La Belle Époque (Under Famous French Chef Christian Caldara) brings out South Western French Cuisine for Goût de France, Mar. 21 2018 at Alliance Française

La Belle Epoque Restaurant a the French Cultural Center
Located inside the Alliance Française, La Belle Époque restaurant is a cosy French restaurant and one of the five restaurants taking part in Goût de France today (March 21, 2018).

Run by Christian Caldera, a famous French Chef, who first came to Kenya in 1974 just before he clocked 18 years. Christian’s first big break was servicing the newly built Gigiri UN Complex – which at that time needed a Chef to cater for the high profile guests that would be streaming in the country for meetings – there. He has been in the restaurant business ever since – which has seen him become the first Chef to set shop at the French Cultural Centre in Nairobi, operating a restaurant there from 1977 to 1991and later partnering up with Alan Bobbe of Alan Bobbe’s Bistro at Koinange Street.

For the Good France dinner, Chef Christian will be serving a one off dinner meal made up of three courses inspired by the South Western region of France.

Chef Christian Caldara during the interview at the Alliance Française Nairobi

According to Caldera, cooking is a philosophy that requires precision and value. He believes that the visual presentation of any food should not come before its quality. It is why he loves using the products in Kenya as they are high quality and fresh.

“I am extremely picky about what I work with, and Kenya has extremely good products that are not easily available in other markets,” the self-taught chef said.

He also believes that to be a world-class chef, you need to combine good product with good technique that is not only refined but finessed. The third thing would be to teach others about the process itself and being kind.

For today’s event, the guests will have a choice of rillettes de canard (duck rillette) or salade de gesiersconfit (gizzard confit salad) for the starter.

The chef prepares the rillettes de canard by chopping the duck and slow cooking it in fat until tender. The next step is to shred the duck and to cool it with fat to create a paste. The paste is then spread on bread.

The gizzard salad is also prepared in duck fat and served with mixed greens.
The main dish will be a choice between Confit de canned (preserved duck) and entrecote bordelaise (steak bordelaise).

For dessert, guests will have a choice of Crème Brulee and tourte sucrée de pruneaux, flambée à l’armagnac (Sweet pie with prunes and Armagnac) served in a pipe.

There will be an assortment of wine from South Western region of France to accompany the meal.

Location: La Belle Époque, Alliance Française
Time: 7pm onwards
Cost: KES 2500 (exclusive of wines)

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For Reservations: Contact Phone number +254 746 440 550 and/or e-mail labelleepoquerestau@gmail.com

By Nduta Waweru. (Video by Larry Asego Photography and Gilbert Nyangor.)

A Taste of France, March 20-23 2018 at Heron Portico’s Mdalasini Restaurant

Chef Milos Ristic Outside Heron Portico Hotel Nairobi. | Photo: Robert Njathika
Goût de France is an annual international event that takes the taste of France to the world.
This year, it is taking place on March 21, and Mdalasini at Heron Portico is one of the 150 restaurants taking part in the event.

Heron Portico’s head chef, Milos Ristic, says that French cuisine is one of the richest in the world and dictates the standards across the globe.

“Some of the popular French dishes include the Crème Brulee, a dessert made with only four ingredients: eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla. And for a lot of people breakfast is not complete without a croissant,” Milos says.

To indulge you, the Mdalasini Gout de France menu comes with seven dishes for the dinner serving.

For Hors D’oeuvres, you get to the Salmon Tartare and Worm pear salad, which includes blue cheese, almond and honey dressing.

The entrée for the night will be the salade nicoise, a dish originating from the French city of Nice. While traditionally, it is made of tomatoes, eggs, Nicoise olives and anchovies, Milo’s version will feature fresh tuna, egg, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

Before the main dishes, guests will be treated to a serving of strawberry sorbet, just as per the classical 7-course French dinner menu.

Guests will then get to choose from three main dishes, also called la plat principal: scallops, lamb chops and steak.

Lovers of seafood can select the scallops—pan-seared and accompanied with asparagus and pancetta.

The lamb chops come with a mixture of herbs, baby potato and Brussels sprouts while the flambé steak Diane is served with cauliflower mash and asparagus.
With the flambé steak Diane, guests will get to watch as it is prepared and flamed right before their eyes.

After the main dishes come the plateau de fromage (a selection of cheese). On the offer will be blue, camembert, feta, goat and cheddar cheese as well as fruits, spreads and breads.
To finish off the meal will be a choice of dessert from the dessert menu.

Every meal will come with a serving of wine specially provided for the event and sourced from various regions of French to give the guests the true taste of France.

Dates: March 20-23, 2018
Meal: Dinner
Time: 6-11pm
Cost: KES 3,950/- (exclusive of wines)
Venue: Mdalasini Restaurant, Heron Portico – Nairobi

For Reservations: Contact Phone number +254 731 988 834

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Find more information, on Mdalasini and Chef Milos Ristic, here

By Nduta Waweru. (Video by Larry Asego Photography and Gilbert Nyangor.)

Exhibition: Mysterious Cetacean – Discover the Fascinating World of the Humpback Whales, Until Mar. 25 2018 @ Alliance Française


Dates: Until March 25, 2018
Venue: Alliance Française Nairobi

About
An interactive exhibition produced by the Biodiversity Programme of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) with the support of the European Union and Région Réunion.

A chance to discover more about these spectacular sea mammals: history, anatomy, migration, feeding habits, myths… It aims to raise awareness on this migratory species that knows no borders and is a symbol of the health of our oceans.

These ocean giants can grow up to 18 metres and weigh 40 tonnes. They are known for their haunting and melodic songs and for breaching the water with amazing acrobatic abilities. Humpback whales migrate farther than any other mammal on Earth and can travel around 5,000 kms between their breeding and feeding grounds.

Screening and Panel Discussion: Vanishing Vultures – The Ugly Betty of the Wildlife World, Mar. 20 2018 @ Alliance Française


Date: March 20, 2018
Venue: Alliance Française
Time: 7 pm
Free Entry

About
The documentary ‘Vanishing Vultures’ (The Ugly Betty of the Wildlife World) produced with the support of the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communication for its ‘Giving Nature a Voice’ project will be screened, followed by a discussion on ‘Endangered Species: Finding the Right Balance’.

Panelists include:
Dr. Munir Virani, Vice President and Global Director of Conservation Strategy, The Peregrine Fund
Dr. Jacqueline Uku, Africa President of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association and Senior Research Scientist at the Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute
Mr. Eric Ole Reson, Coordinator, Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancy Association

Moderator:
Ms. Rupi Mangat, Editor of the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya magazine ‘Komba’, African trotter and writer