B.Shankaranarayan - Moderator Pune Gourmet Club
My
acquaintance with Siddharth Mahadik began when he launched his eatery, Le
Plaisir, a short walk from my home. A bistro in our neck of the woods, this
side of the river, excited my taste buds. His macaroons and desserts were awesome
and the Panini I had at his tiny hole- in- the- wall Bhandarkar Road eatery
convinced me that the tide was turning. That an ex-seafarer graduate from Sydney’s
Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute, Sydney, was cooking, and not lording it over many minions, fired my
imagination.
Once he moved to a more spacious location on Prabhat Road,
expanded his menu, staff and covers and more importantly maintained his high quality
standards, we got talking about a sit down customised lunch for members of the
Pune Gourmet Club.
Siddharth, it turned out, is cut from a different cloth compared to other restaurateurs. His mission, he said, was to cook and serve
great food, making pots of money was down the list. Since PGC is a group of wine and food
enthusiasts in singular pursuit of a gastronomic experience, a meeting of minds
was inevitable.
A few Whatsapp messages and the menu was finalised.
T A P A S
Beetroot
Candied Walnut - Green Sorrel - Homemade
ricotta - Balsamic
Smoked Salmon
Avocado & Wasabi Puree -
Pickled Cucumber.
Quail Breast Or Lamb chops
Pomme Puree - Port Jus
Baked Cambrie
Warm Honey – Sour dough
Smoked Snapper Pate
Crostini- Radish- Micro
greens – Preserved Lime
Stuffed Zucchini
Zucchini – Herbs - Cream -
Pangriata
M A I N
Pork Belly
Pineapple – Herbs and Sprout Salad – Tamarind
Glaze
Or
Charred Cottage Cheese
Red Pepper & Garlic Cream
D E S S E R T
Jelly of Rosé Wine
Fresh Fruits – Mint
Given the availability
of kitchen and service staff and seating space, we decided on a maximum of 50
covers. Lunch would begin at Noon and end by 3pm. The bistro would be closed
for the public till 5. This was a big sacrifice on his part since most
restaurateurs are loath to do this. It showed Siddharth’s total devotion
to his craft. The entire menu and the
sit down concept was a first for him and his team. We shared the enthusiasm and
opened up the bookings.
Sheela, my
wife, and I went to the excise office and got the one day license to serve wine,
not without a hiccup or two. Then my dear friend Dr. Rajesh Rasal, India’s
foremost independent wine maker and owner of De Vineyard, recommended the
wines. He chose Myra Chenin Blanc, York Rose and York Cabernet Sauvignon, all
2015 bottling. Between PGC members and Siddharth’s guests, we had a packed
house. I rented 60 wine glasses, washed
them by hand and chilled the wines.
On the
appointed day I landed up at Le Plaisir at 11am for the set up. Siddharth held
a briefing session for his team on the cooking tasks, service flow and even the
washing up. I observed his demeanour, body language and choice of words and
came away impressed. It was a big day for all of them. The challenges of
serving 50 persons are not an enviable task for a small team.
The doors
were thrown open and guests started walking in just after noon. Soon the Myra
Chenin Blanc was quenching parched throats. Deepak’s jazz selection was drowned
by the combined decibel level of 50 people talking, catching up and having a good time.
The feel was a typical modern day steel and glass bistro.
The service
started at 1pm with the first Tapas item. The beetroot with fresh home made
ricotta was outstanding though I did hear a comment that it was too beetrooty. An eaves dropper turned around and asked ”what do you expect a beetroot to taste
like, avocado?”. The presentation was
Masterchef
Then came
the smoked salmon with avocado wasabi puree on a disc of picked cucumber on a
lightly toasted crostini. Easy on the
eye, it paired very well with the dry Myra Chenin. Most people though missed the pungent kick of
the wasabi. So did I.
Since the
quality of quail and lamb chops delivered by the vendor did not meet Siddharth’s
quality standards he switched to poached prawns on a pomme (potato) puree
and port jus which dazzled the eye and the palate. This had the wow factor. The
presentation and the taste was a completely new experience. No one had ever
tasted prawns in this combo and it got full marks from every one of the fifty
diners.
