Another stellar night, another Michelin starred Chef, this one by Chef Nicholas Durif who comes in from the Alsace to give us a taste of modern French cuisine at the Pullman New Delhi Aerocity. Just like our previous Michelin starred meal, this one was also brought to the city by All Things Nice. Although I have had french food quite sometime now, Chef Durif makes us try out some of the food from Alsace, a mountainous region bordering Germany.
Our meal or evening for that matter starts off with a Grover Soiree Brut with it’s fresh citrus notes before moving onto a cream of cauliflower and sea lettuce with coconut milk and lentils with citrus fruits, an Amouse Bouche which is quite filling in itself. Combined with a Sauvignon Blanc ’18 from Senorita Angel in Central Valley in Chile, this citrusy mineral wine has quite a few notes of white fruits including gooseberry and pineapple. For the first course, we try out a Crunchy vegetable brick and Avocado Mousseline combined with a Pinot Grigio Trebbiano 2018 from Just Roberto in Italy. Quite akin to our Samosa, this vegetable brick combines quite well with this wine dominated with yellow fruits.
Seafood is one of the prominent items on Chef Durin’s menu at his restaurant L’Hysope and so is it on the menu. The slightly poached Oyster is served along with a Carrot and Leek Magtinon and a dark fruit fudge. It is combined with a Chardonnay ’18 from Senorita Angel which gives it quite a citrusy, fruity punch to the Oyster.
The main course is a Duck filet with Absinthe mustard, aubergines with smoked paprika and mustard seeds along with a reduction of balsamic vinegar with soy. The Duck is served with a mercurial 2018 Pinot Noir from Camas which imparts a fresh, vegetal favour of green peppers. The vegetarian option for the mains includes a Sauerkraut which Chef Durif tells me is something that he makes quite often back home in Alsace, combining it with horseradish and even some bull meat from the South of France.
We end off our meals with a flambeed Camembert with Calvados and Candied Apples and our favourite wine of the evening: the Chene Grand Reserve ’17 from Grover Zapa and the Cabernet Sauvignon ’18 from the Limoux-Loungedoc region in Roussillon, France. There’s also a Chocolate Mousse served with Mango carpaccio, Candied Oranges and Juniper Berry served with a Remy Martin VSOP. Chef Nicolas Durif’s quintessential French flavours combined with a few twists here and there combined to create the perfect evening with the wines on offer. Although Indians don’t usually venture out of the usual French destinations, do head to this one located in the small village of La Jarrie.
