CURRY SOJOURN

You must first of all forgive me for not quite finishing the blogs on our recent European trip to Paris, the Rhone and Amsterdam. There are quite a few outstanding but my days seem so laden with trivia day in and day out I just cannot find time to focus on what needs to be done, timely. Be that as it may, the next 10-days will have precedent over other entries as this is my Curry Sojourn, in New Delhi.

I promised myself I will have 10 different culinary experience under my belt between age 60-70 ... In-Shalla ... I covered 6 already, and India is the 7th. Starting with formal training at Le Cordon Bleu I have been most fortunate to have exposure to the rudiments of Thai, Contemporary, Turkish, Japanese and Spanish cuisine. None of these was 'cooking holidays' but rather intensive workouts on what I label Food Anthropology.

The time has come for curries and from Tokyo and Barcelona I became spoiled by the 1-on-1 formula and this is exactly what I shall get from Chef Usha Agarwal here in New Delhi so ... stay tuned!           

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