Table at Valhalla

Armagnac: This closely guarded French secret is a distilled grape brandy. Bresaola: Italian air-dried beef that8217;s moist, delicate and u...

Armagnac: This closely guarded French secret is a distilled grape brandy.

Bresaola: Italian air-dried beef that8217;s moist, delicate and utterly lean, with no discernible striations of fat. When sliced paper-thin, it is almost translucent. Sprinkle mushrooms, chopped parsley, and slivers of cheese, then drizzle some olive oil.

Champagne and Caviar: This is a tested match. Traditionally, caviar8217;s best with blinis Russian pancakes and sour cream.

Duck: This bird makes for an entire meal. The wings, air-dried, are a crispy appetiser. The meat is commonly stir-fried and eaten with pancakes or steamed rice; the chewy bones are great for soup.

Eel: The Greek poet Philetaerus wrote, 8216;Fear death. For when you8217;re dead, you cannot then eat eels8217;. While he may have been stretching the point, eel is a rich, flavourful fish, worthy of many culinary encomiums. The Japanese grill it unagi or have it raw on sushi. My personal favourite is a fantastic variation that I tasted in Bordeaux8212;braised river eels in red wine.

Foie Gras: Pronounced fwah grah, the literal translation from French is 8216;fat liver8217;. This is a delicacy of the enlarged liver from a goose or duck that has been fed and fattened over a period of four to five months. The liver is soaked overnight in milk or port, drained, marinated in a mixture of Armagnac, Port or Madeira and various seasonings and usually baked. See Y

Grappa: An aquavit, grappa is made of single grapes. Younger grappas are served cool in tall glasses, while the older ones are served warm in brandy balloons. Bottles of really fine grappa have handwritten labels.

Herve Cheese: This soft, brown French cheese has a characteristic creamy centre. Only the best can be labelled 8216;Ripened Unto The Heart8217;.

Ice Wine: A dessert wine, it was first created by accident in Canada with frozen grapes. It is served very chilled in oenologically-designed glasses, to bring out the optimum nose and palate of the wine.

Jotust: A Norwegian caramelised goat cheese, usually served for breakfast. Lean shavings with apricot jam8212;that8217;s the best way to savour it.

Story continues below this ad

Kir Royal: A classic blackcurrant luxury, blended with Creme de Cassis and champagne. If made with white wine, it8217;s just Kir. With a raspberry liqueur base, it8217;s Kir Imperial.

Lobster: Broiled and served with butter. Absolutely no spices.

Monk Fish with Morels: Not a pretty sight, one uses only the tail of this large-headed fish. Best braised or roasted, with tossed morels and lots of white wine.

Nalli Nihari: The thigh muscle, which is the best part of the buffalo, is cooked on a slow coal fire for hours, till it reaches melting point. It comes with a spicy, sharp gravy and bits of marrow and meat. Have it with khamiri roti.

Oysters: Fresh, ice cold, raw and lots of them. You can spike them with some Tabasco. Have with a glass of chilled champagne, and your lover.

Pigeon pateacute;: My signature twist for the bird has the pateacute; cloaked in a puff pastry, accompanied by a plum and pomegranate sauce. To continue on the alliterative bend, follow with profiteroles.

Story continues below this ad

Quail: This tiny bird has been adopted by various cuisines. The Muslims make a biryani; Europeans serve it grilled or roasted, over either a bed of rice or Romaine lettuce.

Rabbit: An interesting combination of white and dark meat, the flavours come out best when roasted. The Spanish also make a fabulous stew.

SHOPPING GUIDE

Gourmet Store, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai Imported cheeses like Philadelphia cream, blue, camembert; imported meats like prosciutto ham, parma, sausages and the like
INA Market, Delhi A range of good quality seafood including lobsters and oysters, imported meats and a variety of cheeses
La Patisserie, Taj Mahal Palace 038; Towers, Mumbai Though not available on the racks yet, on order they provide smoked salmon, a variety of cured meats like parma ham, pastrami, smoked ham, cheeses, Beluga caviar and more
Yamato-Ya, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi Japanese grocery that stocks everything from miso soup and seaweed to exotic seafood
Steakhouse, Jor Bagh market, New Delhi Well-known for its cheeses and honey-cured hams
Oberoi Charcuterie, Basant Lok, New Delhi Has some great meats and the best tenderloin in town. Also Norwegian salmon, cheesy sausages and the like
French Farms, Gurgaon. They rear pigs and turkeys, and only deliver
The Gourmet Shoppe, Oberoi Shopping Arcade, Mumbai Their delicatessen offers imported meats like cocktail sausages, hams, bacon, leg of lamb and a range of cheeses

Snails: Your average garden snails become a French delicacy8212;escargot8212;when cleaned and cooked right. Commonly steamed with garlic and herbs, they8217;re served with the shells firmly in place. Hold them with a tong and scoop out the meat.

Story continues below this ad

Truffles: Scraped off tree trunks, they8217;re kings of the mushroom family. White truffle sauce with fettuccini, served steaming hot8212;nothing8217;s better on a winter night.

Urquell: This Czech pilsner has a characteristic bitterness, absent in regular lager.

Venison: Roasted on a spit and served with wild berries. A traditional way to enjoy deer meat.

Whisky: Single malt8217;s the one to have, but some blends like UDV8217;s Blue Label are as classy. Have in a brandy glass without ice.

Story continues below this ad

XO Cognac: The very best cognac, at least six years old, is an XO.

Chateau D Yqem: The best sauterne wine. A great match for foie gras. See F

Zabaione: This is a rich Italian custard-like cream, made with eggs, sugar, vanilla and flavoured with marsala. Try it with fresh strawberries. >Rahul Akerkar owns Indigo restaurant in Mumbai