Then came
the baked Cambrie, a Camembert/Brie style white rind soft cheese, made by Kodai
Dairy. The wheel was sliced in wedges,
stuffed with fresh thyme, baked in the oven till oozy and drizzled with warm honey. The entire melting wheel
was placed on the table and 10 guests helped themselves to one wedge each. A dish
that cannot be found in any restaurant in Pune or I dare say even Mumbai.
The vegetarians were served Aronccini , a sphere
larger than a cricket ball stuffed with Parmesan and cooked rice, first fried
and then baked golden brown. Super in
presentation and taste, though one had to be as skilful as George Colombaris to
be able slice it neatly!!
The smoked
snapper pate on a crostini arrived next. The snapper ‘s slightly sweet flavour was countered by the citrusy thin shreds of
preserved lime. It paired beautifully with the utterly refreshing York Rosé.
The last
item of the tapas section was the stuffed zucchini. It came in a boat shape, hot and soft in the
flesh with a crunch to the skin. The kind of tapa you bite into holding it in
your fingers and not slicing it on a plate with a knife and fork - most
satisfying.
The tables
were groaning with food and the guests were heard saying, is there more to come??
Main course on the way, I responded.
In
anticipation of the main course, York’s Cabernet Sauvignon was opened and
poured into the decanter. The servers
were also given an aerator to pour the wine through from the bottle. The
lightly refrigerated red was served at the perfect temperature 16-18⁰C.
Checked and confirmed by a wine thermometer!!
Then came
the pièce de résistance. The pork belly with a tamarind glaze. The outside was crisp and crackling, the
inside fat and meat cooked just right. Cooking pork belly is not the easiest of
tasks since the three layers need different cooking times and temperatures. I
watched Siddharth doing this with great skill and attention. As with each dish, the presentation was
superb.
One of the
most striking aspects of the restaurant is the large (nearly as big as the
seating area) well laid out kitchen equipped with every kind of modern
appliance one could imagine. The cleanliness and hygiene of the work area is
exceptional. The kitchen wall tiles are shining, the floor is absolutely clean,
the staff uniforms are laundered, everyone’s wearing a cap and the cooking
stoves, ranges, prep surfaces are, to use the popular Hindi expression, chak-a-chak.
When the
plate arrived at the table, the taste
buds were well lubricated by the red. As minutes ticked by, as the steak knife
and fork tines were manoeuvred skilfully to transfer the morsels of pork belly into the waiting mouth, time stood still. Okay, that’s hyperbole J. And then Deepak Patwardhan on my left and
Ashok Pradhan sitting opposite him exclaimed – absolutely fantastic!! And the
Deepak said words to the effect, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven !!! Now, that’s a superlative compliment, if
ever. I echoed his views and I think so did 45 of us. Excepting the vegetarians
who were in their own world oohing and aahing about the charred paneer in red
pepper and garlic cream!! And everyone remarked on the huge size of the
portion. To Siddharth, it was atithi devo
bhava.
Some of our
worthy guests, due to a larger than anticipated consumption of the plentiful
Chenin, Rosé and Cabernet Sauvignon, just could not do full justice to their
belly with the pork belly. These plates were snatched away by other worthies
before the servers could say, “shall we clear it ma’am?” Such was the demand for this main course. And
Siddharth being Siddharth served us Belgian pork. Wow.
Then the
dessert arrived. Not crème caramel, chocolate mousse or pannacotta. We were
served Jelly of Rosé Wine
with strawberry slices inside and ribboned mint by the side. Another excellent
dish - very appropriate for such a
gastronomic experience.
It truly was Le grand
plaisir d’être chez Le Plaisir. In hamara English - The great pleasure
of being at Pleasure.
Like all good things, the lunch came to an end around 3:30pm
and we bid adieu to Siddharth and his team.
All of us
thank Owner and chef - Siddharth Mahadik
Restaurant manger
Siri Marella
Chefs
Ronit
Arlikatti
Manish Bohra
Amar Bohra
Kalachand
Guha
Toshan Salgaonkar
Incharge of
service
Nikhil Karodi
Service team
Ashutosh
Belgaonkar
Aashna
Manohar
And all the others who helped us have an absolutely smashing time.
May Le
Plaisir continue its remarkable journey to set benchmarks for this city and
beyond.
Please,
please do not ever sacrifice your love of cooking on the altar of Mammon.
Click here to view the photo album of the event.
