Le Bistro du Parc ~ Bloggers Table

An invitation to a newly opened French bistro style restaurant in Delhi, treading cautiously I said yes to give the evening a fair chance after non satisfactory experiences with french food in Delhi. To be honest, after my visit to France earlier this year, I was looking for a fix of some nice french food(not just desserts from school). Attending Chef at Large Delhi Bloggers Table at Le Bistro Du Parc, New Delhi.

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Le Bistro Du Parc is the newest french restaurant in town. Conceptualized by Naina de Bois Juzan(of French and Punjabi origins) and established in partnership with Olive. It embraces the casual and comfortable philosophy of ‘Bistronomy’. Its location is quite central at Moolchand market, facing the park. It has the traditional French Blue and White decor with accents of Yellows and Oranges.
It does have a bistro feel with Naina out in the front help everyone with what to order, managing things and making everyone comfortable. The bistro has 25 covers with a somewhat open kitchen.They are awaiting their liquor license before serving more covers on the first floor. 

Chef Stéphane Mathonneau, has been trained in traditional and modern French cuisine.  He has worked in hotels and restaurants in London, Switzerland, Sussex, Brighton, Kent, Savoy, Paris, Corsica, Chef Mathonneau has worked in several avatars. He has worked at Corrigan’s Mayfair and Gordon Ramsay’s The Maze, at La Trouvaille (now l’Antidote), Rothschild Group’s L’Auberge de la Cote 2000 and several other restaurants in Paris and London. With a chef like this, I'm looking forward to a very very french meal.

The salad course served was pleasing. The salads were fresh and the ingredients were doing exactly what the chef would have wanted them to do... Appetize and Tantalize....

Salade Céladon Celadon salad is a green salad of fruits and vegetables. The salad had Grape, Pistachio, Green Apple, Zucchini, Cucumber and Green peas with a dressing of Green pea purée and mint oil. Céladon is very French, céladon is from the character named Céladon, who wore pale green ribbons, in the novel "Astree" by Honoré d'Urfé.
Salade Midinette Midinette salad has warm grilled chicken on a julienne of green apple and celery, pomegranate and light parsley mayonnaise. In French, a midinette is female salesperson, a shopgirl, especially in Paris; a vacuous but fashionable young woman.The celery and green apple combination in juliennes gave just the right crunch, bite and flavour. Vegetables cut this way are sometimes said to be “frenched,” and the cut is also known as a matchstick cut, since the vegetables may be cut short so that they strongly resemble matchsticks.
Parfait de Foie de Volaille Chicken liver parfait was served with a balsamic reduction and confit onions. Liver parfait should be rich, silky and meltingly delicious, but somehow this parfait didn't quite measure up for me. It's not really anyone's fault, after having had the meat fruit, a chicken liver mousse made to look like a textured mandarin orange at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, I wasn't able to enjoy the parfait here.
Fricassee de Calamars Pan fried calamaris were served with garlic, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, black olives, red chilly coulis. Fricassee is an old term, dating back to at least the 15th century. It is a French word, theorized to be a compound of the French frire (to fry) and casser or quasser (to break in pieces).

For our main course we had Agneau Grillé, Legumes Verts Grilled lamb leg, green vegetables like
Green peas, snow peas, potatoes, with a mint, coriander and mango chutney.
Volaille Fermiere, Courgettes Roties, Tapenade The marinated chicken, roasted zucchini, olive tapenade was average i would say. Nothing wrong with the lamb or chicken but neither spectacular.
Rouget Poele, Legumes du Soleil, Nuage de Citron Pan fried red snapper, ratatouille vegetables, lemon foam. The fish was cooked just right and the lemon foam complimented all the flavours very well on the plate.
Choux Fleur Comme un Risotto Cauliflower magic risotto Grated cauliflower, cream of cauliflower, green peas and vegetables. No rice!!! This was the one dish that was most disappointing after such a lovely sales pitch. All I could taste was peas, peas and more peas, wish i could find more of the cauliflower to actually taste the risotto in question.

Cote de Boeuf a Partager, Tomates a la Provencale, Frites Maison, Sauce aux Morilles Rib of beef for two, roasted tomatoes, home made french fries and morel sauce was a dish which we discussed and debated a lot on the table. It's a main dish suggested for 2 people. The steak was done on the bone and bought to our table, following which Chef Stéphane sliced it up into smaller portions making it easier for us to enjoy.  The meat was very nice, a little too raw for us at first which was immediately fixed by the Chef. It was succulent, juicy and a great combination with the morel sauce.
The fries... We are all adults, we all know what fried potatoes do to our waistlines..... We ate every single one of what was on the plate, (despite having eaten so much in the earlier courses) is testimony for the fries. All of us clearly enjoyed the morel sauce enough to have asked for more.

