French Plate

Chef Michael Schauss,who is designing the menu of the soon-to-be-opened La Riviera in Gurgaon,has another logic. “French cuisine is a far cry from Indian food,so it’s taken a while for Indians to get used to the idea of French fare. In that sense,Italian food was much more acceptable to the Indian palate because of a commonality in ingredients,” he says.

But the frequent Indian traveller,mushrooming of lifestyle channels (and yes,the Internet) have put paid to many of these concerns. “I definitely think that travel,the Internet and television have educated people about French cuisine,that it’s not just heavy expensive food,but can be simple and easy on the pocket. Diners are becoming adventurous and are keen on trying new things,even more than we expected,” says Guiraud.

In Pune,this minor French revolution have been led by restaurants who balance their French offerings with other cuisines. Though a lot of the traditional French recipes have not made in to the menus,quite a few of the milder dishes,with toned down fat and meat ingredients,have steadily found much asking. A lot of the French popularity can be attributed to bakery products that now come easy on the tongue – croissants,and tens of it varieties and fillings,are the most recognisable French baked item. This is closely followed by quiches of myriad fillings and circumference. The French bakery/cafe,La Bouchee d’Or on Boat Club road offers French delicacies by the truckload,one of the most enticing ones being the spinach and goat cheese mini quiche.

Flambos on Bund Garden road,though conceived as largely a Latin-fusion restaurant,heartily offers some French classics like Roulade of Red Snapper Fish on Seaweed Rice; Steak Provence with grain mustard sauce; and dessert delights like Crepe with Seasonal Coulis and lemongrass and ginger Crème Brûlée.

Crepetaria in Koregaon Park is a spot to head to for a watered down,curry-soaked Indianised version of crepes. The chicken tikka crepes are an unapologetic play on two wildly different cuisines,but it works for some. For the authentic fare,however,there is The Flour Works in Kalyani Nagar. The loaded menu of the eatery marks some good space for the thick and creamy Prawn Bisque; flavourful Duck Confit; slender,juice-embellished Crepe Suzette; and some tangy Tarte au Citron.

But like any specialised cuisine,there are challenges of ingredient sourcing,the biggest one being the regulations on importing food items such as cheese. “The toughest rules are on the importing of cheese. Given that France has about 600 varieties of cheese,people here are really missing out on that bounty,” laments Guiraud.

(Pune inputs by Shruti Nambiar)