot pasta dishes - here tortolloni.

Some Rouget with a balsamic reduction

This was egg plant (Aubergine) Napoleons.

A classy warm blinis station for the smoke salmon

You also get your choice of two meat main courses, here roast pork with potatoes Grand Mere which was just delicious, spuds sauteed with bacon, carrots and artichokes. There is also a vegetarian option such as risotto of the day. What really is splendiferous is that the same effort goes into the dessert station.

I like the fact that nothing is piles of anything but rather little platters that are constantly being warmed, refilled and often changed completely when something runs out. This is the all you can eat Monaco style and I love it!

Cote Jardin
In the Hotel De Paris
Casino Square
Monte Carlo
Monaco

Auberge de Dully A one trick pony since 1964

2010-03-09T22:01:00.004+01:00

If a restaurant banks its reputation for doing one thing right, they have simply got to nail it every service.

I'm in awe of the Auberge de Dully on the Banks of lake Geneva.

This humble inn of a place (They have 8 rooms) started as a dairy making cheese, in 1840, it first opened as a wine house, in 1905 it installed the towns first public telephone line. In 1959 the Charriere family were holed up in the joint as guests and duly decided to cross the rubicon and buy the joint. They completed this purchase in 1970 when they also bought the cellar and vineyard Chateau de Dully. In 1989 son Nicholas stepped up to the crease and carried on this family tradition by taking over the management.

So I can hear you wonder what has this one trick poney got that I may want. Well truth be told two things, one salty and the other sweet! Here is the menu!

Chicken, roast chicken....open fire, twirling spits, heat, getting a sense of this? Let me show you a picture then...

I got another too..

Here another angle!

Can you feel the heat, the noise, the smell of chicken, skin all crisp and crackling?

It's super important that click on the picture of the Chicken on the platter above, in that way you will be able to see the chicken up close and personal like, okay, okay it's not the same as being there but even the good old internet has limitations! See the gravy under the bird?

Did I mention the Rosti? Oh yea I almost forgot! Burned crisp, just enough, this is what all hash browns are descended from, the hash brown missing link, the Darwining proof if ever anyone needed it that Hash browns the world over evolved from Swiss rosti...

So let's add it up, some of the best roasted chicken in the world, spit fired over wood, crispy rosti, a green salad (forgot to mention that) with a bold mustard vinaigrette in a bijou crammed pack little gem of a restaurant that has been doing the same thing with stellar service since 1964! I don't know of many places that have nothing further to perfect! Pretty unique so far but then comes dessert and we get to grips with second dish a world famous (yes I said world famous) tarte a la creme or cream tart to you and me!

This is one of the most insane taste sensations that has ever sold itself as dessert. A butterscotch tart would approximate the fixings going on here..The thinnest of crust layered with sugary caramel which is then topped by cream that cooks brown. This is an insane pudding! Served pizza pie piping hot, straight out of the oven, the taste is, dare I say it even more memorable than the chicken. In fact as I was eating it I thought of ways in which I could come by and only eat tart without looking competely ridiculous! It is not cloying or too sweet, some of the cream burns and mixes with the sugar underneath (by design) and then changes the tastes in that particular bite. This is a global top ten dessert!

Auberge De Dully
Dully
+41 21 824 1149
www.aubergedully.ch
Closed all day Wednesday
Dinner only Monday to Friday
Lunch and dinner Sat-Sun
20 minutes past Geneva Airport direction Lausanne

Joel Robuchon's Monaco Fast Food Eaterie

2010-03-04T11:47:00.004+01:00

Ever wonder what happens when a three star, chef luminary wants to try his hand to interpret fast food? Go to the MetCafe in the mall under the Metropole Hotel in Monaco and taste the answer.

I started with some Cauliflower soup:

Here I'm at the bar, killer croutons crisp and buttery. The soup probably a veloute was not overpassed or too creamy, simple but brilliant. Robuchon fans will know first hand about his love of cauliflower.

Then his take on a cheeseburger on a panini, with grilled onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, ketchup, mayo into melted cheese. I was so impressed with this sandwich I took three closeups so you can see it up close and personal like!

This is the good stuff to eat on the run, I cut mine into three pieces and still got my finger sticky!

My neighbour had Vitello Tonnato, a veritable artist palate of colours and pastels.

I tasted this too it was sensational, the veal almost salmon pink with a perfect combo of capers lifting the dish to a textbook tang. I'll definitely order it next time!!

Dessert is difficult to pass up as the wares are temptingly on display...... I choose a lime and blueberry cheesecake.

Here you can see that the blueberries are more than just a topping but rather run through this delectable morsel and lime zest runs all the way through...

Fast food done beyond the genre!