Ceviche of Bay of Bengal bekti, served with squid ink caviar and amaranth cress. The flavours of the entire sea in one spoon! The lime juice and white wine play fast and loose with your palate.
There is something deliciously naughty about all things French… poetry, leave, kisses… or simply food. It carries the weight of heritage (after all, French recipes were one of the first in history to be written down), but that doesn’t stop modern French cuisine from being in step with the times.
And Calcutta has a date with this avant garde French fare on March 19, as West View — Bar & Grill at ITC Sonar takes part in the Good France or Gout de France initiative. “The world is celebrating French food on that date, with over a thousand restaurants all across the globe serving French fare. In India alone, there are 48 restaurants taking part,” smiled French consul-general Fabrice Etienne.
“In our endeavour to offer the finest global cuisine to the city, West View — Bar & Grill is proud be a part of this continental initiative. The French cuisine is best matched to our international grill room,” said Atul Bhalla, general manager, ITC Sonar.
The general structure of the meal is similar the world over — one cold and one hot appetiser, fish or shellfish, meat or poultry, selection of French cheese and dessert. But to get into the salacious details of the Frenching at ITC Sonar, the menu at West View has been designed on the principles of locavorism, with a lot of contemporary techniques going into the making of the dishes.
So all the tongue action with the hot appetiser happens over smoked hilsa, glazed with Sunderban honey, served with aragula and grandiflora (bokphul) salad. “The world has moved away from heavy sauces,” explained executive chef Mayank Kulshreshtha, dissecting the subtle smoky flavour offset with a watermelon carpaccio, enoki mushrooms and deconstructed olive oil — a fine example of molecular gastronomy.
Getting hot and heavy with sous vide (slow overnight cooking of meat sealed in a bag that has been vaccum-packed) technique is the Duo of Slow Cooked Kidderpore Veal Shanks with duck egg and beef bobotie (or a minced meat base).
And the locavore touch does not extend merely to the main ingredients like hilsa, bekti, veal or fresh river Phangus fish, but to herbs from ITC Sonar’s kitchen gardens too. The amaranth cress with your Ceviche of Bay of Bengal Bekti, the aragula in the Smoked Hilsa, the aloe vera in the Chocolate Antoine served with aloe vera pearls and Nutmeg Brioche Pudding — they’ve all made that short journey from the backyard to the table. “It is a lovely harmony of techniques and ingredients, classic structures and modern interpretations,” exclaimed Etienne between mouthfuls.
Priced at Rs 4,500-plus per person, the six-course meal will be served only on March 19. For a little extra, you get to have the best of French wine in ITC Sonar’s cellars paired with the dinner. So make your reservations at 033-23454545.
Anindita Mitra
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Tuna Nicoise with Tomato Pearls and Olive Foam: This French salad has tuna, crusted with Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley. Cut into the soft, juicy and pink tuna that is served with tomato pearls (made of tomato paste and agar-agar), olive foam (composed of olive paste and lecite) veggies and boiled eggs. It is fresh, flavoursome and brings in a great execution of molecular gastronomy techniques.
Just like French fashion, French food is undeniably an experience on its own. The Bridge at The Park gave a sneak peek of the exquisite French gourmet menu to be served up from March 19, marking the Good France day.
Coagulated Peking Duck Mince Mille-Feuille: Get your phone ready to Instagram and Snapchat before you dig into this French delicacy. This layered dish comes covered with a glass and you can see the steam inside. Crunchy layers of pastry come topped with crisp, thin layers of Hoisin-glazed duck.
“The French like classy food like Nicoise Salad and souffles and modern techniques like molecular gastronomy. Keeping in sync with the dishes, they like the presentation of the food to be simple, unlike other cuisines with elaborate presentation styles. Keeping this in mind we have laid a five-course spread, with a distinctive French touch in each and every item,” said Surajit Banerjee, senior sous chef of The Bridge.
Curry Leaf Scallops, Squid Ink Linguine, Lobster Bisque, Poppadum Crush and Mustard Cress: This global fusion delicacy has a touch of India, Canada, Italy and France. The squid ink linguine comes topped with grilled curry leaf scallops. Pour on top the lobster bisque that comes on the side. The lingering lemongrass flavour of the lobster bisque adds a refreshing note.
The appetisers include Coagulated Peking Duck Mince Mille-Feuille (hot) and Tuna Nicoise with Tomato Pearls and Olive Foam (cold). Vegetarians must try the Organic Red Rice Bowlpancake served with Basil Caviar, Perfumed Leek Alumettes and Gremolata dust. You can’t miss the selection of French cheese and we recommend the souffle of Gruyere, though a fitting end to this five-course foodathon comes in form of Monsoon in Chocolate Soil, Grit, Mud, War and Cold, Fallen Branches — a yummy chocolate dessert that defies description.
Freshly baked Gruyere Souffle, Pear and Grape salsa served with Carrot and Celery air: The very French souffle is made of cheese, milk and a roux of butter and flour and freshly baked till golden brown. Served with sweet pear and grape salsa, it is an explosion of flavours as the salt meets sweet, while the carrot and celery air (another molecular foam) enhance the taste. A personal favourite of the chef.
A meal for two teetotallers would come to Rs 3,500-plus, while those opting to have French wine paired with their dinner will have to shell out Rs 5,000.
Pramita Ghosh
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
Smoked Salmon and Avocado Verrine
And the French connection goes on.
Cafe Swiss at Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista has a spread for Gout de France — Good France project.
For cold starter, expect Smoked Salmon and Avocado Verrine, while the French Onion Soup is an obvious choice for the hot appetiser. There is the classic Lobster Thermidor, followed by Coq au Vin. Get cheesy with Camembert and follow up to the finish line with Opera, a classical layered French dessert made with almond, coffee and dark chocolate. “The theme of the dinner is classically French,” said Pranay Kumar Singh, executive chef, Swissotel Kolkata Neotia Vista.
Priced at Rs 2,000 per person, you can also order French wine off the menu, priced a la carte.
