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COOL blue hues, twinkling lights and phenomenal French fare set the stage for the Goût de France dinner at the La Mer restaurant at Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa, writes Nawaar Farooq.
Auguste Escoffier started Les Dîners d’Épicure (Epicurean Diners) in 1912. This took place over the course of one day with one menu, served in cities around the world. In 2015, Goût de France, which means ‘Good France’, takes the concept further, bringing all categories of restaurants together to celebrate French cuisine internationally.
For this year’s event, there were more than 1,000 chefs on five continents involved in celebrating France’s finest flavours.
La Mer’s Executive Chef Kim Gates and Head Chef Gari Abdel prepared a six-course menu that featured a variety of textures and tastes in perfect portions.
“This is my challenge, my first menu as the chef here. I spent one week creating this menu and I didn’t sleep for three days to prepare for it,” said Chef Gari, who was trained in Paris and Marseilles with master chefs.
The first course featured airy choux pastry filled with homemade duck liver pâté, pomegranate reduction and almond emulsion. The flaky pastries were light and the almond emulsion provided a smooth, nutty flavour that was both creamy and frothy.
Savoury local sand lobster ravioli with saffron bouillon and vinaigrette followed. The warm, delicate broth was seasoned with all the right spices. The tiny, colourfully-diced vegetables burst like a crackling firework in the mouth and were perfectly complemented by the tender seafood and pasta.
More sensational seafood came out during the third course, which boasted a petite baby hammour fillet with a crispy pistachio crust, cauliflower, raisins and saffron jus. The buttery and flaky fish was accented by the bright colours of spring with emerald green spinach leaves.
A small bowl of banana sorbet was brought out as a palate cleanser before the next dish was served. The blended banana icicle was sweet and satisfying and set the stage for the melt-in-your-mouth grass fed lamb loin with date confit, sumac, flavored carrots, mixed nuts and cumin scented jus. This meal was truly a work of art with bold splashes of fuchsia strewn across the plate that led right to the juicy lamb centerpiece that was so tender and exquisite that it was like cutting through butter.
No French meal would be complete without fromage and the fifth course provided just that. A gorgeous and delectable cut of French artisan goat cheese with sweet and enchanting yellow fruits was served.
“It was my idea to have cheese this way. Classically, cheese is served with nuts and jam, but I went to the market and I loved the yellow fruit. I saw kumquat, peaches and apricots that were in season and very fresh,” Chef Gari said enthusiastically as he showcased his special take on fromage.
The real sweet treat was saved to wrap up a magical meal. ‘Chocolat Sensation’ was an epic encounter with two devilishly delicious types of chocolate from Africa and Cuba. The dish featured a light Nyangbo chocolate mousse, manjari chocolate and Oreo biscuit spiced with chocolate sauce. The dessert dazzled with opulence as it was accented by edible bits of glittering gold chocolate and closed the exhibition of French fare with a magnificent masterpiece.
This year’s event marked the first concrete demonstration of French gastronomy being listed in UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ category, and emphasised its influence on the world. Chef Gari aims to carry on the French tradition and share the fare with the kingdom’s food connoisseurs.
