When Shilpa Madkar, the food and beverage Professor, IHM
Mumbai taught us about old world wines, I was one person who sat glued to whatever
she said. We sat in awe while she drew maps on the board and tried to remember the
regions she pointed out. One country that caught my
attention was indeed France. For its wines, its regions and its classification,
it was a cut above the rest. For a beginner in wines it’s always better you
learn France as a wine region the last, because if you study about the wines of
France it’s sure to confuse the wits out of you. Trust me. Been there done that.
I took the risk of breaking down the complex wines of France and it was tough.
In one such session I told myself that I would do anything to go there and
experience France.
“If you have a dream, protect it”. I took
Will Smith way too seriously when I watched his movie ‘Pursuit of Happyness’. Opportunities don’t come by again and again,
so when one comes by ,grab it and
mutilate it- strong words! And that is all that I did.
Which is why I am right now in Paris. Enjoying what life has
thrown my way so out of the blue.
Day 1 July 15th
2013
The moment I got into the dream liner 727 Air India I knew I
was going for the best ride of my life. I was disappointed that they did not
give me a seat in front because I have very long limbs and economy class is not
very broad minded when it comes to spacing. But I managed and shoved my bag
inside the storage cabin and sat quietly.
Few minutes later, a gentle man came up to my boss and me and asked us
to get up and follow him to the cockpit. I was a little skeptical thinking
there was a problem, and followed him quietly. We reached the first class
executive seats and he said “You will be travelling first class to Paris” and I
was like what the!!! Wow! Now that was surprise number 1. I could have played football
if I wanted to with the space I had to myself. I sat like a king, figuring out
all the gadgets. Playing around with my recliners and whiling away time
drinking away to glory. After a while I lost track of what I was drinking but Paris
was still another couple of hours away. The most comfortable flight experience
that I have ever had where I was pampered to the core.
After landing in Paris, confusion ensued. Too many options! So
there was a Roissy bus which goes to the city, and there were shuttles that go
to Paris on a sharing basis, RER trains, Taxis etc etc and we were like, “now
what??”
The “now what” had to be answered fast because we had a
dinner to get to. So without second thoughts we hopped onto a train, dragging
the luggage up and down the stairs of every time we had to change trains. Finally
Place d’Italie. The moment I got off the metro and stepped out I could smell
life, love, joy, food and booze in all its Paris-ness. Well- planned, identical
buildings; clean roads; roadside cafés filled with people enjoying drinks or making
conversation or just chilling. I was in love with Paris already.
We checked into the hotel after a good stroll trying to
locate it. After a quick shower I dressed up for the occasion. As Barney
Stinson, from the famous sitcom, How I Met Your Mother would have said it, I
suited up.
Destination was Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, a michelin
three star restaurant run by world renowned chef Alain Ducasse. I remember
reading about michelin star restaurants when I was in college. It was great to have a classification of
restaurants on the basis of the service they offered, I thought. When I started
working in the industry, my knowledge about such restaurants grew and I started
hearing more and more about each restaurant. Fat duck, L’Arpège, Pierre
Gagnaire, Savoy and many other fantastic restaurants became dearer to me.
We reached Plaza Athénée Hotel at 10 pm and what startled me
was that the sun was just setting. So late?!!.
The concierge directed us the restaurant and the hostess greeted us and
told us that the chef de cuisine was expecting us. Now that was a special
moment. Yes, they are aware that we are from the Taj Hotels ,Resorts and
Palaces but an entry straight to the Kitchen was fab. We were met by
Christopher Saintage, chef de cuisine of Alain Ducase au Plaza Athénée. He
showed us around and we spoke for a while. He was bloody well sure that we were
going to love the experience. I could see that in his eyes.
We were seated in well set, nicely laid tables with the best
cutlery, crockery and glassware. Stewards opened the napkins for us and poured us
water. Just after they took leave, a lady came up to us and presented the menu
and the moment she turned away there was a portion of relish on the table.
Cured sea bass on toast that melted in my mouth. We went through the menu and
before I could call for any one a steward came to us and started explaining
each dish. Suggested the classics of the restaurant and how we should plan the
meal. We settled with what we wanted to have. For mains, boss man had lobster
and I called for a good turbot and for desserts Framboise and Baba au Rhum
We started with the relish. As soon as we finished with the
bit sized relish , we were served an amuse- bouche with steamed vegetables and dip. I couldn’t figure out what the dip was
exactly but I promise you it was legendary. While we made our way through it,
the big bread trolley came to our table. We were asked to select what we wanted to have. Even if it sounds a little clichéd, I have to
say this, the French know how to bake. The sommelier came and suggested some
wines and since I was having fish I thought of going with a nice Riesling. The
service was truly commendable. Perfectly synchronized. The mains arrived in
style and I enjoyed every bite like it was my last. Flawlessly cooked, not
flaky, not mushy turbot, served with spices and herbs with a sauce which blended
so well with the fish. The flavours were so divine. 
Once we were done with the main course it was promptly
cleared, the table crumbed and cutleries aligned for dessert. I have heard
about world class fine dining service but this is the first time I experienced
it. The sommelier bought his liquor trolley to the table and I had to choose
which Rhum I would like to have with my Baba au Rhum. I tasted several good Rhums
from Jamaica , Barbados and Martinique and I finally settled with Rhum 1987
from Martinique for its elegant aroma and subtle flavors. The Baba au Rhum was exemplary.
The entire experience was one worth the Euros we spent at
the restaurant. As a parting gift we were handed a packet of sea salt as a
souvenir to carry back to India. I was out of words and moreover I was stuffed.
We headed back to the hotel and hit the nearby café for a beer and closed our
action packed first evening in Paris.
Statutory warning: Never choose to travel by taxi in Paris
if you are planning to save money for a better experience. Bloody expensive. (Learned it the hard way).
No comments:
Post a Comment