Poulet Roti meets Makki di Roti

Jasmine Singh

Voici Monsieur le Président … Here comes, Mr President, Francois Hollande, visiting City Beautiful, seeing what defines Chandigarh. As the news breaks sending the chefs hurriedly back into the kitchen, whipping up dishes for him, we take a regard rapide (quick look) at the French cuisines and wines that have already secured a place on poeple’s pallate here in tricity! Do we begin with something sweet or something savoury, and some French too!

Chercher profondément (Dig into)

Even though the ready-to-experiment-with-food city did take a while to get used to French cuisines, as they require a fine palate for it, they now can’t stop themselves from ordering one whenever they hit a place that serves one. Poulet Roti Au Jus (oven roasted chicken served with sautéd vegetables and rosemary potatoes along with a chicken jus (sauce) and root vegetables pot pie, a pot pie with a golden crust filled with beetroot, carrots, potatoes and onions flavoured with thyme is something that you can dig into at Hops n Grains, Panchkula. Chef Rajkanwar Singh from Aja-8, however, uses a lot of French techniques for cooking. He doesn’t fail to mention that people are only slowly opening to French food, and once they do, they are completely hooked to it. Aja serves Yogurt Parfait and Berry Compote, totally French!

If you want, tear into more French delights and even the main course. At French Press Café-16 you can enjoy a Croque (French oven roasted sandwich), Monsiuer (lightly toasted homemade bread layered with ham, gouda and yellow cheddar cheese), topped with bechamel sauce and baked till perfection.

Shares Pranav, owner of French Press Café, we do all kinds of French starters and main course dishes like Beignets (double cheese deep fried dumplings served with homemade Caesar sauce and a side salad), crepes, savoury crepes, river sole beurre blank (grilled fish with white sauce), chicken florentine, chicken with spinach sauce and gratin of vegetables.

Doux comme il obtient (As sweet as it gets)

They say the apple pie was made by mistake in 1898 by Stephanie Tartin. She was trying to make a traditional pie. She accidentally left the apples in sugar and butter for far too long in the pan. In a hurry, trying to rescue the dessert, she put the pastry base on top of the burning fruits and then placed the pan in the oven. The dessert finished baking and the result, well, a Tarte Tatin. Yes, we are talking about sweet indulgences!

Gayatri Sood, a trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu Paris has introduced French Opera on the menu card. “It’s a chocolate cake with coffee and chocolate, and it has become really popular.” She smiles talking about how people have had difficulty pronouncing French words; eventually they get a hang of it though. Mogador, the French cake, is something that she had to give an Indian name to, but then went back to French. “Earlier, people found it very sweet, now they of course like it. Cottage cheese rolls (the Indian name) and Baguettes is something that she makes for the foodies.

It only gets sweeter with a French Crème Brulee and vanilla custard topped with caramelized sugar, being served at Hops n Grains.

L'effet de scintillement (The sparkling effect)

…And this is what John Keats said ‘give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know.’ In Tricity there is definitely an arrangement for some fine French wines. “Moet and Chandon Brut (sparkling wine), BPDR Merlot, Chardonnay, Camas Merlot, Chardonnay are the best French wines that you will get here,” adds Priyanka Gupta, director. Establish some ground rules for French wine and get started.