France to Russia to India – Chef Michel has travelled across the globe till he found the small French colony of Pondicherry to settle down. He has a quaint French restaurant there which attracts tourists and locals equally.
He is in the news now as he curates food for a fine dine experience along with Nikhil Agarwal of All Things Nice. Nikhil Agarwal is known for his penchant to dig out gems from the corners of the world to curate fine dine experiences along with his carefully chosen wines. This time he showcases Chef Michel along with some exquisite French wines.
How does he choose his chefs for these dos? “Mostly on recommendations… sometimes personal experiences,” informs Nikhil. “Chef Michel had curated for an event in Bangalore… someone who attended it recommended him.”
“Yes… it was a French Consulate event,” chips in Michel.
Being a chef was the outcome of a journey of self-discovery that started at the age of 16 for Michel. “I was always interested in food; we had our own vegetable garden back home where my father spent a lot of time… so food was on mind. But it was only after working at a couple of Michelin star restaurants did I realise that this is what I want to do. And I was lucky to be trained by the few best chefs which helped me get Michelin stars quite early in my life.”
Chef Michel has worked at six Michelin Star restaurants in France, including Paris, before moving to Russia to start a French gastronomic place first and then a tapa and wine bar. Pondicherry was the next stop to create a classic French menu at a six-suite villa. Pondicherry being a French colony kind of helped him to settle down easily.
“Yes, it did,” Michel admits. “But I must also confess that each city, each country has its own challenges.”
What challenges did Mumbai and Delhi pose for the upcoming dinners? “Thankfully none too serious,” he reveals. “I went to the local market of Delhi – I still have to visit Mumbai – and it was wonderful to see varied spices etc.”
Michel specialises in using local ingredients and French technique to create his dishes. “I believe that the local produces have excellent and unique flavours,” he says. “That lend the uniqueness to the dish I am making.”
While talking about local produce, Michel confesses that he saw the curry leaf for the first time when he came to Pondicherry. “I was quite intrigued by its flavour and use.” How do you use it? “I extract the oils of curry leaves and then use that.”
Michel will be presenting a fusion menu that uses quite a few Indian ingredients like cumin, lentils, moringa, tamarind and of course curry leaves oil. He also will be using a Turkish ingredient – Kadaif, Turkish noodles. “They have been used for the texture,” he explains. “It gives the crunch to the otherwise soft paneer or sea bass.”
“This is one of the main reasons why we chose Michel,” tells Nikhil. “The way he blends styles so effortlessly and comes up with a marvelously plated dish… it’s just great!”
Is the French chef the reason behind choosing, almost all, French wines? “Not really,” says Nikhil. “Yes… we did want to showcase our French wines, but we asked all our brands to suggest their fare to match the menu. We zeroed down on French wines because we think they pair the best. For the main course we have a Spanish wine… robust, yet delicate. That’s because it will go really well with the lamb and eggplant that rest on vadouvan potato.”
Vadouvan? “Oh yes, I love that spice – actually the blend of spices. I have used that with potatoes and olives as the base for my main course. Vadouvan is typically Tamil spice and I love using it in my cooking,” Michel says.
Now THAT intrigues me. I am really looking forward to the six-course meal at The Grand Hyatt, Celini, on Saturday at 8PM. Are you?
Stay tuned to know more about the dinner.
