You probably know by now how much we love our food. Thus it’s but natural that any travel should have gourmet escapades as a prominent centerpiece. My recent week-long trip to Cannes, Antibes and London was no different. There were some gorgeous meals, some experiments, some discoveries, some disappointments and a whole lot of umami adventures!
As soon as I had checked into my hotel at Cannes I decided that my first meal should pay homage to the location. Thus I sat in my crochet maxi dress (black naturally to go with French chic!) with Gucci shades perched on my nose, Kindle in hand and shopping bags on spare chair and proceeded to sip a glass of house red wine alongwith some steak tartare. It was a nameless café but I was confident that steak tartare was to France what the samosa is to India. Perhaps not. The stomach loosened considerably over the next few days and I swore to stick to Balthazar in the future especially since there is one opening in London, Covent Garden as we speak!
The next day Sunday was spent in Antibes which is thoroughly recommended for anyone breezing past the Riviera. After walking a good 3-4 hours through the city and its offerings we stopped for lunch at a local’s recommendation at La Forge. The 3-course at LF was perhaps my best French meal ever.
A dozen mussels served in an ingenious dish resembling an egg tray dipped in basil garlic aioli was a mouthful of heaven. My colleague’s vegetarian option of the goat’s cheese n’ honey drizzled toast was an absolute delight as well with the most sublimely smooth cheese ever.
For mains I had the beef tagliatelle which could have been a bit tenderer but the vegetarian pasta was delightfully fresh. The highlight of the meal however was the desserts and the wine. A Sancerre Blanc (white) is a must while travelling in France; it’s simply put the best white wine ever.
And what can I say about the desserts? The panacotta served in a champagne flute with fresh berry compote was a creamy dream while the intensely coffee’d tiramisu with the spongiest cake ever was music to the palate. The most amazing thing was that both desserts have a vanilla cream base and yet their textures were so subtly but definitely different!
However the highlight of the entire trip would have to be the pizza we had at Vesuvio on the Croisette in Cannes right next to the Martinez hotel. Vesuvio is probably the most popular restaurant on the Croisette, serving Italian cuisine instead of the usual French with boisterous waiters, a no-reservation policy and the best dark chocolate sorbet ever! We were in luck to find truffles in season and ordered the Al Tartuffe thin crust pizza with cream cheese, loads of fresh rocket and generous shavings of black truffle covering the pizza like a soft blanket. How the taste exploded in our mouths is almost impossible to describe. I’d say that truffles ARE umami! The sensation of umami exists to describe truffles which for a vegetarian item have the most sensuous and fleshly fragrance – almost sexual if I can say that without blasphemy! The best part of the meal was the complete lack of snobbery or overpricing involved, the dish was served without drama and a very generous quantity of truffles and priced exceedingly well at 30€ which was more than enough for two people to share. Frou-frou restaurant learn a thing or two I say!
By our last night in Cannes though I was all Frenched out and ready to give my tummy some R&R. And voila L’Evolier on the Croisette provided just that with a really interesting dish of organic quinoa mixed with seasonal greens served alongside smoked salmon n’ cream cheese on toast. The cold and fresh quinoa provided a perfectly light n’ healthy foil to the salmon and the meal provided some salve to a overworked tummy!
Then came London and bye-bye sunshine! The whiny cold crept up my legs and drove me into the warmth. Or should I say the overbooked noisy razzmatazz of Nobu at Berkeley Square which had Russian oligarchs and 6-feet blonde babezillas galore and Arabs at the next table who surreptitiously copped our order? However the actual dining experience was a total letdown compared other London Japanese haunts like Roka, Cocoon or even the Nobu’s older sister at the Metropole hotel. The sashimi passed muster but the Wagyu beef steak with truffle was a complete con-job with stringy beef which is no way shape or form resembled the fabled beer-massaged bovines and the only truffle we saw was the truffle oil drizzled over the steak slices. Completely not worth the label or the price. Venture to this hotspot only if you want to be seen or bask in the glow of oil money!
The next day was some respite as we headed for lunch to the Mews of Mayfair tucked into a small square off the main Mayfair road. The downstairs bar is plushly cozy with studded sofas and dark wood paneling while the dining room upstairs is a complete yin to the bar’s yang. Pale cream walls, curtainless windows adorned with Riedel decanters and iron filigree butterflies comprise the décor. The duck terrine entrée was superbly fresh and I suggest never having a terrine in London unless its gourmet; the pub variants are a tasteless pasty waste! For mains I got the black-faced lamb with spinach while my partner opted for a well-done steak with wild cep mushrooms. This is the first time I have had a well-done steak which retains its softness, moisture and juice; that alone earns my loyalty! My lamb was delish too though a tad heavy since it included a rack and a portion of liver. We washed down the meal with some lotus blossom tea served in the prettiest silver-painted china ever and then had the best part of the meal, a superlative crème brulee brimming with Madagascar vanilla beans and the perfect layer of crisp caramelized sugar. Blissville anyone?
As the trip came to an end so did my famed appetite and inclination for European haute cuisine. By dinnertime some Asian flavours were needed urgently and Banana Tree at Soho provided some indo-Chinese relief with a spicy Chicken n’ Prawn Pad Thai. Burp, sigh! I was ready to go home!
You can also check out this post on http://www.vogue.in/content/foodyssey-french-riviera-en-route-london-0 and share with friends and foodies to spread the love!
You can also check out this post on http://www.vogue.in/content/foodyssey-french-riviera-en-route-london-0 and share with friends and foodies to spread the love!