Delicious French cuisine falls short on variety
French students at cooking school
It’s true, French cuisine is an exquisite art form whereby fresh produce, luscious dressings and perfectly selected subtle flavourings form its backbone. However, is the French perception of its national cuisine put on too high a pedestal? Is French cuisine so good that restaurant owners are compelled to reproduce the usual confit de canard and chevre chaud year after year?
Admittedly, I have had some of my most exhilarating culinary experiences while in Paris. But that does not mean that my taste buds have not gone numb at the idea of another French restaurant. Passage Brady in Paris’ tenth arrondissement, about the only place where Indian cuisine is on offer, would have Gandhi rolling in his grave.
Utterly bland and lacking in spice, Ozzy Osbourne, well known for us love of the Birmingham Balti, would undoubtedly conjure up one of his famous tantrums upon sampling an Indian dish in Passage Brady.
In usual French protectionist style, France has – with the exception of a handful of Moroccan, Chinese and Lebanese restaurants – veered away from integrating other tastes and culinary styles from round the world.
Where do you go in Paris if you’re after an evening of inventive fusion cooking? London is full of restaurants pushing the boundaries of contemporary cuisine, mixing the tried-and-tested methods from France with those developed through a process of trial and error. Restaurants like Fish La Boisonnerie – recommended by an IHT blogger – are what Paris really needs.
Fish cooked in vanilla foam, chilled cheesecakes with a crunchy caramel biscuit, meats coated in an array of fruity sauces and daring ingredients such as ginger, lemon and praline is a minuscule example of the sort of cuisine I am talking about.
I have so far seen one American diner in Paris, whose burgers were absolutely out of this world; void of grease and entirely succulent.
Another Parisian restaurant which has a go at gimmicky gastronomy is COCO&CO producing a range of dishes centered round the egg. It’s a cosy little number near to St Germain des Pres.
Sometimes the habitual accompaniment of steak, salad in a vinaigrette sauce, mustard and baguette becomes a little bland.
Many might say that British cuisine is more daring and gradually overtaking that of the French. The novelty aspects of London are for lots of food lovers tickling those taste buds much more than the traditional menus which continue to saturate the French capital.
One thing; London can be a tad expensive in comparison to the rest of mainland Europe.
Flick Wit
To show... disdain of this, is maybe a touch - arrogant?
I can't see the masses moving away from French cuisine in droves anytime soon, but there's definitely something to be said for variety and the thrill of experimentation.
Great post!
Michaelie
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
For my taste, there is a huge difference between the noble and intelligent horse, and the goat, or a duck.
However, maybe if I asked a goat or a duck what they thought...
I want to become vegetarian, but I just love meat too much.
What is the French lamb roast like?
By the way, I am thilled to hear England is charging ahead in their culinary tastes. Not so long ago England had an appalling reputation, well, in Oz at least.
By the way, are the French still eating cheval?
fog