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the art of good living

WINE & DINE NOVEMBER 2015

November 2015/ S$8.50

THE ART OF GOOD LIVING / MEAT MADNESS

MEAT
MADNESS
Chomp on
gourmet
burgers
Tim Mondavi
man on a
mission

Crave a
top steak?
Forget
marbling.
Look for
ageing.

KDN PPS 886/01/2013(029155)

MCI(P) 092/11/2013

Our exclusive with

Pierre Gagnaire
in Danang!

ESCAPES

La Maison 1888s outdoor patio

Tropical excursion
PIERRE GAGNAIRES FIRST OUTPOST IN VIETNAM, LA MAISON 1888, SEES THE MAESTRO
NEGOTIATING THE TRICKY TERRITORY OF COMBINING EXOTIC SOUTHEAST ASIAN FLAVOURS
AND FRENCH COOKING TECHNIQUES WITH A STEADY, SKILFUL HAND.
words LU YAWEN

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ESCAPES

s the sun sets over Monkey Bay at

Danang, the warm orange light gives
the colonial faade of La Maison 1888
restaurant a romantic glow and, for a moment,
transports me to the late 1800s when Vietnam
was known as French Indochina. Together
with a group of 10 journalists from all over the
world, weve come to InterContinental Danang
Sun Peninsula Resort, a property comprising
luxurious rooms perched along the sides of
an alcove facing the South China Sea. Our
purpose: to celebrate the relaunch of the
hotels French restaurant as Michelin-starred
chef Pierre Gagnaire joins as partner and
consultant.
Dressed in a predominantly black
and white colour theme, the ine dining
establishment was formerly helmed by
renowned chef Michel Roux who is responsible
for the three Michelin-starred The Waterside
Inn in U.K. At La Maison 1888, he has held
chefs table dinners and masterclasses;
interactive experiences that elevated the
restaurants reputation as a dining destination.
Not that the place needs help attracting
guests, thoughthe two-storey mansion
consists of an outdoor patio, bar and dining
area while the second loor has three themed
rooms for private dinners. High plaster ceilings,
dramatic hanging chandeliers, a grand teak
spiral stairway and marble table tops seem like
a representation of what Vietnam would have
looked like during its heyday as a French colony.
AT HOME IN THE KITCHEN
Michel Nave got himself a crash course in all
things Danang when he arrived ive days go
to oversee the preparations for our media
dinner at La Maison 1888. He usually stays in
a foreign country for up to 50 days to realise a
restaurant opening but La Maison 1888 is an
exception as they did not have to start from
scratch.
Nave has been sussing out the quality of
the countrys local ingredients and sharing
the information with Gagnaire and other
colleagues around the world. Eventually, the
key to getting the dishes done right comes
down to the details such as food portions and
adjusting garnishes to suit the climate. For
example, the warm temperatures in Vietnam
make it impossible to serve crispy sugar
decorations. Instead, he uses tropical fruits
such as dragonfruit, rambutan and mangosteen
to make a refreshing sweet soup.
Gagnaire turns 65 this year, and he admits
that he no longer works to earn accolades at
this point in his career. I dont bother about

Small chocolate tart

Langouste poche

Pierre Gagnaire in the kitchen

The exterior of La Maison 1888

the business [side of my restaurants], he

muses. These days, he needs to ind pleasure
or enjoyment in going to a place [before]
wanting to work there.
Youd think hed kick back a little or let
Nave run the show. But old habits die hard.
Despite missing his connecting light from
Bangkok and arriving a day late, he shows
no signs of fatigue as he got to work in the
kitchen, manoeuvring steadily between

the stations, peering over the shoulders of

Vietnamese cooks and pausing occasionally
to speak to Nave. Nothing escapes his hawk
eye and razor-sharp mind. I watch his ingers
ly over the cheese puf hors doeuvre,
rearranging them and demonstrating to the
staf that they should place the slices of
Manchego under the pufs instead. Earlier on
in the day, he told Nave that tonights dinner
should start with the tomato soup instead

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EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH HOI AN

The city of Hoi An is located
just an hours drive away
from Monkey Bay, where
InterContinental Danang Sun
Peninsula Hotel is located.

Soup de Tomate

of the sorbet despite what theyve agreed to

previously. During dinner, I see the merits of
his choice: the sorbets are packed with intense
lavours of guava, cheese and tangy vinegar,
and would have overpowered the tomato
consomm.
Our six course degustation menu is a taste
of the Michelin-starred chefs culinary vision
for La Maison 1888French simplicity with
Vietnamese ingredients. From using jasmine rice
for risotto to making pt with hints of kair lime
in the Fricasse of Spiny Lobster, he lives up to
his reputation as one of the pioneers in fusion
French cuisine. Its a tricky thing to ind a
balance between two diferent cuisines, where
neither one stands out on its own. But perhaps
the culinary foundation set by his French
predecessors has made it a little simpler for
him for his food to be fused with the local
lavours. The cheese here is very good; its
unusual to ind this type of quality outside of
France, he says, referring to the availability of
excellent ingredients.
Much like the culinary philosophy applied
to his 13 other restaurants in countries such
as Berlin, Dubai and Tokyo, Gagnaire intends
to highlight local produce. Approximately 80
percent of the items he uses come from the
markets in Danang or Hoi An, including the
main of spiny lobster and avocado (from a
producer called Thao) for the Roast Suckling
Pig. Still, the dishes are undoubtedly French
in technique and plating; a nod to what he
does best. The Filet of Sea Bass, probably the
most Vietnamese tasting dish on the menu, is
served in cubes covered just with bean sprouts
and celery. You must stay true to yourself and
not forget your roots, he opines. WD

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Bnh m, a sandwich comprising

meats and pt between
two halves of a baguette, is
a remnant from the French
colonial days. Most street
hawkers sell only one option
of bnh m but Tiem Banh Mi
Phuong ofers many varieties,
although sometimes oddly
named. If in doubt, get the
full works of meats, egg and
vegetables when you order a
Number Three.
2B Phan Chau Trinh, Hoi An

Try bnh xoskewered meat

cooked over charcoal and
wrapped in a thin crpe-like
rice paper with a handful of
vegetables, pork crackling and a
slice of fried eggat Ba Le Well
Restaurant. It is dunked into a
sweet thick sauce.
45/51 Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An

White Rose restaurants speciality

is their pork dumplings called
bnh bao, which are handmade
by a group of chatty women at
the back of the eatery. The petite
dumplings are served with light
soya sauce and crunchy topping
of fried onions; perfect for a pitstop snack while wandering the
city. For a bigger meal, they are
eaten with noodles in soup.
533 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hoi An

At Quan Tan, check out m quang,

dry rice noodles that originated
from Vietnams Quang Nam
province and is commonly found
in the city. The ingredients of the
dish vary but youll be sure to
ind a serving of meat, a generous
handful of fresh basil, coriander,
banana lower and lettuce. This
roving street stall gives you the
most authentic experience of
eating on red stools as vehicles
zoom past. Have your m quang
with a bite of raw green chilli as
how the locals do, but be sure to
have a bottle of water on hand.
Nyugen Hue Street, Hoi An