Bistro Vadouvan
Samantha Laurie enjoys French elegance with a twist of Indian spice at Bistro Vadouvan on Putney Wharf...
French and Indian cuisines aren’t the most obvious bedfellows. How do you marry all those creamy sauces, cheese and bread with spices of the East? Can two big food styles with such different dining cultures really fuse? So we wondered...until the starters arrived.
“I think this might be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten,” declared my husband, two bites into a beautifully presented dish of chopped raw beef, subtly flavoured with smoked aubergine, preserved lemon and toasted almonds. Served with delicately smoked naan bread fresh from the kitchen’s clay oven, the dish is a homage to the ‘beef tartar imperial’ created by Michelin-starred Eric Chavot at the glamorous Soho hang-out, Bob Bob Ricard.
As well it might be since Chavot is in the kitchen tonight. Chef patron of Bistro Vadouvan, Durga Misra, is a former protégé of Chavot, working under him at two-Michelin starred Capital Hotel in Belgravia and again, as Head Chef at Brassiere Chavot in Mayfair.
Misra opened the Putney bistro 18 months ago, and his old friend and mentor has taken time out from his top-dollar kitchens (he’s currently opening Bob Bob Cite) to help craft a French-meets-spice dinner series inspired by the former French colony, Pondicherry and drawing on Misra’s classical French training and his life growing up in India.
The feel is very much French with a hint of Asia (rather than the other way round) and this special ‘Paris Meets Pondicherry’ menu, running for two months until mid-May, consists of just two starters, two mains and two desserts, served with a Whisky Sour cocktail, priced at a remarkably reasonable £35.
Chavot’s Michelin magic is unmissable. For my starter, I opt for the beetroot croquettes, spiced with bay and cinnamon, on a salad of avocado and mint. It’s an unusual blend of spices that works perfectly, with a deep and complex flavour complemented by a light and refreshing salad.
Strangely, it’s not until this point that our Whisky Sours arrive. Perhaps the waiter overheard my umming and ahhing. I don’t like whisky, but this is something quite different. Flavoured with curry leaves and beer syrup (who knew such a thing existed?), it’s absolutely delicious (and not at all whisky like).
For mains, I choose gurnard, spiced with lime, coconut and green chilli, wrapped in a banana leaf. It’s an unexpected detour from India to South East Asia, and although the fish is beautifully cooked, it’s too intensely flavoured for me. However, my husband, still in beef tartar heaven, is delighted with the alternate dish: cumin and fennel scented roast rump of lamb, served with feta and sorrel chutney.
Mains finished, at this point we’d normally be heading home. Neither of us are big dessert eaters, but hey, when they’re included you've got to give them a shot. And thank goodness we did. There are two choices: the first, poached pear flavoured with saffron and cardamom, is perfectly lovely and tasty; the second, tapioca with palm sugar, lychee granita and pineapple, is absolutely incredible. Beautiful fresh, fruity flavours with a hint of India, it’s a stunning end to a delicious meal.
With its quiet promenades and just-built feel, Putney Wharf is not the most exciting location midweek – although it's sure to liven up in the summer when the riverside terraces fill. Likewise the restaurant needs a few more punters to create an ambience. But with food like this for £35, those folk in the surrounding luxury flats would be mad not to give it a try.
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