Be a part of the passion of French food
View(s):Chefs of Cafe Français and the Waters Edge share a
gourmet preview with Purnima Pilapitiya as they get ready to cook up a custom-made menu to celebrate an
international event, Gôut France or Good France
On the evening of Thursday March 19, diners in 150 countries will experience an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Be it in a cosy bistro, rustic brewery or haute couture restaurant, 1300 chefs from all over the world will unveil specially created menus for a six-course dinner celebrating one of the most influential cuisines that any chef must at some point of his/her training experience have encountered; the diverse, complicated and elegant French cuisine.
Fusion of flavours: A Cafe Francais creation
Titled Gôut France or Good France, the event is the initiative of French embassies in over 150 countries, celebrating one of France’s biggest contributions to the world; their art of cookery and dining. Inviting Sri Lankans to the experience are Cafe Français and the Waters Edge, each with a custom-created menu for the occasion.
When one thinks of food and fine dining, it cannot be separated from the French and their gastronomic influence. From the baguettes and croissants stacked up in any bakeryclassic dishes such as ratatouille and French onion soup and the cheese, wine and chocolate culture, France’s contribution to world cuisine is immense.
“If we look at the chefs participating in Good France, we are struck by their great diversity – all generations and styles of restaurant are represented. This, for me, is the true face of French cuisine today – a living, diverse cuisine that moves with the times,” explained Chef Alain Ducasse; who spearheaded the Gôut France Project.
Chef Jean Phillipont
French food is in fact, much more than the beautifully plated delicate dishes that lend an air of intimidation about them, in a sense. Jean Phillipont, executive chef of Cafe Français echoes the diversity of French cookery with his menu. “We are not fine dining,” he explains. “It’s Cafe Français . Simple food prepared with a lot of care and love.” One of Colombo’s newer restaurants, Cafe Français sits snugly down Park Street. On the side of the cobblestone road and complete with a patio decked with stools and tables, the cosy bistro has the picture postcard look of any French cafe.
The brainchild of Michelin star chefs Jacques & Laurent Pourcel and Olivier Château, the restaurant is one of their twenty establishments in addition to Bangkok, Tokyo and Casablanca, to name a few. For Jean, food in his beloved France extends beyond the plate and clink of cutlery. “From a very young age we are taught to love and enjoy food. It is an experience, and it’s about the special people you enjoy it with.”
Chef Buddhika Samarasekera
A requirement for all the chefs was to construct their menus around a six-course dinner complete with cold and hot starters, fish/ crustacean, meat/ poultry, cheese and finally dessert. Jean’s menu was specially created by the Pourcel brothers and hopes to excite the palate with the fusion of Mediterranean flavours and classic French flavour combinations. “There is a twist,” he says energetically. Playing with sweet and sour, the eyebrow- raising menu includes combinations of sea bass infused with fruit butter and roasted duck breast with bitter cocoa jus.
In keeping with traditional cookery, the menu, he says would not be complete without the French favourite; Foie Gras. For Jean; who was introduced to cooking when he was still a teenager; French cuisine is an all round sensory experience. “We use different textures,” he says, so that each bite is a constant awakening for one’s taste buds and senses. “It’s not just pleasure for the eye, it’s pleasure for the tongue.”
Chef Buddhika Samarasekera’s dishes at the Waters Edge echo Jean’s sentiments. When they are brought out, the dishes look suspiciously simple. But the piece of fish bedded on splashes of colourful sauces and decorated with little flowers masks the intricacy of the gels, infusions and mousses that add to the complexity of the cookery. “It is refined cooking,” he discloses, as a dish takes around three to four hours to create, unlike other cuisines such as Chinese. For Buddhika, who has experience in the kitchens of the Hilton and Lyon Paris, France, French cuisine is all about subtlety and decadence.
In addition to the indulgent use of cream and butter, as once described by Julia Child, Buddhika’s menu will incorporate flavours close to home. Incorporating cardamom and star anise with lobster in one dish, the dessert, a white chocolate crumble with miso caramel is a marriage of French and Japanese flavours. He prefers to use classic flavour combinations as will be seen with the Alaskan Blue King Crab – Topped with tangy Avocado mousse and tomato gel and the Foie Gras. “The cooking is not as easy as people think,” he says, “It’s about passion, about wanting to challenge yourself as a chef. ”
The Gôut France/ Good France culinary project will take place on March 19 at Café Français and at Waters Edge Limited. For more details contact Café Français on 4502602 and Waters Edge Limited on 94 11 2863863, 2887050.