Mousse au Chocolat Chocolate mousse, strawberry coulis and pomegranate was rich, creamy and luscious, complimented very well by the fruit coulis.
Charlotte a la framboise Raspberry Charlotte has the textures executed very well.
Paris Brest a la pistache Pistachio Paris Brest, choux pastry, filled with pistachio home made cream was interesting to see in Delhi but missing some of the bite, for me. This I feel was a function was the very very humid weather in Delhi right now. Any choux pastry product served would not be at it's best.
Tarte aux Prunes et aux Amandes The plum and almond tart was a balance of the tart and sweet, flavours doing the tango in my mouth.
Tarte au Citron Meringuee The lemon tart with meringue was tangy, sweet, creamy and citron heaven. From now on, whenever I don't feel like going into the kitchen yet feel like having lemon tart, this will be the first place I shall turn too.
A little something on lemon tarts and their history with me.... Lemon tart was and is one of my favorite desserts since childhood. On the foodline of Delhi, ever since Nirula's opened.... As kids were were allowed to take home only 1 dessert from the pastry shop... My brother always chose the chocolate tart and I always chose the lemon tart. It had the short crust party shell and lemon curd filling swirled (now I 'm little wiser to know, with the star tip icing nozzle) and no meringue. I made lemon tarts for many people in many variations but the best one hit me in school at Le Cordon Bleu in my basic term as my exam dish.  It was just delicious, I couldn't stop eating it despite knowing how much butter and sugar went into it.... all the calories in the world couldn't keep me from that tart at school.

I just have to go back to the bistro and try the Poire Belle Helene (Poached Pears In Vanilla Syrup Served With Almond Biscuits And Dark Chocolate Sauce), Tarte Landaise (Apple Baked With Brandy, Butter And Sugar, Wrapped In Filo Pastry And Served With A Brandy Sauce) and Crème Brulee A L’anis (Classic Crème Brulee Infused With Star Anis)

Le Bistro Du Parc for me feels a lot more authentic in it's ambiance, food and culture over the other french restaurants in town, definitely going back for the salads and desserts. The others at the table that night were  Sid of Chef at Large, Charis of Culinary Storm, Sushmita of My Unfinished Life.
Thank you for being such a great hosts Naina and Anjali.

Varq, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi ~ Blogger’s Table

It's such a pleasure to meet up with old friends. It was smiles, greetings and cheers all the way... not to mention all the Royal leg-pulling. Back in town and attending Chef at Large Delhi Bloggers Table at Varq, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi.
Varq is  No. 30 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. It's Chef Hemant Oberoi's baby with Chef Manoj Goel behind the stove. Chef Oberoi reinvented Indian street foods to it's modern day contemporary expression. This expression is further enhanced by the ambiance and beautiful art work by Indian artist Anjolie Ela Menon.
Varq is any foil composed of a pure metal, typically silver, used for garnishing sweets in South Asian cuisine. It's about elegance, splendor, extravagance, affluence, all of which reflects in our experience at Varq, Taj Mahal, New Delhi. 

The elegant Chaat style amuse-bouche with flavours of  ginger, mango, chaat masala and lemon set the bar of expectations high.

Yes, this table has artillery in the form of cameras. We were served interesting coolers like Chai Martini's, Pineapple Basil and Orange Tamarind. The pairing that I was looking forward to was the Hibiscus tea.

The menu set by the Chefs had both vegetarian and non vegetarian options, and you would obviously know what I would choose..... gladly the non-vegetarian. The first course was Varqui Crab (Layers of crabmeat, tandoori shrimp on crisp filo sheets. The flavours came together well and the different textures were an added dimension. The vegetarians got Varqui  Khumb (Layers of spiced mushrooms, morel on crisp filo sheets) which people on the table found interesting.

Haleem Aur Kaabab (Hyderabadi delicacy served with lamb and chicken ganderi) The chicken kabab was wrapped on a Ganderi(sugarcane stick). It took me back to childhood when we sat with a pile of these in our backyard, chewing on them between games of Hide-n-Seek. The raw mango chutney in the shot glass was absolutely fantastic. The kebabs were soft like silk and tasted wonderful. The haleem was finger licking delicious. We had a small discussion with the chef about Hyderabad haleem and Awadhi haleem. I was a tad bit disspointed by the sheermal roti which was unappetizing. Instead of being soft and smooth, it was a bit chewy to me.
The vegetarians got Palak Patta Chaat (Layers of crispy spinach leaves with spinach chaat). Tasted some from Deepali's plate. It was crispy and nice. Everyone who had it was impressed.

