Tag Archives: wine

Mielcke & Hurtigkarl: Danish gourmet at its best

A sunny, rather hot Saturday in August. It could have been like any other Scandinavian summer night when the sun never seems to set, except that it was not. It was special, because it was the wedding day of my brother.

The wedding dinner was organized at the Mielcke & Hurtigkarl restaurant, which is highly praised by critics from all over the world. For example, Condé Nast Traveller reckons this restaurant is one of the 25 reasons to visit Copenhagen. Others say Mielcke & Hurtigkarl has earned its place in the league of emerging creative and contemporary chefs of Denmark –a country whose food scene was until recently mainly known by Noma.

As I am sure you can imagine, living in Paris can make one obnoxious about food. I confess that at times I fall into that category and therefore I admit my expectations were very high regarding the dinner. And now, please listen to me. For your next weekend trip, book tickets to Copenhagen and reserve a table at Mielcke & Hurtigkarl. Yes, it is THAT outstanding, and the following photos will prove my statement.

Shrimp amuse-bouche:

Cucumber amuse-bouche:

The amuse-bouche were served with an excellent crémant from Bourgogne (France), which proved that a high-quality crémant can be as good as champagne (or even better!).

After the garden we moved inside and begun with the first starter: a terrine of hake, rolled in A.O. Nori seaweed and served with compressed cucumber, pea crumble, green vinaigrette, herb oil and pea sprouts, accompanied with Portuguese white Regueiro Alvarinho Minho from 2011.

For the second starter we had a smoked mackerel with small new potatoes braised with summer truffle, radish and herbs from the garden, and wild garlic sauce. As each dish had its own wine, we were now served an excellent French white Saint Veran Bourgogne from 2011.

For the main course we were spoiled by a braised veal breast rolled in fried onions
and ash, served with garlic-flavored celery fondant and red wine sauce of smoked marrow and cranberries. The accompanying red wine was Spanish Oliver Conti Catalunya from 1999.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake we had a very creative and delicious yogurt sponge cake with cocoa crumble, fresh berries and berry preserve, which was served with French sweet wine Chartreuse de Coutet Sauternes (2007).

I could not have imagined a more fantastic restaurant choice. Everything was simply perfect, beautiful and delicious. Just as the dream wedding dinner is supposed to be! If you have a chance, make a stop here the next time you are in Copenhagen:

Mielcke & Hurtigkarl:
Frederiksberg Runddel 1, 2000 Frederiksberg
Reservation: +45 3834 8436 or booking@mhcph.com
http://www.mhcph.com/

PS These wonderful photos were taken by the official wedding photographer Lina Ahnoff. Talking about talent! In addition she is a well-humored, kind woman who loves people and glimpses of life. Highly recommended! http://linaahnoff.com/

What to expect to eat in Roussillon?

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Earlier this month I was in the region called Languedoc-Roussillon and specifically in the southern part of it, Roussillon. This area of France is truly interesting food-wise: it is very Mediterranean but the mountains lurk in the horizon, it borders Spain and it is considered part of Catalonia. It has a strong culture of jambon, sausages, different types of seafood, snails, rabbit, cod, anchovies and tapas plates etc., and one should not forget the local wine and cheese making!

This blog post is about sharing my culinary experiences during the recent five-day trip in Roussillon, and to show you what to expect to see and taste both at restaurants and at markets. Enjoy!

Beautiful garlic! After all, it is the Mediterranean!

Cheese! (mixture of cow and sheep):

Roquefort-flavored sausage:

Sea urchins! Salvador Dali liked them… do you?

Catalan snails in tomato-jambon sauce:

Warm goat cheese salad:

Mussels with aïoli and grilled cuttlefish:

Mushroom with Balearic spicy sausage called soubressade on a toast:

Duck legs:

Beefsteak:

Razor shells (my all-time favorite!!):

“Small tapas assortment”:

My only regret is that we did not have a chance to taste the local oysters, but one always needs to keep a reason to return!

PS Why not to follow Pearlspotting also on Facebook?

Apéritif hour at Le Baron Rouge

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After running errands in Chinatown this afternoon, only two tasks remained: to buy wine and to buy oysters. Direction: Le Baron Rouge!

I really like going to Le Baron Rouge in the late afternoon when the crowds have not yet filled the space. It is nice watching the clients and the life of the barmen. It feels like the time has stopped. And there are those traditional huge oak barrels waiting for customers to choose which wine to take home.

We purchased some Côtes du Rhône (to go with the cheese after the oysters) and had an apéritif at the bar. One of those moments when you say to yourself Vive la France!

Atelier Maître Albert: classy and playful

Travel fever

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Since returning to Paris on Monday my “travel-advisory-services company” has received a bunch of inquiries from different people about traveling. Some examples:

my brother has already been to Zanzibar, but asked me about Lamu in Kenya
someone else wanted to know about driving to Oman from Dubai
a blogger friend from Sydney is coming to Paris and asked for bistro recommendations
my husband asked me to check out “what to do around Colmar” in Alsace (his work trip just got confirmed there and I may join him)
and then before I noticed, I got caught up in a discussion about means of travel to reach the Aral Sea! (I have actually been there! out of all the places, yes!)

All of these discussions brought up memories, so I went to see some old photos and found this photo I took in 2003 in Mombasa, Kenya. It is one of my favorite photos ever.

PS Have you checked Pearlspotting’s Facebook page? It has a bit more updates on what is happening in Paris!

Collioure: the pearl of the coastal Roussillon

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Collioure is one of those Mediterranean towns that every artist seems to have loved. Matisse, Picasso, Derain, Dufy, Chagall, Braque –you name it– have all immortalized this cute seaside town in the south of France. We spent one night in Collioure, and even if the weather has turned cooler and greyer, we could see and feel the charm of the old town and the historic harbor area.

