TRUFFLE DOGS?

For me, a life time dog lover, the most memorable moment on this trip was a visit to Domaile de Bramarel in Grignan, where we watched two darling Labrador Retrievers hunt for truffles. It was fascinating, it was magic. These babies belong to the Working Dogs category and boy, do they work. I was told some years ago that pigs used to be tasked until they start eating instead of retrieving their treasures from a good 10"+ under the surface. This family has been in the truffles business for 3 generations and have graduated many Labs on the job. On the word go they named a few top eateries in Hong Kong who are routine customers.

The Lab puppies normally join the farm about 9-weeks old, chaperoned by an older Lab, in this case Big Brother is 7-years old who will soon retire. Apparently they shaved truffles on their food to introduce them to the scent. Imagine the dogs waiting by their bowls for truffles to be shaved on dog chow? It is no different from what some of you would do (I certainly would not) at pricey Italian eats in Central during White Truffles season ... except you pay an arm and a leg for them. I was mesmerized to see these babies strolling through the woods, perfectly calm with tails wagging one minute, and all a sudden they stood still and started to dig. Bingo .. 2 lollipop size black truffles. A skeptic among us asked ' ... were these planted this morning before we arrived? .. ' If I were the animals I would give him a good bite on the shin, what an insulting thing to even suggest. BTW the 3 puppy pictures were mounted on the kitchen wall of the estate, along with medals, certificates, and paraphernalia from this unique, less than transparent, almost secretive and obviously still growing and extremely profitable industry that dates back to medieval times. Incredulous!  

MANOIR DE LA ROSERAIE

After a good 2-hours touring Chateau Grignan we were rewarded by lunch at the Manoir de la Roseraie, the most sought after hotel a stone throw away from the Chateau, at the bottom of the hill. The setting is an original 19th century house on a huge property. The gourmet restaurant is in the middle of the garden, surrounded by handsome tall trees. I believe the name is La Rotunda because of its shape. Our first response to the fixed luncheon menu was 'run of the mill' but we could not be more wrong. The dishes may be common place but the quality of ingredients and the cooking were first class. The 'LIKE' vote around the table went to the 'Foie Gras in Consomme' which blew us away. It was a totally out of this world dish .. no crispy skin, no juicy inside, no jam puree or chutney, no toasts and of course no excess goose fat .. just the simple and natural taste of fine goose liver in the tastiest consomme only the best skilled chefs can produce. Delish!

If for any reason you are in the Grignan neighborhood make sure you visit the Chateau and to make that experience whole, dine here, you will not regret or forget.

MONOIR DE LA ROSERAIE
www.manoirdelaroseraie.fr      

CHATEAU GRIGNAN

We were taken to mini-adventure tours of the surrounding area wherever the Napoleon is berthed. The beauty is we were steered clear of the touristy spots and Chateau Grignan is one such gem. "Made famous by Marchioness of Sevigne's correspondence" ... which encompasses minute details of what life was like from the Renaissance. It was one of the high points of our onshore adventure. Located between the town Montelima and Nyons off the Rhone it is the largest Renaissance palace in South Eastern France. "With its majestic silhouette towering above the villages it offers a panoramic view of the Drome Provencale ..." as shown. We were treated to an extremely well curated collection of paintings, fine furniture, fabrics, antiques and it was a dizzying visit. BTW that wind on the terrace was biting cold. It must be claustrophobic and miserable to be 'imprisoned' at the top of the hill during those cold and merciless winters. No, thank you, I rather be a peasant.        

VALRHONA

I do not have a sweet tooth and do not usually get excited with chocolates as some do. I do, however, know the Valrhona name as one of the leading brands in that space. It was therefore a joy to visit the Head Office of this famous chocolatier. Located on a small section of an unassuming street off the town center of Hermitage, one just does not feel its corporate identity. One has to look quite hard, in fact, for the logo which is rather strange given its global brand image. What dominated the neighborhood is in fact the retail shop next to the HQ, a booming traffic of tourists with bags after bags of sweet-nothings dangling from their hands. I certainly have never seen a shop this size that only sells chocolates and paraphernalia ... what an eye opener. At the back of a multi-lingual cashier queue it took me a good 10 minutes to pay. These are marketing folks and they play the consumer psychology game well. In addition to freebies of trinkets at the counter there is a tasting tray in front of almost every item on sale, which reminds me of the food outlets at the basement of Tokyo department stores where one can make a meal out of free trials. All you can eat chocolates? No thanks.