The soup course had  Lobster Rassa (Cochin prawns, black pepper and fennel rusk, robust lobster broth). The plates arrived with the seafood(prawns, scallops, and crisp squid) and bread. The lobster broth was served on the table. Spices of the south, especially the black pepper made this dish a delight. The vegetarians were served Kale Channe Ki Cappuccino (cappuccino style flavored black chickpea broth) which all of us thought was innovative but somehow noone was raving about the taste.

The Gari Sorbet(ginger sorbet) palate cleanser offered a visual treat but wasn't a treat to my palate. The Sea Bass on Spiced Potato Dauphinoise (Pan seared chilean sea bass, layered potatoes, raw mango and coconut curry) had me going Mmmmmmmm with closed eyes.... The fish was done to perfection and the curry was fantastic. It will be this dish that I would go back for over and over again. The chicken option for this course was Kali Mirch Ka Murg (Corn fed chicken breast, relish, creamy black pepper curry) while the vegetarians enjoyed their Jaituni Malai Paneer (Stuffed paneer with green and black olive tapenade, roasted tomato sauce)

The table was excited about being served Martabaan Ka Meat(lamb cooked with pickled chilies). It's used for slow cooking. Slowcooking releases flavours like no other cooking method, it really works for me. However, this particular preparation wasn't able to make me feel the magic. It was served with sukhe aloo and palak-wadi. The side of Mozzarella and Tomato Kulcha was and interesting combination, done crisp just how i like my kulchas.
The Berry Pulao(Iranian) was very nice. The berries were authentic iranian berries and not indian substitutes which made the dish real. Was hoping to see a raita in this course. Would have been interesting to see a contemporary take on curd preperations. The vegetarians were served Martabaan Chole which got mixed reviews from the table.

The desserts.....
Innovation and hard work, both reflected in the Apple Kheer, Jalebi and Khaas Malpua. I'm not someone who enjoyes kheer but this one, it was lovely. All the elements came together very well, the chena at the base, the fruit, the level of sweet just right. Accompanied by the crisp and perfectly shaped jalebis and soft Malpua.
How can I stop at one.... Went wandering around to the famed dessert trolley at Varq. It had Gulab Jamun Creme Brulee and the Chocolate Dome.

As a special request off the regular menu, we were served with the Chocolate Dome. It's a Valrhona Chocolate dome, encasing a Chikki Kulfi, Flambé done on the table served with Bailey's Rabri. It was seriously great flavours and I'm going back for more. Am sure the look on my face would have been a very happy one as Nikunj also gave me a huge knowing grin. This one comes a full circle {all pun intended}

To be honest, I did find the menu a bit over priced {personal opinion}. However if you don't mind the price and want to have some contemporary Indian  food and be pampered, it's a place to visit. Sharing the signature tea was a thoughtful gesture.
Thank you Taj Mahal Hotel for hosting the table and Bhavna, Deepali and Nafisa for being such gracious hosts. Had lots of fun with you all, especially the Royal banter. Nikunj and the service team on our table were very attentive and prompt. Chef Hemant Oberoi's team led by Executive Chef Amit Chowdhury shared with us some of his kitchen secrets. It was a pleasure dining with you all.

This blogger table was also special as it's Ruchira's farewell {only in the physical form, online world is as wide open as it ever was} as she's moving to another country. We signed CAL plates for her, exchanged gifts and she even got us all hand written cards with a special note for all of us. That's how adorable and sweet she is. The rapid fire quiz was as innovative as her. 
The others at the table that night were  Sid of Chef at Large, Deeba of Passionate about Baking, Charis of Culinary Storm, Parul of The Shirazine, Sangeeta of  Healthfood Desi Videshi, Ruchira of The Great Cookaroo, Sushmita of My Unfinished Life, Rekha of My Tasty Curry, Mukta of Bake-a-Mania, Himanshu of The White Ramekins

Thank you so much for the warm welcome home.

Breaking Bread with Chef Saby of Olive Bar at Leonardo Olive Oil's Blogger Table

What do you do when you get invited to to meet Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, better known as Chef Saby and blogger friends from Chef at Large over a discussion about olive oil..... A happy monkey jig jig :) This meet was sponsored by Leonardo Olive Oil, hosted by Himani Dalmia and Chandana Paul at Olive Bar and Kitchens in Mehrauli.

