Vive La France: French Festival at Pondicherry Café, Sofitel, Mumbai

957 days to the millennium; that is when I visited France for the first time. I know this so precisely because the Eiffel Tower had a huge countdown on it. I visited a few times after but the first brush with the French made me realize how seriously they take their food. Lunch and dinner and the few tea/coffee times in the day were serious business. You do not rush a Frenchmen when he is having a conversation with his soul via his stomach! So when Sofitel invited me for the Bastille Day celebrations, the foodie in me was as excited as a child in a candy store.

I have always maintained that Pondicherry Café at Sofitel has one of the best cold cuts and salads counters in the city and I wasn’t disappointed this time round too. Rather, there was a bonus of the finest cheese like Edam, Brie, Roquefort, Philadelphia, Goat’s Cheese, Cheddar and Blue Cheese which catered to every kind of palate. Along with the finest cold cuts such as Mortadella, Smoked Salmon, Milano, Salami, Proscuitto, we had a wide array of special themed salads like Poached Pears Cherry Tomatoes And Walnut Salad, Balsamic Marinated Watermelon And Feta Cheese, Smoked Duck And Orange With Fruit Mustard and of course their Blanched Prawns And Clams. The warm starters included the Mustard & Honey Roasted Chicken and Pistachio Crushed Baked Fish. I declare that if there were a fitting clarion to the lunch – this was it! The chicken was soft and succulent with robust flavours of honey mustard and thyme. The fish was lightly cooked to perfection, subtly flavoured with dill and crusted with pistachio. It was so good that I was almost tempted to ask for the recipes which I never do in a restaurant.

The mains started with Lamb Shanks Braised With Tomato And Lentils. My usual yardstick of lamb is that the flesh should be falling away from the bones with a spoon. The lamb was not as well cooked as I would have liked but the flavour in the lentils was excellent. The French have always glorified the pumpkin in their sauces and soups. The next dish Pumpkin And Almondine was a suitable tribute to the vegetable; soft and creamy, sweet and comforting. The Mushroom Fricasse was creamy and  was filled with its usual robust earthy flavours. In the Orange Fondant Potatoes, the potatoes were a little tough and would have done with a little more cooking and seasoning. The Curried Mussels were beautiful and I would have eaten a whole bowlful of these for sure had I not checked out the desserts. The Pork Sausage Stew was a tad disappointing as I had expected some French flavours in the dish with some beautiful French sausages.

The French are known for their desserts. They are in a different league altogether and Sofitel did not disappoint. The Profiteroles were crunchy with creamy centres, the Pear Cake was moist and delectable, the Creamy Crust Pastry was flaky and creamy, the Banana Strawberry Log was delicious. Like their cheese and desserts, the French are innovative when it comes to breads. We tried the Wine And Walnut Bread and it was beautiful.

Over all my French rendezvous was a delightful journey of French cuisine although I was little disappointed that they had only used the locally available ingredients and had not got some of the ingredients we associate with French food. I would have loved escargots. I do wish that Sofitel initiates its plans for a French restaurant considering the vibrant food scene in Mumbai.

Meal for Two without Alcohol: Rs. 4000 Approximately plus taxes| Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes|

| Wheelchair access : Yes

Address: Sofitel Hotel, C 57, BandraKurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai

Telephone : 022 61175000 / 022 61175001

Disclaimer : This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgment and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review; however readers may exercise their own discretion.