BTW the picture on the right is the world renowned Valrhona Chocolate School which, needless to say, is state-of-the-art and extremely difficult to get in. See how small the logo is?            

HERMITAGE

As we sailed down (or up) the Rhone the Napoleon berthed at an idyllic spot between the townships of Hermitage and Tournon. Built in 1849 the bridge connecting the two towns is the 'oldest existing' suspension bridge in the world, we were told. Let us not worry about the definition of oldest vs existing but instead marvel at what the Hermitage name has achieved. This regional grape has built such a pedigree and following that unless a wine is made from grapes picked from within the 130 hectare it cannot carry the Heritage label. Like champagne this is how tightly the French manages via the famous AOC - Appellation d'Origine Controllee - or Controlled Designation of Origin. We know China wants to be in this market, perhaps this is where she needs to start instead of producing fake Lafits!

Since we are in the neighborhood we visited Ferraton and Paul Jaboulet Aine (PJA) owner of the award winning La Chapelle and were impressed by the low key, no nonsense presentations of their product lines.

Wines or rather wine drinking has become a trendy hype these days, another instrument in the one-upsmanship game that city folks love to play. Picture this around a dinner table when wines are served ... deliberate sniffing and the obligatory 'great nose' comment, twirling of Riedels to watch the wines set, holding the glasses against the light to test for 'color' and, of course, moving the wines around the mouth like Listerine before bed ... all fanfare and table side drama but the real question is, how many of these self proclaimed wine aficionados really know what they are talking about?            

CHEF ROBERT FROM BUDAPEST

A main reason for my wanting to join this 1-week escapade is the unique opportunity to stand next to our One-Man-Chef and see how he operates. Chef Robert, who hails from Budapest, has been around the circuit a few times and is ready for a 'quiet life' away from the hustle and hassle of a busy urban restaurant. He gets what he wants on the Napoleon alright .. designing the menus, shopping at each port of call, prepping, cooking, catering to individual diet preferences, cleaning, dish washing after meals, and lastly answering questions from a wannabe like me. I do not think this is his version of a 'quiet life'.

As always I have but the utmost admiration for those who make a career out of cooking and Chef Robert is one more name I add to that Hall of Fame. It is truly a heroic act to be able to prepare 21 meals for a group over 7-days, take a few days off, and then repeat the process with a new group from different countries, different cultures. different tastes and not to mention different idiosyncrasies and attitudes.

Hats off to you, Chef Robert ... thank you for teaching me, in-vitro, the hardships of a One-Chef-Kitchen and sharing your recipes and presentation which I value, fondly.  

"NAPOLEON"

This is "Napoleon" our home for the past 6-days. She was launched 24 years ago in May 1991 but does not look her age at all. There are 6 rooms for 12 passengers, plus a crew of 5 including John the Scottish Skipper, his jack-of-all-trades French Assistant Julian, 2 Service Staff Kate from England & Susanna from Slovakia who rotate between F&B and Room Service, both immaculate, the Sommelier Poppy who is English but born and raised in France whose French is melodic, who doubles up as our very able Tour Director and lastly, my trusted new friend in the kitchen Chef Robert from Budapest with a sterling record across Europe but who wants a change of pace from hectic service in a busy restaurant to peace-and-quiet on the Napoleon where he is the proverbial one-man-band.

The living and dining areas, as shown, are ample. The room is a bit tight, as expected in a river barge, but the bathroom and shower are comfortable. Our group has known each other for donkey years, we have traveled together many times but to be able to sit around the same table 3 meals a day, plus time together on tours, for quiet reading and WiFi moments in the salon for a whole week can still be a challenge.

So far, no incidents and no casualties after 9 days including 3 in Paris ... all smiles, still, wonderful!    

