Pondicherry Le Dupleix

By Satpreet Kaur

Situated in the heart of the old French Quarter of Pondicherry, Le Dupleix was built in the 18th century as the residence of the Mayor of Pondicherry, and stands on one of the most important corners of the French town. The beautiful experience begins right at the gate that is topped with perfectly manicured vine leaves. The massive wooden door entrance leads you to the heart of the restored building –the courtyard that is surrounded by a modern hotel with deep French roots.

Satpreet Kaur on her recent travel to French town experienced the best of town with Le Dupleix where art and architecture come together to give an experience that touches your soul is a fantastic mix of the traditional and the modern and has a quaint forgotten in time feel to it. The hotel displays authentic woodwork (some of the best in Pondicherry), antique textiles lent by couture embroidery master Jean Francois Lesage and a custom design stone courtyard The top floor shows an interesting contrast of intricate woodwork and clean modern lines with glass.

Rooms

Every room in this hotel is different! Every detail in each room has been specially thought out and chosen for that room alone, with the end result being a hotel with delightful surprises around every corner. The mix of the modern and the traditional gives much warmth, but at the same time ensures that the hotel is exceedingly comfortable. It’s no wonder that the Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards listed Le Dupleix as among the three best boutique hotels in India While the rooms are extraordina

Le Dupleix and Pondicherry have a very complex, diverse and cosmopolitan culture and they bring it all together, in the menu at Le Dupleix. One of the main things I have noticed over my repetitive visits is that they keep upgrading their menu and are far from boring or old fashioned; so, heritage and tradition of Pondicherry is modernized and becomes part of their culture that’s moving forward Influence of Creole is clearly visible in Le Dupleix’s menu through recipes from New Orleans (which created some of the most exciting Creole dishes) like Gumbo soup and Creole Shrimps & Crab cake. The menu celebrates Japanese cuisine with Miso Glazed Fish & Soba Noodle soup, Classic French dishes like Confit de Poulet & Crêpe Suzette, and presents dishes that stand out like Wild Game Quails & Soft-Shell Crabs.

The strongest influence on modern Pondicherry cuisine has been the emphasis on being natural, organic and healthy. At Le Dupleix they are going organic all the way; their rice, wheat, dals, spices and oils are all organic. Fish is fresh from sea, caught by local fishermen and chicken is free range & organic. Also, all soups, salads, appetizers and main course dishes have been presented with suggested pairings of International and Indian wines that helped me experience beyond what I knew and enjoyed it thoroughly. I know as a matter of fact that whenever I return to Pondicherry, I will revisit the property for its lobster night or their in-house Vanilla Ice cream, which by the way is the best vanilla ice cream I have had in my life https://www.ledupleix.com/

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