Any place that I visit is judged not just on the FSA (Food, Service and Ambiance) but also on how the cloak room / washroom is done up aswell.... This was definitely going to be an afternoon well spent as the teaser to this campaign was lovely... naturally lit, aesthetically done up and importantly spic and span.

Chef Saby played to the gallery... His warm welcome and friendly banter while carrying on the serious business of cooking up a storm was endearing. He's among India’s top ten chefs and has recently been awarded Best Chef of India National Tourism Award, 2011-12 by President of India. WHoaaaa... Quite a celebrity he is... appears regularly on Page 3 too... for all the right reasons ;)

Not just talented, also a willing teacher, he runs an academy for young chefs. He comes from a family of artists, no wonder his food reflects his artistic side. Good news or Bad news.... He plans to retire next year to spend time with his lovely daughter and paint....

Rare captures.... Sid having fun with the camera, just that it's on the other side of the lens this time. About the food, we were served fish and asparagus done in a nitrogen batter.

Vaibhav, the Executive Sous Chef was frying up a frenzy with the Espuma technique, which is part of molecular gastronomy . It's basically done with a Nitrogen vial which is attached to a 'gun' that pumps the gas into the batter and makes it light fluffy and crisp in texture when fried. It was quite yummy n crispy fresh out of the pan.

Aastha, assisting Vaibhav and Saby through the afternoon and a really sweet host. She even gave us little prize hampers if we answered her quiz questions correctly. She's a crossover like me... studied at Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and then working with Saby to train as a chef at all of 22. Cheers for Girl Power.... Hip Hip Hurray :)

Blogger paprazzi.... where Food is the star.... We descended on the food like a species which Himani's never seen.... Yes, we are a different species... were the 'Foodus Bloggerus'.... noone eats till we are done clicking ;)

Lovely plating of anti plasti platters, mushroom pate and yummy starters. They were a treat to our eyes and tasted delicious too.

 We were joined by Mr Donato Pantaleo(from Leonardo oils Italy) and Mr VN Dalmia (president Dalmia International) for lunch. Yes, we had the gumption for a sit down lunch after being plied with all that yummy food throughout the afternoon. There was Black truffle porcini risotto (White Alba truffle paste, summer black truffle, truffle oil), Classic lasagna Bolognaise (Rustic hand ground tenderloin Bolognaise.) and a Mezze platter too. Each table had it's own mortar and pestle accompanied their unique handmade artisan skillet bread.

D-E-S-S-E-R-T-S......
Mouth Wateringly  delicious Apple and walnut crumble, Olive’s signature tiramisu, Praline mud cake

Chef Saby is truly special... at a mere cheeky mention of wanting to see his kitchen.... He walked us through and gave us demonstrations and let us into his pantry too... and YES... His BAKERY too... *Jumping up and down with GLEEEEEE....* 

Picture Credit - Sushmita of My Unfinished Life

The bunch of us had a lovely afternoon with Sid Khullar of Chef at Large, Sangeeta Khanna of Banaras ka Khana,Ruchira Hoon-Philip of Cookaroo, Charis Alfred Bhagianathan of  Culinary Storm, Sushmita Sarkar of My Unfinished Life, Deeba Rajpal of Passionate about Baking, Parul Pratap Shirazi of The Shirazine, Rekha Kakkar of My Tasty Curry. Ps: All the pictures you see of me are clicked by the lovely Rekha. Special hugs for you Rekha {{{}}}... Thanks :)

Ps: All these yummy goodies were cooked and drizzled with Leonardo Olive Oil.... 

Fun, Food, Friends at Food Bloggers Meet for 'Olive Oil in Mediterranean and Indian Cuisine'

August has been an eventful month with 'Celebrations' on my blog and 1st September was quite an eventful day being Daksayani's birthday and Delhi food bloggers and critics meeting for "Olive Oil in Mediterranean and Indian Cuisine", an event hosted by Borges Olive Oil at 19, Oriental Avenue, Shangri-La's Eros Hotel, New Delhi.

The event was attended by Sid of Chef at Large, Deeba of Passionate about Baking, Pamela of Eat and Dust, Anoothi of Indian Food and Travel Guide, Apeksha of Veggigewiz, Rahul Verma of Delhi Street Food and me. The other guest were food critics Marryam Reshii(of TOI n Upper Crust fame), Ritika Samaddar(Nutritionist), Darren Conole(Executive Chef of Shangri-la), and Rajneesh Bhasin(Borges MD ).

