Carte Blanche, Pondicherry

Pondicherry is well known for it's French influence. Hence, it would only be customary for one to visit one of the many French restaurants in the area. We paid a visit to Carte Blanche, a French restaurant located in Hotel de L'Orient along Rue Romain Rolland in the French quarter.

This quaint little upscale restaurant offers French and Indian dishes in a very French setting. The candle-lit courtyard provides the setting for the ultimate romantic dinner. The only thing missing was the music of the accordion, but even without - the ambiance was simply one of a kind.

For appetizers, I ordered a Chilled Cream of Apple and Almond Soup. Similar to gazpacho (in terms of the temperature), the cream in the soup brought the sweetness of the apples and flavors of the almonds together, and the chill brought the dish some novelty.

I ordered myself the forbidden meat here in India, a Beef Steak with Garlic Butter and Roasted Baby Potatoes, priced at Rs300 (RM20). I also made the mistake of ordering the steak well-done. Stupid, I know, but nevertheless the garlic butter brought about the natural flavors of the meat, which was also quite tender.

My grand-aunt ordered the Chicken Roulade with Mushroom Sauce and Sauteed Vegetables worth Rs250 (RM16). The chicken was slightly overcooked, though it was wonderfully flavored with thyme, and accompanied the chunky mushroom sauce very well. The vegetables were crisp, and naturally sweet.

My grandparents, not as willing to try a different cuisine, ordered the Kadai Chicken worth Rs250 (RM16). This north Indian curry was not as spicy as the kind in the south, though you could taste the flavors of saffron and coriander throughout, and there was an abundance of tender chicken pieces.

We also ordered a dish of Pondicherry's renowned Creole cuisine - a fusion of Indian and French food. The White Chicken Curry worth Rs250 (RM16)was truly unique. The curry sauce, made with almond paste and cream, was truly comfort food. The creaminess of the curry and the spiciness, showed the cuisine's marriage of Tamil dynamism and French restraint perfectly.

My grandparents ate their Kadai Chicken with some Chappatis which were priced at Rs20 (RM1.50) for 2 pieces. We were also served complementary Bread with Home-made Butter. The butter was amazingly delicious, and I could not get enough. It compensated the stale bread pieces, which I'm assuming are old baguette pieces.

Finally, for dessert we all shared an Earl-Grey flavored Creme Brulee worth Rs120 (RM8). The texture of the dish was amazingly creamy, and the flavor of the tea permeated the custard. The only down-side was that there was not much caramelized sugar on top, which I sort of like, nonetheless - no complaints here.

In conclusion, Carte Blanche was truly an amazing experience. The setting itself, was to die for. The food was pretty good too, and the staff were amazingly friendly and interacted a lot with my grandpa, whom I could tell was loving the experience. Definitely a 'must-visit' on your itinerary here.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Overall Taste: 7/10

General Impression: 8/10

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BrianandRepublic

Le Cafe on Pondicherry Beach

I spent one of my lunchtimes in Pondicherry at Le Cafe. This quaint sea-side cafe exposes tourists and locals alike with cafe culture, a way of life that Pondicherry is synonymous for.

Neither one of my grandparents or my grand-aunt (who is a local) have experienced this before, and hence, they were quite eager to try it. Le Cafe's address is very prestigious as it is located along Goubert Avenue, right next to the Ghandi Statue.

In the summer weather, each of us ordered cold drinks.My grandmother ordered herself a cold Plain Lassi worth Rs50 (RM3.50). This chilled Indian yogurt drink was loved by my grandmother who drank every bit of it up.

I ordered my grand-aunt a Vanilla Milk Shake worth Rs65 (RM4). My grand-aunt, absolutely loved it, and so did I. The ice-cream, which was homemade, combined with the fresh cow's milk gave the shake more quality and taste than it was worth.

I ordered myself an Iced Latte worth Rs90 (RM6). To my surprise, it also came with a scoop of ice-cream, an interesting addition. The latte however, was a let-down. I could not taste the coffee at all, and it ended up tasting a lot like the milk shake we ordered. There's something about Indians and weak coffee I do not understand.

To eat, my grandfather ordered himself a Sauteed Mushroom Sandwich worth Rs105 (RM7). This sandwich was an interesting one, as it was filled with mushrooms and raw cucumbers - a combination of which I did not understand, but worked. Nothing big about this dish, but it was tasty nonetheless.

My grandmother and I shared a Grilled Chicken with Mustard Sauce worth Rs170 (RM11). A few problems with this dish: Firstly, there was no mustard sauce. Secondly, the chicken was rock-hard. The only thing I enjoyed were the fries and salad. The portion was quite small too.

My grand-aunt ordered the Chicken Salad with a Mayonnaise Dressing worth Rs105 (RM7). Again, there was no mayonnaise in sight, but there was quite a bit of chicken in the dish, which made it worth it's money. The dish was also cooling, with it's various different types of veg, making it an ideal dish for this weather.

For dessert, we ordered Madeleines priced at Rs30 (RM2) each, and Ice-Cream priced at Rs35 (RM2.50) for two scoops. The madeleines were delicious, with a subtle yet evident hint of cinnamon, and the ice-creams (homemade) were incredibly decadent and creamy. I absolutely loved it.

In conclusion, Le Cafe does not serve the best food, but they do serve greed drinks and pastries - some of which are on display (such as the croissants and pain du chocolat). If ever you decide to visit this small but bustling city, stop by this joint for some sea-breeze, a coffee and maybe a madeleine or two.

Presentation: 4/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Overall Taste: 4/10

General Impression: 6/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic