20 December,2010 06:14 AM IST | | Tinaz Nooshian
At Mumbai's first French bistro, you won't be caned with glares for not knowing which vowel to accentuate when you read, 'coq au vin' off the menu. The affable vibe is welcome, as is the Raviole Roquefort. But the Accras de Crevettes tasted too much like a pakoda. Our suggestion to the trio behind Chez Vous: Serve us a plate of consistency
When entrepreneurs Satyen Melwani, Frederic Fernandez and chef Cedric Combe decided they'd open the city's first French bistro, clarity of thought was on their side. The first-mover advantage was theirs too.
Chez Vous has opened where Sundance Cafe once stood
Somewhere along the line, in a cloud of propaganda, and perhaps, sincere enthusiasm, confusion crept in. And it waves at you the minute you step into the Churchgate eatery, close the door behind you, and look left.
A cove (that once housed an open-kitchen at the erstwhile Sundance Caf ufffd which Chez Vous has replaced), an Absynthe lounge we are told, houses a few sofas to create a niche that a private group can lounge in. The dangerously low hanging chandelier and lemon silk-mix curtains that shut out this space from the rest of the restaurant, lend it a dodgy edge.u00a0
The space is tiny, much of it taken over by a black and fluorescent green bar, and a mezannine floor. The decor makes it more a lunch-and-dinner stop rather than an all-day bistro, which Chez Vous actually is. It's a bit tough to relax over endless balloon glasses of Bordeaux in elegant, high-backed chairs.
Absynthe, the anise-flavoured fennel spirit, which we love as much for its goblin green hue as for the heavy buzz it leaves you with, is served here in cocktails as well as in original form (Rs 600), with a sugar cube and water dripping into it in a painfully slow trickle.
The high alcohol content (between 45 to 68%; compare that to 40% ABV in vodka) made it a dangerous and often banned spirit, spurring a French critic to call it capable of making "a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman, and a degenerate of the infant".
Try it. It tastes fresh enough not to have you reaching out for mint. It's potent enough not to make you order your fifth glass, and pretty enough to prod you to do exactly that.
They offer varied menus for snacks,u00a0 lunch and dinner, with the more elaborate dishes reserved for after 8 pm. For lunch, you could go for a three-course fixed-price menu.
An English translation of each dish is printed below each tongue twister, so you don't have to run and sign up for a class at Alliance Francaise next door, just yet.
The Accra de Cravettes (Rs 300; (batter-fried prawns) came with a delicious relish, but looked and tasted too much like a pakoda to feel French. We say, go for the Raviole Roquefort (Roquefort cheese and hazelnuts in homemade ravioli pasta, served with a bell pepper and sprout salad) -- searing sharp taste, but distinctively good.
If you like your fish, pick the Saladine de roulade de salmon fume (smoked salmon with sour cream served with a salad) over the Sole Meuniere (strips of sole fish bread crumbed and pan fried with lemon, butter and parsley) -- fresher, and prettier to look at.
The Gambas (king prawns pan fried with thyme, tomato, shallots, parsley, lemon juice and flambed with pastis) was flavoursome, but left us wondering whether it could have been off any contemporary food menu.
Melwani and Fernandez usually hang around the bistro, and are affable enough for you to call out to them (politely; you are French, at least while you are there) and have a chat.
The wine selection is interesting, and fairly affordable, with a glass of Figaro Red served to you for Rs 350.
Leave your car at home. They don't have valet. Or shell out Rs 8 an hour to find a slot at a public parking bay opposite Eros.
At Ground floor, Khambatta Building (same as Eros Cinema), MK Road, Churchgate. Call: 9920409099.
Open 12.30 pm to 12 midnight
