FRENCH dining has always been a sitdown affair for me. Whenever French cuisine is to be served, it’s always fine dining style – each dish is painstakingly plated and served course by course, most often with wine, as well. But last week, I was pleasantly surprised and extremely pleased when French food was served buffet style during the media launch of Tour de France at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s posh Spiral.
Turns out that’s really how it’s going to be this whole month of July, which is the duration of the Tour de France French food festival. The food festival is named after Tour de France, the famous and most exciting cycling competition in the world which takes place in France every year.
Tour de France, the culinary edition at Sofitel, will see an exquisite array of French dishes specially prepared by Sofitel’s Regional Chef for Asia Pacific and Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Executive Chef Eric Costille and his kitchen staff. It takes diners on a gastronomic adventure through France, and it features the regional cuisine of a four different regions in France each week.
The culinary tour began with the jewels of the sea from the still blue waters of Nice on the first week of July then proceeded with the culinary treasures of the heritage sites in Périgord on the second week. This week, July 15 to 21, it brings diners up to the chateaus of Brittany, and then closes with the cuisine of the snowy mountains of Savoy (July 22 to 28, 2013).
Chef Eric and his group of talented chefs have incorporated dishes from these four featured regions in France in the already extensive buffet spread of Spiral for lunch and dinner.
During the press preview of the Tour de France food festival, Chef Eric put together flavors of all four featured regions in France for everyone to sample although it was the week of Nice to take solo spotlight. He took guests on a tour of the Spiral buffet where the French dishes were and pointed out which ones were French must-tries.
Afterwards, Sofitel’s director of food and beverage Damien Marchenay took everyone to the wine tasting area, where he popped three bottles of French wines – Domaines Ott, Clos Mireille, Côtes de Provence Blanc, a featured wine during Nice week; Château HostensPicant, ‘Cuvee des Demoiselles,’ Bordeaux Blanc, from Perigord week; and Les Bruyères, Bènedicte et Stephane Tissot, Arbois-Chardonnay, Jura from Savoy week.
Domaines Ott, Clos Mireille, Côtes de Provence Blanc (Php4,350 per bottle/Php1,210 per glass) has a well-developed, complex, distinctive bouquet with rich fragrances of stone fruit, spice and wild flowers.
Château HostensPicant, ‘Cuvee des Demoiselles,’ Bordeaux Blanc (Php4,800 per bottle/Php1,280 per glass) offers enjoyable aromas of freshly sliced apples, hay, vanilla, oak and herbs, and it has a smooth and creamy texture backed by a long wood-accented finish.
The third wine, Les Bruyères, Bènedicte et Stephane Tissot, Arbois-Chardonnay, Jura (Php4,300 per bottle/Php1,190 per glass) , offers a hint of the same nutty character on top of the more classic outline of the chardonnay grapes despite having their chardonnay barrels topped up.
The wines were enjoyed with a platter of assorted cheeses and fruits, such as apricots, figs and grapes.
Highlights of the French food festival were the Bastille Day celebrations last weekend (July 13 and 14, 2013), which had authentic French specialties and free-flowing Bastille cocktails to go with the grand fireworks display at the poolside on the eve of Bastille Day on July 13. On Bastille Day itself (yesterday, Sunday, July 14, 2013), a special Bastille brunch with a luxurious French spread and unlimited French champagne took place.
Ongoing until July 28, the Tour de France food festival segues into the Brigitte Bardot Exhibition that opens on July 30 and closes on September 10, 2013, at Sofitel’s Le Bar. BB Forever – Brigitte Bardot, la legende, the unique photo exhibition makes the rounds of Sofitel Luxury Hotels’ eight properties in Asia this year, including Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Macau, Manila, Mumbai and Saigon. The Sofitel Manila exhibit launches this retrospective of the French film icon. The exclusive collection is made up of close to 30 photographs that trace her career.
(Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila is located at the CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City; with tel. no. 551-5555.)