I missed the beginning of the session as I was at work and had to miss the serving of Bagna Cauda {also known as hot oil fondue} stirred together by Chef Darren Conole.

The Aioli put together by Darren and Sid was delicious.... have been trying to be a good girl and avoiding cheese but this was just yummy... couldn't stop at one..... The delectable garlicy flavour made it addictive.

Chef Darren showed us how to poach some Chilean sea bass fillets in a flavored olive oil [Warning: doing this in a home kitchen isn't the most cost-effective ;)] However it was the most delectable and flavorful when we had it for lunch served with Catalan vegetable stew..... who knew pumpkins can taste so good and I'd be gobbling down vegetables with equal delight as the fish. His easy flowing banter at the table has us in peals of laughter. He belongs to Melbourne and has spent time working in most South Asian Countries and knew their cuisines His little poppet just won't eat the veggies and lives on yogurt.... Would recommend Little-Food-Junction to everyone whose kids don't eat their veggies.... She's a delight.

The afternoon was spent in the open kitchen with Deeba, Anoothi and Sid rustling up yummies with Olive Oil.

Lunch began with a Panazella, a day old brown bread salad, followed by the Chilean Sea Bass. It's flavors were exquisite and what made it even more yummy was the lovely company. Dessert was scrumptious Olive Oil brownies served with icecream. Recipes are available here.

My experience with Olive Oil was limited to Pastas and Salads as of now[not for long though :) ]. Had made a fresh garden salad with Mangoes, Cucumber, Cheery Tomatoes, Olives and Lettuce. Dressed it with Olive Oil, Honey, Sea Salt, Parsley, Garlic and Pepper.

Since I missed the discussion session, I looked up stuff on the net and thought I'd share a few basics with my readers to clarify some of the jargon around Olive Oil.
Retail grades in IOOC member nations [Source:Wikipedia]
In countries that adhere to the standards of the IOOC the labels in stores show an oil's grade.

• Extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. Extra Virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries. It is used on salads, added at the table to soups and stews and for dipping.
• Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste.
• Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined and virgin production oil.
• Olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined production oil, of no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
• Olive pomace oil is refined pomace olive oil often blended with some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described simply as olive oil. It has a more neutral flavor than pure or virgin olive oil, making it unfashionable among connoisseurs; however, it has the same fat composition as regular olive oil, rendering it the same health benefits. It also has a high smoke point, and thus is widely used in restauraunts as well as home cooking in some countries.
• Lampante oil is olive oil not suitable as food; lampante comes from olive oil's long-standing use in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.
• Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods that do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%) and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. This is obtained by refining virgin olive oils with a high acidity level and/or organoleptic defects that are eliminated after refining. Over 50% of the oil produced in the Mediterranean area is of such poor quality that it must be refined to produce an edible product. Note that no solvents have been used to extract the oil, but it has been refined with the use of charcoal and other chemical and physical filters. An obsolete equivalent is "pure olive oil".

Label wordings

The following may be found in olive oil labels:

• "100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.
• "Made from refined olive oils" means that the taste and acidity were chemically controlled.
• "From hand-picked olives" implies that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen to increase yield.
• Cold pressed means "that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 80 degrees Fahrenheit) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation."
• First cold pressed means "that the fruit of the olive was crushed exactly one time-i.e., the first press. The cold refers to the temperature range of the fruit at the time it is crushed." In Calabria (Italy) the olives are collected in October. In regions like Tuscany or Liguria, the olives collected in November and ground often at night are too cold to be processed efficiently without heating. The paste is regularly heated above the environmental temperatures, which may be as low as 10-15 °C, to extract the oil efficiently with only physical means. Olives pressed in warm regions like Southern Italy or Northern Africa may be pressed at significantly higher temperatures although not heated. While it is important that the pressing temperatures be as low as possible (generally below 35 °C) there is no international reliable definition of "cold pressed".
  Furthermore, there is no "second" press of virgin oil, so the term "first press" means only that the oil was produced in a press vs. other possible methods.
• The label may indicate that the oil was bottled or packed in a stated country. This does not necessarily mean that the oil was produced there. The origin of the oil may sometimes be marked elsewhere on the label; it may be a mixture of oils from more than one country

What was particularly nice about the event was the frank conversation and knowledge sharing about olive Oil and other culinary delights. Looking forward to such events where learning and fun go hand in hand. Where else do you get a Chef who shares his recipes with joy and reads the quantities from a sheet to be absolutely precise :)

Didn't get to know when the afternoon went by chatting with Chef Darren and all the other guests. It was indeed lovely time spent with friends new and old.