TGV ... PARIS TO LYON

Our trip starts with a ride on the famed TGV, First Class, from Paris To Lyon where we board our Barge, the Napoleon, under the Belmond flag. We love trains and recent development worldwide in this mode of transport, especially in China, has created conversation and hype. We harbor visions of uniformed multi-lingual porters, luxurious reclining seats, white table cloth service, welcome champagne, drinks along the way and even though it is a 2-hour journey that does not warrant a meal, we thought a few choice canapes is the least they can do. Is there be a dining car, by the way?

Well, are you ready for this?  We had none of the above. The 2 First Class cars were way at the front which meant we had to walk all the way with our carry-on, grateful someone drove our luggage. 11 of us took over the eerily empty upper section. We had to show our tickets to a glum conductor-look-alike and that was that, we did not see anyone else after that. Aside from taking us there at warp speed TGV offered nothing, absolutely nothing else. Shocking! There were no greeting, no 'Hello Welcome Aboard', no food and drinks of course, not even a bottle of water. It was incredulous, almost surreal. Spending extra money on First Class seats must made us look so stupid. One thing is clear, so much for French hospitality.

Next time you travel on TGV, think carefully before you commit,  

MA COCOTTE

Tired of antique shopping or feeling stressed from shop to shop? Despair you should not, take a 'Roast Chicken Break' at this magical spot, merely a 5-minute walk from the antique maze further down Rue des Rosier.

This eatery is haven for French comfort foods, a spot as famous as the antique market itself, we are told. It is popular for family gatherings with kids galore. I did my cursory sniff-test-walk around the restaurant and was immediately convinced that chicken is the centerpiece. Go ahead and order a whole bird, share it, and make sure you eat with your hands as they are beyond finger licking good. Crispy skin, juicy and moist inside, well seasoned carcass, buttery smooth mashed potatoes, roast skin-on garlic cloves that ooze and last but certainly not least, small cups of pan juices with fragrant chicken fats still floating at the top ... it was a meal that can please even the Gods.

If you need a breather from the hardships of shopping, drop by Ma Cocotte, you must.

MA COCOTTE
www.macocotte-lespuces.fr
106 rue des Rosiers
93400 Saint-Ouen
Paris
(33) 1 49 51 7000      

PARIS FLEA MARKET

Visiting the antique and flea markets are de rigureur in Paris. We walk and we window shop until we drop but we almost never bought, until this time. Incredibly not only were we able to find something we both really liked, we even bought them at very reasonable prices. The goblet on the right is Dora's pick, an Art Deco piece from the 1930's for post dinner sweet wines. Aside from the intricate cravings on the crystal, the stem is handmade. I picked an Art Nouveau Baccarat champagne glass from around the late 1880's ... with simple lines and a classy gold trim that retains its full glory, without even a single chip. Perfect!

As for prices .. I am not the type who parts with my $ on these things easily. All I am prepared to say is in the context of value, nostalgia, style and usage they are worth every Euro.

DO NOT GO HERE ...

I do not think I have ever 'discouraged' a reader on this blog to try a restaurant. This one is my first. It is not like it was BAD in block capital, it was just an unpleasant experience. This is how the story goes.

A member of our group wanted to sample Vietnamese food in Paris, a not often correct notion that the French knows something about Vietnamese food from colonizing the latter. Not quite, I have yet to find a real Viet-joint in Paris, after quite a few tries. We consulted the Concierge and was given this name 'Tan Dinh' ... 'one of the city's favorites' ... he claimed. Located at the end of a quiet street, a stone throw from an Indian curry house, it was not easy to find. There is no doubt Tan Dinh has seen better days, judging from the dusty awards decorating the stairway. After 5 days of French bistro fare we were dying for a noodle. The following was what transpired with the grumpy looking and not particularly well attired Manager.

"Do you have Vietnamese Pho like soup noodles ?"
"Where do you come from?"
"Hong Kong."
"I see, Hong Kong only serves low end Vietnamese food, hence you asked for noodles."
"We are a top end restaurant in Paris, we do not serve noodles here."

That ruined our appetite instantly but we were too tired to go elsewhere, and we did not dare to argue in fear we might be served something bad from the kitchen. Well, it was a quick fix. The dishes had little to do with Vietnamese cooking, adulterated low end pseudo-Cantonese with cheap ingredients was more appropriate. There really was not a single true blue Vietnamese item (except a rice roll look alike) but we soldiered on. We were hungry so we inhaled what was in front of us and left.

