Ujwala Samant – Bordeaux Expats https://bordeauxexpats.com A guide for the International community of Bordeaux Sun, 25 Nov 2018 19:41:47 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3.2 https://bordeauxexpats.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cropped-Logo-3-32x32.png Ujwala Samant – Bordeaux Expats https://bordeauxexpats.com 32 32 The Mediterranean in Bordeaux https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/03/the-mediterranean-in-bordeaux.html https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/03/the-mediterranean-in-bordeaux.html#respond Sun, 25 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000 https://bordeauxexpats.com/?p=54 Oliviers & Co, specialises in olive oil and also offers vinegar, condiments and delicatessen products in BDX. Author: Ujwala Samant Getting lost – not always fun. Getting […]

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Oliviers & Co, specialises in olive oil and also offers vinegar, condiments and delicatessen products in BDX.
Author: Ujwala Samant

Getting lost – not always fun. Getting lost in Bordeaux – always exciting. Olive trees of all sizes outside a store looked as strange as a mango tree in Brittany. I went into the store after eyeing and balking at the prices of the olive saplings and trees. Oliviers &Co specialises in all things olive – from fruit to root. Begun as a family store, it was bought in 2017 by the Occitane group, resulting in a change of branding and packaging. They have 60+ stores, 50% in France and the rest in Europe, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Philippines, and NY.

Claire Canovas and Didier de Lorenzo, both very passionate (and let’s face it l’accent du Sud doesn’t hurt) about the Almighty Olive. The oil (and there’s lots of it) comes from independent producers all over the Mediterranean; France, Spain, and Italy mainly. Smaller amounts come from Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Tunisia and Morocco. The bottles are labelled much like wine and list the country, producer, breed of olive, year – to be used within the year of harvest. For me, an olive oil plebe, this was an eye-opener. The language of wine – which I am used to- being used for olive oil.  AOC? AOP? Okay!

Tasting:

Chateau de Panisse around Tarascon. A blend of 4 olives, harvested in Provence. It was surprisingly floral, and long and I’d hate to destroy those flavours with high heat cooking.

 

Feudo Disisa made with Cerasuola olives from Monreale, Sicily. An oil could taste like tea and the sea (algues) and linger in your mouth was quite a contrast from the first one. A slight peppery kick towards the end too. Eat it or drink it?

 

Il Fornacino from Tuscany, produced with 4 varietals by two women, was mother of God good. No wonder it’s won awards. Fresh, grassy, and green apples – think spring not mowing the lawn.
L’Extraverte from Catalonia (Still Spain?) made with Picual olives. It was the extrovert of the lot. Packs a punch with the peppery-almondy flavours.  Lives up to its moniker.

Autour des Oliviers:

Douceurs de vinaigre or when there’s olive oil, can vinegar be far behind?

Quite a range of balsamic vinegar, aged, un-aged, flavoured with aromates. To an Indian, mango is not a flavor that is easily bottled. Their mango vinegar which when coupled with citrusy olive oil wasn’t half bad – confirmed by 2 Indians, that’s a compliment. A little Malabar pepper on it… mmhmm

 

Specialty oils, seasoned salts – there’s salt to be had, flavoured with olives, capers, etc. but the show stealer  were speciality oils where olives were pressed with fresh peppers from Chili, or with fresh garlic, or shallots or onions. With the optimism that Spring would be here soon, I picked up a couple of these to perk up spring salads, tarts, aioli. Just no sign of spring.

Delices by Michelin starred chefs – Olivier Streiff, Michel Roth, Gerald Passedat, Alain Passard, Jean-Andre Charial, and Giovanni Ciresa- like poivron and olive noire, tomate & piment d’Espelette, asperge & citron confit go well with the olive flatbread. A small selection of olives, quince paste, is available.

 

To help the hosts even further, Oliviers & Co have a range of handmade pottery in vivid colours, olive wood bowls, mortar and pestles, and charcuterie boards. And handy-dandy recipe booklets.

Go in, inhale, taste, discover, and enjoy.

WHERE: Oliviers & Co, 29 rue des Remparts, Bordeaux
About the author: 
Ujwala Samant is a serial expat and has spent time in various countries before returning to Bordeaux after living away from the city after 26 years.

