B L ACK B OOK IN THE KNOW
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It had to be blue
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In late 2012, France’s Rougié (rougie.com), the internationally acclaimed foie gras producer, got into an equally upmarket, though surprisingly unrelated business – lobster. And not just any: the decidedly delectable but rarely tasted Homarus gammarus, or European blue lobster (named for the royal hue of its shell), which accounts for only 5% of the world’s production of the shellfish. Today, it’s appearing on grandes tables from Paris to Tokyo, thanks to Rougié’s partnership with a tiny but enormously innovative Breton company. “Rougié understood that our priority is quality, not volume,” says
Alexis Taugé, founder of Cinq Degrés Ouest (5do.fr). “This product is a luxury… our desire is to help people rediscover it, with all its natural qualities preserved.” Using a revolutionary highpressure technology, the lobster – fished only during the short months its flesh quality reaches perfection – is de-shelled raw. The animal suffers no stress; this ultra-fresh lobster’s gustative qualities are then entirely conserved thanks to nitrogen cryogenic freezing. Its briny-sweet flavour and exquisite texture leave little doubt why Bretons have long considered homard bleu the king of crustaceans.
Jeffrey T Iverson
Ho Chi Minh Hotspot
Of all the hip new openings, An Phu’s most coveted tables are at L u B u ( luburestaurant.com), or “hectic” in Vietnamese, a name that presumably refers to the kitchen – where almost everything on the pan-Mediterranean menu is made from scratch – rather than the ambience inside its whitewashed, roughly rendered walls. Signature dishes like seared swordfish with steamed potatoes, squash, tomato frito and bacon jam and harissa beetroot-cured salmon with pine nuts, pink grapefruit and beetroot chips guarantee a return visit. At homespun dining salon T r o i s G o u r m a n d s (3gourmandsaigon.com), or 3G, Gils Brault’s extensive menu groans beneath the weight of rustic dishes guaranteed to delight Gallic culinary traditionalists and worry the weight-conscious: foie gras is fashioned into everything from fried spring rolls to weighty crowns for tender joues de boeuf; lobster is accompanied by artichoke or homemade ravioli; and locustwood-smoked salmon pairs with homemade truffled cheese. Airy, open outpost T h e D e c k (thedecksaigon.com) offers a stark contrast to 3G, trading on contemporary Asian fusion cuisine, minimalist decor by interior designer owner Lawson Johnson and jaw-dropping views over the Saigon River. Bartenders craft peach and cardamom bellinis and dragonfruit margaritas devised by renowned New York mixologist Joseph Barowski at a marble bar, while waiters ferry Asian-fusion dishes like galangal-infused caramelised salmon, chargrilled g e mm a p r i c e lamb fillet kushiyaki and chargrilled Phu Quoc prawns drizzled in garlic olive oil from kitchen to table.
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Photos from top: emily Robertson, Frederik Wissink (2)
LuBu
The Deck
The onetime sleepy preserve of expats and diplomats, An Phu has morphed into a buzzy suburb with interior furnishing boutiques, day spas, cosy bars and three of the city’s best eateries – making this leafy quartier a destination in its own right