SAISON
A Year at The
French Cafe
Simon Wright
The
famous Auckland restaurant The French Cafe has long been the epitome of
excellence. The service is exemplary, the atmosphere cossetted and refined yet
convivial, and the food ... well, the food is nothing short of heavenly.
Met with
both public and critical acclaim The French Café has won Cuisine’s restaurant
of the year award twice, Metro’s restaurant of the year award six times,
and the Lewisham Awards judged Simon Wright ‘most outstanding chef’ in 2003,
2006 and 2010. Just to top that off, Tripadvisor users have just voted it
the best restaurant in New Zealand and the South Pacific and fourth best in the
world.
Husband
and wife team Simon Wright (chef) and Creghan Molloy-Wright (front of house)
have woven magic here ever since they took the restaurant over in in 1999.
Simon still works tirelessly in the kitchen, keeping a tight rein on the menu.
This
gorgeous book transports you into the world of The French Café. Whether you
want to recreate your favourite recipes or just sit back and admire, Simon Wright
walks readers through the experience of diners at the restaurant — your mouth
will be watering and your stomach rumbling before you have even reached the
beautiful photographs of the food.
The
recipes unfold through seasons, and in his opening essay Simon discusses how he
feels food should be eaten: seasonal, local and fresh. Explains Simon, ‘that’s
why the word ‘saison’ seems such a fitting title for my second book — not only
as a salute to my classic French training but also as a reference to the way I
plan my menus throughout the year. It’s the one word that describes the
discipline that is the thought process behind my food’.
Simon’s
food philosophy is integral to both the book and the restaurant. As Simon says,
‘there is no question that to be an individual in this business your restaurant
has to be a reflection of your own personality, thoughts and ideas. And as that
changes, so does the restaurant.’
Saison explores Simons’ cooking style, his
way of working and his journey as a chef, watching the evolution of cooking
techniques and trends as well as changes in food production. ‘I have gone
through all the trends: from the era in which waiters served the food from
platters at the table, through the nouvelle cuisine phase (during which food
lost its soul for a time), to the super-star-chef years and molecular
gastronomy up to where we are today, a period in which cuisine, I’m happy to
argue, is finally in balance with how we live our lives. There’s a more natural
approach; the simplicity and quality of the ingredients are allowed to shine
through.’
Many
recipes are complex so Simon understands that most people will not try to
reproduce all of them. ‘If nothing else, I want you to read this book, be
inspired and take elements from one recipe and piece it together with another.
I want you to grow in confidence with your cooking, to taste, feel, understand
and develop through trial and error.’
Following on
from Simon’s first book, The French Café Cookbook, this second cookbook
showcases his glorious approach to food and his respect for the seasons in
which ingredients are at their peak. Lavishly produced and beautifully
illustrated with photographs by Charlie Smith and watercolours by Kirsten
Roberts this handsome book is the next best thing to dinner at The French Cafe!
Random House NZ
12 November 2014
RRP $95.00
Hardback with slip case
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