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Calabash – Caribbean Sunshine in Bordeaux https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/04/calabash-caribbean-sunshine-in-bordeaux.html https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/04/calabash-caribbean-sunshine-in-bordeaux.html#respond Thu, 12 Apr 2018 18:58:00 +0000 https://bordeauxexpats.com/?p=43 Calabash is a family owned Caribbean Tapas & Cocktail Bar. Originated from the island of Grenada. Situated right in the heart of Bordeaux, a stone throw […]

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Calabash is a family owned Caribbean Tapas & Cocktail Bar. Originated from the island of Grenada. Situated right in the heart of Bordeaux, a stone throw from the famous place de la Victoire. They offer authentic island cuisine created from their family recipes and other traditional island favourites.
Caribbean Restaurant in Bordeaux

Author: Ujwala Samant


I’m from India. My husband is from Bretagne. I’m used to 3 months of glorious, cooling rain. And then sunshine. My husband is used to rain, thrice a day, twice a week, through different times of the year. A puzzling concept to Indians; even those used to 2 monsoons a year. Bordeaux winter has been one major onslaught of rain, drizzles, storms, hail, and rain! My Indian soul needed some sun and colour. So dark wood restaurants with duck and heavy red wine were out. Rum, glorious rum, sparkling red-green-yellow chillies; that’s what the heart wanted. Along came Calabash.

Calabash is off the main drag and as my pictures will show, it was one of those foggy nights and the idea of rum and a DJ sounded Alright. Calabash has a bar at the entrance with wood, and blue lighting. Some kitsch, a few pictures, mingled with some lovely artefacts and warm sunshiny walls. Our table was in the main seating area towards the far end of the restaurant. And then my husbands face changed. We were seated facing the DJ’s table. Visions of steel drums vibrating through our brains went through his poor head. Distraction in the form of our drinks appeared, a cheerful blue Caribbean Tonic for him and Passion fruit mojito (8 euros each) for me. A pitcher would have been excellent, they were refreshing and not ubersweet. (They offer pitchers to share.) 15 rums on offer for rum tasting. 

Caribbean Restaurant and Bar in Bordeaux

Caribbean Restaurant and Bar in Bordeaux

Caribbean Restaurant and Bar in Bordeaux

Caribbean Restaurant and Bar in Bordeaux

Being a tapas and cocktail bar, the menu has individual tapas as well as share platters. Vegetarians, fear not, you can have “The Calabash Big Veggie” with Grenadian patties, avocado salad, coconut rice and peas. We got The Greedy Calabash (38 euro) which had Creole Shark, Barbadian Meatballs, Jerk Chicken, Plantains, Coconut Rice and Peas, Veggie Patties, Avocado Dip, Rasta Salad, Coleslaw. The coleslaw was the only “meh” in the meal. Creole shark, patties, and the meatballs were exceptionally good and worth going back for. The menu covered the Caribbean from Jamaica to the Dominican Republic. And for those looking for a little extra heat, they have a mash of habaneros with garlic.

Everything is on Caribbean time, from the service to the DJ. And served with big sunny smiles and why worry when you have a passion fruit mojito in front of you? DJ Dady played Soca, dancehall, reggae, and was a cheerful young chap. I imagine it got louder after 10:30 pm which is when we left.

So, we’ll go back soon, and try something different. Except for that pitcher of passion fruit mojito. That’s mine.


Website : http://calabash.fr

About the author: 
Ujwala Samant is a serial expat and has spent time in various countries before returning to Bordeaux after living away from the city after 26 years.

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Combining Indian food and Bordeaux Wine in Saint Emilion https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/06/combining-indian-food-and-bordeaux-wine-in-saint-emilion.html https://bordeauxexpats.com/2018/06/combining-indian-food-and-bordeaux-wine-in-saint-emilion.html#respond Wed, 06 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 https://bordeauxexpats.com/?p=27 Serendipity is how some of the best experiences in life come to be. A chance meeting with an IBC graduate, Rameshwar Kulkarni at an Indian restaurant […]

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Serendipity is how some of the best experiences in life come to be. A chance meeting with an IBC graduate, Rameshwar Kulkarni at an Indian restaurant (who was working with Laurent Moujon a known local author, “Bordeaux – Alliance de ses vins avec la Cuisine Chinoise”), led to an invitation to assist with a new book.
Author: Ujwala Samant
 

