Restaurant review
France rules at a price
Tariq Ali
All good food is the result of constant experimentation. That is why recipe books are never totally satisfactory and can some- times be awkwardly deceptive. One per- son's fish-stew can end up as another's poison or something like that. The best cooking is always in flux. The delicacy of a dish can only be enhanced by irregular additions or deletions.
There are only two cuisines which have reached the heights of a culinary synthesis and which have always afforded me great pleasure. In Europe it has been the chefs of France who have transformed everyday cooking into an art form. In the subconti- nent of India it is the cooks of Kashmir who deserve a collective Nobel Prize for Cookery.
There is, alas, not a single genuine Kashmiri restaurant in this country. Even in the big Indian towns it is very difficult to encounter a real Kashmiri eating-place. The best food in Kashmir is cooked in private homes or is available in street markets. In polar contrast, France is dominated by its cafes and brasseries. And London? This capital city where almost every nationality is represented, possesses an equally cosmopolitan collection of eateries. But it is France that rules. . . at a price.
Pierre Koffman is now well established as one of the great French chefs in this country, and it is difficult to get a table at La Tante Claire (68 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3. Telephone: 01 352 6045) at short notice. But I persevered and was well rewarded. My companion and I enjoyed a meal of exquisite freshness and sophistica- tion in soothing surroundings. It is true that some of the clientele had stepped straight out of Dallas/Dynasty or so it seemed, while at a neighbouring table an excited conversation was taking place on the merits of Welsh nannies as opposed to Filipino maids. Fortunately the room is airy and the transcendental quality of the food diverts the attention wonderfully from all else.
My companion began with coquilles St Jacques a son encre, which looked stun- ning with the scallops sitting in the most delectable black velvet sauce (squid's ink). She pronounced it 'superb'. I started with marinaded red snapper in a herb sauce sprinkled with caviar. One often encoun- ters food where the way in which it is served is more impressive than the actual dish. Not here. This is not a designer cuisine and one can discern the flavour in every sauce.
Our selection of entrées was, I have to admit, determined by the wine list. It is a very impressive and wide-ranging collec- tion. My companion was surprised to find a set of wines from the Camargue. 'I thought they only grew grass there.'After a great deal of discussion we decided on Chateau Latour 1970; and this settled the choice of a main course. I ordered fillets of lamb, which arrived tender and juicy. My com- panion was served a statesmanlike tourne- dos. Both arrived with a complement of fresh vegetables and an exquisite asparagus mousse. The Chateau Latour almost dis- tracted one's attention from everything else, but the food fought back and the marriage worked. ` It would have been very different in Kashmir. Even in the days of the old Mughal Empire when Kashmir grape was grown to produce wine (long before the arrival of the whisky and gin wallahs) it was never seen as an accompaniment to food, but as an aperitif. The only drink possible with the rich cooking of Kashmir is a special green tea which has incredible digestive powers.
The cheeseboard looked impeccable and inviting, but we turned regretfully away and moved straight to the pudding. On this front as well there were remarkable possi- bilities. I chose a biscuit glace, a mouth- watering slab of caramelised hazelnut ice- cream in a silky raspberry sauce. My companion had a superbly executed crous- tade aux pommes caramelisees. There is, however, one complaint. The petits fours served with the coffee (which was good) were definitely below par. This was unfor- tunate since one left with the worst taste of the evening. I would strongly recommend a few lessons here from the redoubtable lady who runs Maison Bertaux on Greek Street in Soho: without doubt the best patisserie in town.
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