One last exchange for the record ... "Do you carry Vietnamese beer?" "Yes, Tsing Tao."  Hello? I rest my case and no, I did not ask for a card. You absolutely do not want to be there, trust me.

         

LES PAPILLES

This classic Bistroy Parisien came highly recommended and while it was not an eye opener by any means it deserves at least a place in the 'worth trying' category. Tucked away on Rue Gay Lussac it offers very homely comfort food via a house menu. The Manager .. he might even be the Owner .. Betrand Bluy is extremely hard working as we always seem to speak on the phone around 8am Paris time. He will be right there. One must book ahead and if are a smaller party on a weekend you have to pick either the 1st or 2nd seating. A party of 11 we were given the rustic basement private room, surrounded by wall to wall wine cabinets. One slight problem, the washrooms are also downstairs so we pretty much met every diner that evening ... 'pardon' 'pardon' 'pardon' ... infinitum!

Our starter was several generous plates of cured meats and 'rillettes de porc' accompanied by wonderful home made hard crust breads. The rillettes could only be made with either duck or pork fat as butter can never yield that unique flavor. We devoured this first course with gusto, probably too quickly. The main, as shown, is a city version of a classic Cassaulet. Like Wanton Noodles in Hong Kong or Chicken Rice in Singapore, there must be so many favorites and so many recipes across the country. I believe this one everyone can make at home though ; pork belly, smoky Pancetta, sausages (no duck leg confit here which to me is essential) over a bed of white beans slow cooked in onion, carrots, garlic, fresh and dried herbs and voila! I indulged in two servings and passed on dessert.

By the way Bertrand carries a wide selection of regional new wines which he is obviously proud. We asked for a classic Bordeaux red and was suitably convinced that 'that is not what you want' ... he recommended a couple of his labels to us instead, both drinkable but whose names I could not remember. Incidentally cost per head was almost the same as FLO about E80 and considering what our group ordered for dinner at FLO dinner at Les Papilles was not exactly inexpensive.

LES PAPILLES            
30 rue Gay Kussac
25005 Paris
(33) 1 43 25 20 79

www.lespapillesparis.fr

DP CELLAR

The Dom Perignon cellar is at the basement of Moet Chandon's HQ and it is a complete maze of countless number of tunnels after tunnels that never seem to end.

To start with the entrance looks more like an art decor museum than a wine cellar. Once you are inside one is immediately mesmerized by the surreal lighting, as shown. Then comes the sheer immensity of the champagne, all resting under cryptic labels, literally thousands and thousands of them, immaculately stacked. Imagine ... if your job is to stack 6000-8000 of these (as shown in one of the small cellars) what would you be thinking when you are at it? This is not about tossing them on top of each other either but the regimen of where and when each bottle should be, so they will not be confused. Just a quick walk around the space that is opened to the public, which must be an insignificant percentage of the inventory, took over an hour. Ming-boggling!        

MOET LUNCH

We were truly blessed, courtesy of a friend in the group who is in touch with the PR machine of Moet in the U.S.  Our party of 11 was invited to a private lunch, at the 'chateau' across the street from Moet's HQ, which occupies an entire street in Eperny. Aside from the white table cloth and black glove service, we were treated to a special meal where the champagnes rank a few notches above the food. Take a look at the menu .. the libation is strategically positioned above the dishes, in bold print so there is no mistake where priorities lie.  

First course : tian of finely chopped baby shrimp and papaya, seasoned with Yuzu, topped with a generous spread of caviar ... with a 1998 P2. Second course : poached sea bass in a beautifully done oyster and cream veloute, smooth as silk but intensely flavored by raw Gilladeau, on the side was a buttered quinoa with a Parmesan crisp ... with a 1996 P2. Next on the menu was a local ash laden goat cheese and for dessert a chocolate sorbet 'with a difference' ... a Dom Perignon Rose 2004 the renowned pink champagne.

The service was excellent and impeccable, in the family dining room where the owners used to entertain. The feel of old world charm and style was deafening. The Executive Chef, hailed recently from the Peninsula in Shanghai, was extremely friendly and ended our very gratifying lunch with an extra layer of warm hospitality. Incidentally it did not cost us a cent, it was all top end PR, super goodwill, and it was 'big face' awarded to our friend.