Laurent works with known chefs and matches their recipes with Bordeaux Chateaux. With Brinda Bourhis, President of Winevox, Laurent and Rameshwar (IBC graduate), are working on a new book, matching Bordeaux Chateaux with recipes from renowned Indian chefs from India, the UK, and the US. For me this book is a dream come true. When not working in nonprofit management, I am a cook of the global variety given my peripatetic life. Hubby and I have been matching food and wine since we got tired of being told to have a gewürztraminer (“because it goes so well with Chinese food” Huh?) or a beer with Indian food. Why not a Meursault? Or a beautiful Bordeaux?

India and wine?

These are exciting times in India and the last 15 years have seen an upswing in wine consumption and production. Wine and liquor are not new in India; the Rig Veda details the existence of wine and grog shops and the original Indian drink, Soma Ras.

“This is Soma, who flows wine..”; and, “The beverage is divine, it purifies, it is a water of life, gives health and immortality and prepares the way to heaven.” (Bose, D.K., 1922)

And since it mentions heaven, you know ancient Hindus imbibed it- religiously and copiously. More scintillating descriptions of wine, its effects, and sexy poetry exist in the Vedas, and in ancient Hindu literature. (But that for a different article.)

Fast forward to contemporary India, with a big, shiny, new wine market in a booming economy. Indians young and old discovered wine during their travels and vineyards such as Grover and Sula started producing wine. From being the drink of choice of westernised vamps in Bollywood, wine swam sensuously into the mainstream. Indian wine consumption has shot up by as much as 30% annually with women drinking as much if not more than men. Wine bars are the places to be and be seen. Indians need “chakhna” or snacks to go with everything – a drink, the weather . Kebabs or chicken lollipops with whisky? Fried prawns or pakoras with beer? Cashew-stuffed mushrooms with a G&T? Chicken 65 or street peanuts with onions and chilli with rum? This book, it’s been a long time coming. And India’s ready for it.

Contemporary Indian chefs have changed the face of Indian food wherever they are. Whether it’s Sanjeev Kapoor, India’s first rockstar TV chef and household name, Washington DC’s K Vinod who is the front runner in sophisticated Kerala food and cocktails, or Cyrus Todiwala who’s cooked for the Queen; they’ve moved overseas palates (and plates) away from the yellow/orange glop known as “curry”. They’ve opened non-Indian palates to the subtle, savoury, fiery, sweet, mild, fragrant bounty that is Indian cuisine. These gentlemen and their colleagues from restaurants like Tamarind, Quilon, and Café Spice Namaste in London, Dosa and Junoon in the US, and Chefs like Ajay Chopra, and Sanjay Brown in India have generously shared their recipes. Laurent and Brinda invited India’s first and only Master of Wine, Sonal Holland to a wine pairing to St. Emilion. The tasting took place at the beautiful Chateau Soutard. It was an honour to learn from Sonal, who was generous in sharing her knowledge and kind enough to listen to us novices during this experience.

Cast of Characters:

Wine Tasting - Bordeaux Expats
From the left: Rameshwar Kulkarni: co-author, project manager; Laurent Moujon: editor, author, Hospitalier de Pomerol, and ambassador for Bordeaux wines; Pascal Herve; Brinda Bourhis: President VineVox; Sonal Holland: Master of Wine ; Me (Ujwala Samant)

 

The Wine Marathon:

If you live in Bordeaux, you’ve all been to wine tastings. This one was different. We were not there to taste wine, but to pair it with Indian recipes. We were not tasting 2-3 wines, usually on offer at chateau visits. Laurent and Rameshwar had 27 bottles. Yes, you read right, 27. This was the big mama, or the tasting marathon of exception. Adeline Tanguy, Chateau Soutard’s charming Marketing manager set us up in an intimate tasting room with glasses, water, a basket of bread and the most valuable utensil at any tasting: the crachoir. With 26 wines to taste, the centrepiece of the table was in great demand. Sounds easy?

The Catch:

Ten Indian chefs sent between 5-10 recipes each. The goal was to have at least 3 wines per dish to give people a choice. We did not have the actual food there, so we had to use our knowledge of Indian food and imagination to match the food to the written recipe. Did I mention this was to be done in 2 hours?