I could only wonder how old these plane trees are! It looks like many artists have leaned on them… …imagine the storied they could tell us!

We also witnessed one brave man having a swim in the sea. But after all, who would not be tempted in such beautiful surroundings?

Collioure has a rich past. Throughout its history, the Spanish have had their fair share of Collioure occupation, and once upon a time Collioure was a summer residence of the King of Majorca! It has been part of France only since 1642.

There is an impressive fort built by Vauban, the military architect of Louis IV, which reminds us of the old battles and the strategic location of Collioure.

If you are traveling in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, make sure to stop here for a day or two. Even during winter season (like last weekend) the life goes on and the tapas scene is quite active. In addition, there are delicious anchovy shops and a dozen of art galleries. And there is the wine route that passes by Collioure –after all, Collioure has its own appellation (appellation d’origine contrôlée, AOC). No wonder all of those artists loved it here!

Perpignan: a photographer’s paradise

My love affair with Saravanaa Bhavan

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Since our trip to Tamil Nadu we have been regulars at Saravanaa Bhavan, which is a South Indian restaurant. It started in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and has gained a lot of success all over the world in recent years. You can find Saravanaa Bhavan in Dubai, New York, etc.

Everything at Saravanaa Bhavana is vegetarian so don’t expect the usual palak paneer, cheese nan and butter chicken. If you have never been to South India, you will probably find dishes that taste like nothing else you have ever eaten before. And this is what I love about Saravanaa Bhavan: the taste is sublime, sophisticated and curious!!!!!! And good for your health.

Last night we had our usual: South Indian meal (thali), onion rava masala dosa and business meal. This is a bit too much for two, but since we love all of these three dishes, we can never decide!

South Indian meal looks like this:and consists of: chappathi with side dish, rice, sambar, rasam, special kuzhambu, vegetable curries, raitha, curd, appalam, pickle and something sweet. What is nice about this thali is that you can order more of any side dish and rice for free.

Onion rava masala dosa looks like:and it is a crispy wheat and rice flour crepe stuffed with mildly-spiced mashed potatoes and onions.

Business meal looks like this: and it includes sambar rice, curd rice, special rice of the day, poriyal, appalam, pickle and something sweet.

I feel eternal love toward all of these dishes and cannot have enough them!

PS Saravanaa Bhavan increased their prices this summer, but it is still very affordable. South Indian meal costs 13€, business meal 10€ and a dosa 7€50. Our only disappointment is that they don’t serve Indian wine any more –only Bordeaux. As we told the waiter yesterday, Grover is an excellent Indian red wine!

Saravanaa Bhavan:

170, Rue Du Faubourg Saint Denis,
75010, Paris.
Tel : 01 40 05 01 01

http://www.saravanabhavan.com/

Marriage of oysters and nouveau wine

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Fifteen oysters with vin primeur, and my Saturday night is perfect!Oysters: cultivated by Patrick Liron in Normandy. They can be found in three different arrondissements in Paris: 3, 7 and 15. Our favorite oyster type is huître sauvage but I was told yesterday that they will only be available starting November. We purchased 30 oysters in total, three different types but all size two, for 37€.

Where to find Patrick Liron oysters in Paris? http://www.huitres-normandie.fr/points-de-vente-%C3%A0-paris.html

Wine: vin primeur by Domaine La Grave, Coteaux de Peyriac (Hauts de Badens). Vin primeur means new wine, and it is sold the year it was harvested. Sometimes only few weeks later. It is at its best within few months of the release. The most famous vin primeur is obviously Beaujolais nouveau.

The white wine we had yesterday comes from our favorite caviste, Bernard Bouichet who has an outstanding taste in good-quality, healthy-tasting wine. We bought one bottle of vin primeur last weekend and returned yesterday to buy ten more. At 4€80 per bottle, the price-quality ratio is excellent.

Where to find this excellent vin primeur? La Cave du Voyageur, 21 rue de la Croix Nivert (75015). Tel. 01-42 73 07 81.

PS Have you already checked out the Pearlspotting’s facebook page?

Bringing a little bit of Châteauneuf-du-Pape home

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France is a very diversified country. Each region has its distinctive history and culture that translate into specific types of cuisine. Tripe and cider in Normandy, crêpes and galettes in Brittany, bouillabaisse and ratatouille in the Mediterranean, socca in Nice, snails in Burgundy, duck and foie gras in the south-west, choucroute in Alsace, etc. The list is next to endless.

Every time I travel inside the Hexagone, I discover something new food wise. And it is almost as fascinating to live in Paris, and visit restaurants, grocery stores or food fairs to discover products of those regions that I have visited. It is like bringing a tiny bit of vacation home…Earlier this year we visited the Salon des vignerons indépendants and saw a stand that looked familiar. It said AOC Châteauneuf-du-pape and the bottles had Château des Fines Roches written on them. We knew immediately where they are located: 15km from Avignon, in the southern Rhône Valley. Fines Roches refers to the château around which the grapes to make this wine grow, but it is also a place where we had a fabulous lunch in August 2006!We started talking with the owners and ended up buying some bottles of their red. And last week we opened one of these bottles, a bottle of AOC Châteauneuf-du-pape Château des Fines Roches (2010) to celebrate our wedding anniversary. And this week the winemakers, the Mousset-Barrot family, sent us an invitation to the Salon des vignerons indépendants that will take place in Paris during the last weekend of November. Très sympa!

Links:

Château des Fines Roches (hotel & restaurant): http://www.chateaufinesroches.com

Salon des vignerons indépendants: https://pearlspotting.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/wine-tasting-at-salon-des-vins-des-vignerons-independants-2/