We will not forget this one-in-a-life time experience antime soon .. Merci Beaucoup Moet!    

SOMMELIER EXTRAORDINAIRE

Here we are on the Holy-Land .. next to the church and cloister where Dom Perignon spent most of his time.

We also posed with Terry, Monsieur Sommelier Extraordinaire on site at DP, who has a dictionary mind on all vintages, statistics and war stories. We learned about P1 ie masceration were 10 years P2 12-15 years and P3 north of 15 years. All Greek to a peasant like me but man, do they taste different. I am sure it has something to do with the fact that we were breathing and absorbing the Champagne air, against the back drop of a blue sky that is simply impossible to beat, and lastly, it was the group's first outing of our 14 days adventure together.

DOM PERIGNON

Imagine a Monk, back in medieval times, who lived a long life even by today's standards, and who created a libation that has become the pedigree that is synonymous to the category .. champagne. The humble Monk is none other than Dom Perignon, the spiritual father of DP, who hailed from Le Commune Hautvillers in the Champagne region. 1628-1715 means 87 years of existence, the majority were spent on creating this unique blending of the grapes, rather than the wines as most others do.

Moet & Chandon, a key member of the LVMH empire and the parent of DP, made the historical decision of creating a super premium brand in the champagne world in 1936, named it after the illustrious Monk and the rest is history.

Our group was extremely privileged to be invited to a private tour of the origin estate, the 'Holy-Land' so to speak where the famed Monk tread, and to top that, a private lunch hosted by Moet on the grounds of their headquarters in the village of Epernay where the 25K population is almost entirely dedicated to the champagne trade. The pictures show our pre-tour welcome toasts, with Epernay in the background, and a statue of the genius, the guru and the wine master who dedicated most of hie life some 300-400 years ago to the industry. It does redefine vintage and pedigree, doesn't it?      

BRASSERIE FLO

Tucked away on a quiet street with an arched gateway, FLO is one of the oldest bistros that dated back to the late 19th century when the area was a junction for shipments of beers, in barrels, to arrive from the Alsace region. It is within walking distance from Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est. The Founder was an Alsatian Monsieur Floederer, hence the honest to goodness Alsacienne cuisine, under the name FLO.

It is my 3rd pilgrimage and ambiance, without question, continues to be their trump card. The place is mobbed with one seating after another and its old world glory adds an extra layer of flavor to what they serve. There is a heavy dose of 'comfort food' on the menu .. rustic, homely, substantive, classic, simple, reasonable are all relevant vocabulary to describe FLO. To me the highlight of the evening was the poached crab .. Tourteau .. served cold as a key contributor to the Fruits de Mer.  I was happily working on the crabs and lost sight of 3 beautifully cooked fish courses on the table ie Monk Fish, Turbot and Sea Bass ... whoever cooked those deserved a medal.

The only negative was the service. While the young men and women were all smiles and extremely patient with our non-existent French there were just not enough of them to manage the mass humanity we sat with for 3+ hours. A few at our party surrendered before dessert when service lost momentum and the restaurant became way too hot, even thought it was 10C outside.

All in, if you have not been to FLO you must, it is a tick you need on your 'where-to' dining list.

BRASSERIE FLO
www.brasserie-flo.paris.com
7 Cour des Petites Ecuries
75010 Paris
(33) 01 47 70 1359  

PARIS .. WHERE IS THE ROMANCE?

Paris, the style and romance capital of the world, seems to be losing her edge. Without question she still leads us, by a wide margin, in the style department but for romance, the jury is still out. One may argue this is a factor of me getting older, and romance is no longer the same animal I used to nurture which I am in full agreement. That said, I have witnessed things on this trip that led to such a conclusion. I like to share them with you.

* how can it be romantic when streets are jammed by parading tourists with shopping bags
* how can it be romantic when sidewalk cafe seats are always sticky from spilled beers and cokes
* how can it be romantic when you can smell the sweaty T-shirt of the diner at the next table
* how can it be romantic when spoils from St Honore stare at you at a bistro while you eat
* how can it be romantic when Mona Lisa has to compete with vulgar selfies
* how can it be romantic when your taxi driver 'textes' while he is on the highway
* how can it be romantic when one has to navigate tour groups on a quiet walk along the Seine

The City decided to remove all the locks on her famed bridges that are supposed to 'lock up romance and throw away the keys' ... an environmentally correct action, may be, but a notion that Paris is prepared to give up a part of her tradition. It is sad.