Here come the Blancs:

We didn’t follow the adage, “Blanc sur rouge, rien qui bouge” but given that we had a smaller number of whites, began with those.

sauvignon blanc and gris

For Chef Peter Joseph of Tamarind restaurant’s Grilled scallops with tomato chutney, we all went for the Chateau Couhins 2015, a blend of sauvignon blanc and gris. Fruity, but not overpoweringly so, it would also stand up well with Chef Cyrus Todiwala’s (Café Spice Namaste) Salmon with green chutney. The three wines we realized would have to be paired with all the matching recipes but given the fragrance and spice of Indian food, it would be just as easy to have some lighter reds on offer. Chateau Duo de la Tour Blanche (2015) a blend of Semillon-Sauvignon, softening of the crispness of the sauvignon was an interesting blend of dry and lush, with an elegant mouth feel, and none of the astringency. Sonal suggested Chef Sanjay Brown’s Makhmali (silken) Kofta Chef Ajay Chopra’s lemongrass chicken.

The Prieure Lichine 2016, a Semillon-Sauvignon blend clearly evidenced by how smoothly the Semillon tamed the Sauvignon. It had that blend of green and gravel, but with a refreshing finish. A unanimous vote for the Curry leaf and Lentil crusted Fish from Chef Sri Ram Ayula of London’s Quilon restaurant, Junoon’s Butter pepper garlic shrimp by Chef Akshay Bhardwaj, as well as Sarso wali chicken tikka (Mustard chicken tikka) from Tapasya (Marina Hull) by Chef Saurav Nath.

All 3 Sauternes were matched with the desserts; Baked Yoghurt and Beetroot and coconut halwa.

The Parade of Reds: Or Ready-Steady-Go!

Selection of Bordeaux Red Wine

The “Ta-Daaah” moment when the natty red wines made their entrance. It was as if the stars of the day had been announced. And stars they were. Some could have waited a bit, others moved with silky elegance, and still others showed strength of character, ready to blend, match, and marry their equally topnotch Indian creations. Braised ox cheek in date and apricot sauce gravitated towards Initial de Desmirail (2012), Chevalier de Lascombes (2012), and a Chateau Pressac (2104). We reserved le Chateau Gazin 1999 for Hyderabadi Lamb shanks and Chateau tour de Pressac (2014) for creamy stuffed tandoori artichokes.

The trick was finding what would go with not just the name of the dish, but the seasonings and flavourings. So, for Lemon rice, 2 reds – Chateau Chantalouette 2014 and Chateau de Couhins 2014 were spot upon. But the citrus and black mustard seeds could show off a white wine too. Duo de la Tour blanc 2016 was added. Laurent was clear that each recipe would benefit from at least 3 wine choices. With Indian dishes, depending on the ingredients, both white and red would work. The chefs had sent in an array of recipes covering India, some old favourites, some new and intriguing.

Bordeaux Red Wine Selection

This was like speed dating! We traveled to southern India with Chateau Soutard 2012 for the Andhra chicken curry and went to Old Delhi to match the Butter Chicken with Chateau Lascombes 2012. The ingredients of Venison Biriyani spoke to the flavours of Moulin Riche 2015 and Leoville Poyferre 2015.

Initial de Desmirail 2012 tasted as if it were meant for Prawn patio and the lush Chateau D’Arsac 2015 with the tangy, spicy, Sorrel Chicken. Initially stumped by a dish from Rajasthan which involved soya kheema (yes that is a thing) – Chateau La Galiane 2012 to the rescue. Arranging marriages long distance proved to be quite a task. It was easier to match old favourites like Chicken Bhuna and Old Delhi Butter chicken with Chateau Moulin Riche 2015. Unusual dishes like Brussels Sprouts croquette found their joy with Chateau Soutard 2012. All in all, we managed to keep both the wines and the recipes happy.

After almost 2 hours of looking at recipes, sniffing, tasting, and spitting, we had earned our glass of wine – this one to savour- a glass each of Chateau Gazin 1999 surrounded by art in a luminous, tranquil room. A truly memorable May 1st.

Look out for the book in autumn 2018!

About the author:
Ujwala Samant is a serial expat and has spent time in various countries before returning to Bordeaux after living away from the city after 26 years.

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