Being an ardent food explorer, I am always on the lookout for country specific cuisines. European cuisine has always fascinated me because there not enough of the Euro-specific restaurants here. I agree that Italian restaurants are mushrooming but where are French ones apart from Le Bistro Du Parc? I occasionally see some one or two dishes in regular menus like Crème Brullee or French Omelette but apart from that, nothing France specific. I was fortunate enough to try desserts at French caffes in Pondicherry but then they are pretty far away and too crowded.
Delifrance, located in DLF Cyber Hub is a paradise for those wanting to have scrumptious and authentic French dishes. The ambience is so soothing and relaxing. Their desserts and breads are displayed on the counter where you can have a good look. The staff is welcoming and knowledgeable about the dishes they serve.
The USP of this place is that they import their majority of ingredients from France. The fermented breads are brought here and baked here, this practice maintains the freshness of these items. The make their own breads, sauces, juices (depending on the seasonality of fruits) and jams.
So recently, I savoured the following delicacies :
Croissant chicken junglee mayonnaise sandwich : I loved the concept of cold sandwich. The croissant was freshly baked, thin and so wonderful to taste. The outside of the croissant was crispy yet soft and the insides were flaky. The chewy chicken bits were drenched in a subtle mayonnaise sauce which was tangy, sweet and zingy. Fresh lettuce, grilled zuchhini and half rings of onions complemented the chicken.
Custard Danish : Lovely handwork while making this dessert. It was topped with light sugar syrup and filled with reduced custard. This was crispy from the outside and slightly soft from the inside. The reduced custard had medium sweetness and had a thick consistency.
Almond croissant : Can a dessert get better? Filled with a thick and fine paste of almonds which was subtly sweet and topped with icing sugar and almond halves, this is a must try dessert. The croissant is thin and crispy and the almond paste perfectly complements it. A bit hard to cut though.
Kiwi Fruit Danish : In simple terms, a layered patty enclosing fresh kiwi jam, topped with kiwi jam and fresh kiwis. The base is a bit hard but as the manager pointed out, it needs to be that way so as to take the weight of jam and the overlying layers. The jam is sweet and tangy and has good consistency – neither too thick nor runny.
Spicy chicken puff : Freshly baked puff is light, flaky and enclosing mildly spiced shredded chicken. The chicken has a lovely subtle tangy flavour of tomatoes.
Chicken and cheese puffs : Again freshly baked puff with light flaky layers and enclosing small cubes of chicken which are drenched in mozzarella cheese. The creaminess of the cheese was not over powering because their cheeses are made in house and fresh.
Flan Coco : What a dessert! The ingredients are imported from Paris – authenticity maintained. There was a crispy tart filled with reduced milk with coconut flavour and topped with grated coconut. The tart was not too crispy and hence easier to cut. The reduced milk had a thick consistency and the coconut flavour was subtle here.
Flan Patissier : This dessert is a must try at DeliFrance. The tart was a bit hard but good to go. The reduced milk was flavoured with fresh fruits – bananas and berries. The fruit filling is so soft and has jelly like concistency – not exactly jelly like, but thicker than jelly. Loved it!
Angel Hair Arrabiata : I have actually got bored with the same fussili and penne in red and white sauces. And angel hair pasta is so angelic in taste! The pasta is thinner and shorter than spaghetti but thicker than fine noodles. The arrabiata sauce was freshly made with tomatoes imported from France and spiced with subtle herbs. The sauce has freshly sweet and tangy flavour. Topped with very finely grated parmesan cheese, this is a must have. And did I mention the accompanying baguette with it? The baguette is freshly baked, soft and topped with light fresh tomato sauce.