As an aside, we are told our Strong Nation compatriots are no longer hyped by Louis Vitton. The proverbial LV bag, once the quaint-essential status symbol, is no longer. Consequently the line in front of the flagship on Champs-Elysees has become shorter, one may even walk straight in.

Alleluia!            

FRUITS DE MER

If I remember correctly I had my first 'Plateau de Fruits de Mer' ie a plate of cooked and raw seafood served cold on a bed of crushed ice in 1979. I was en-route to Switzerland, invited by the WHO to present a paper on 'Delivering Home Healthcare in High Rise Residential Buildings' .. what? I was 30, an eager 'Do-Gooder' who desperately wanted to serve the community, and to prove to my parents their investing in my Tufts and Yale tuition were worth every penny they saved.

And then I splurged on a plateau that WOW me to this date, 36 years hence. Why? It is the 'taste of the sea'. You can have raw seafood anywhere in the world but for some reason these babies taste very different in France and I can only attribute it to the sea water. A normal plateau should consist of : lobster, crab, langoustine, a variety of oysters in season, clams, mussels, whelks, prawns, baby shrimps .. to be served with black pepper mignonette, a spicy cocktail sauce or Dijon mustard cream. Most would order a light white but to me, beer is the only way to go, with a few pieces of crusty bread. After admiring the architecture of how the plateau is built, drooling, my plan of attack is to always go after the largest oyster and start my feast by sipping the heavenly flavor of that sea water. To me this is how life should begin.

We were treated by a local friend who suggested a seafood franchise on the Champs-Elysees. Hello? Hungry but slightly disappointed we showed up, and was greeted by this on the table. Well, can we be more wrong! All I can tell you is, what better way to start our France sojourn. That first impression of WOW did not go away, after all these years and many plateaus later since 1979. By the way the specialty of this restaurant is in fact the regional cuisine from Alsace, which we also ordered and they were decent too.          

L'ALSACE
www.restaurantalsace.com
39 av des Champs-Elysees
Paris 8
33-1-53 93 9700

A380

This is our second ride in this beautiful flying fortress. The first time was downstairs in Y-class with the family on SQ to Maldives for a diving holiday, and this time it is the luxury version upstairs on C-class and it was delightful. What amazes us is though huge, she is so quietly efficient and nimble it must be heavens for pilots at the controls. I sat back at a relaxed incline, closed my eyes and began to feel the air maneuvers (I can still faintly recall my flying days) and the closest description .. it is like watching a Sumo wrestler do ballet in the sky.

"Staircase" .. the A380's signature in the middle of the aircraft.  

DELIVERANCE!

To many in your 60s "Deliverance" is our collective memory of that 1972 epic movie of 4 close city dweller friends' hair raising story of adventure in the wilderness and, of course, that everlasting classic theme song "The Dueling Banjos" that takes one's breath away every time it is played. Are you aware that in 2008, the movie was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being 'culturally, historically and aesthetically significant'?

Speaking of 2008 I happened to be in Beijing for National Day that October when I decided that my hard earned career in the headhunting business just lost its appeal, I was 59 and I threw in the towel lock, stock and barrel as the saying goes. I was a happy man and 7 years have lapsed since.

Yes, I may have done things that catered to my ambition and greed like culinary schooling, wanderlust with best pals, insatiable desire to taste and experiment with food .. ad nauseum but at bottom I feel something is amiss. I may give the impression of being free and easy but I do not like the way I am. Inadequacies across too many fronts are emerging such as attitude, health, ruminations, anxiety, procrastination just to name a few and it is time to act, and to make them right again.

"Deliverance" for me, starting October 2015, means "Liberation" .... I want to free myself from the shackles of life. I need to redefine what I want, rather than how I cope with what everybody around me wants. I must start by being truthful to my family and my friends but above all, to myself. Yes, there is still time, but I must act quickly to maximize what is left of my sojourn in this life.

So, here I am and, here I come.