‘French cooking’ and ‘compromise’ aren’t words that traditionally go hand in hand. In fact, we reckon your average French chef would happily serve you barbecued kitten with poached dodo egg if he thought it might make a tasty combination, and he certainly wouldn’t take deux secondes to worry about how far his ingredients had travelled to reach him. That’s not to say that’s a bad thing – France’s cuisine is the envy of the world – a shining culinary bastion built on a dedication to fetching the finest delicacies from the farthest corners and shrugging nonchalantly at the consequences, usually while smoking a thin cigarette.
So, in becoming the first restaurant in the city to dedicate itself to responsible cuisine, Le Bistrot at Le Méridien is an unlikely pioneer. Last month, executive chef Daniel Brooker overhauled the restaurant’s menu – indeed, its entire concept – to include a selection of locally sourced dishes. ‘We did a one-off sustainable-themed dinner a few months ago and met a lot of useful suppliers,’ explains Daniel. ‘So we thought: Why not do it full-time?’
Seventy per cent of ingredients from the new menu are locally sourced, from Al Ain quails to herbs grown by head chef Thierry Gallas in his own back garden. Given the seasonal difficulties faced by the UAE’s farmers, it’s a bold move, but one that Daniel feels the city is ready for. ‘Sustainability has been a hot topic for many years,’ he says. ‘People are starting to realise that environmental issues are getting serious, and when people eat sustainably they feel like they’re supporting a cause. It’s all about education; we need to wean people off their luxuries.’
Still, the big question remains: can Le Bistrot really offer responsible food without compromising on quality and tarnishing the name of French cooking? We went along (anonymously, as ever) to find out.
The Taste Test
The first thing to note is that, despite the green awnings and pots of fresh herbs dotted around the dining room, non-sustainable food is still on the menu. A ‘guilty pleasures’ page stowed away at the back of the menu means you can still have foie gras and wagyu steak, though, as a business strategy designed to prevent putting off loyal customers, it’s hard to criticise.
Kicking things off, starters of local, sustainably sourced ebzimi bream with cauliflower, and prawns with sweet potato pancakes are both very good, even if the combinations have been built around the produce that’s available, rather than what works best on the palate.
The mixed grill, on the other hand, is a very poor dish; teaming gristly, skewered lamb chunks with a pair of dry lamb chops and equally arid quail breasts. A fruity jus could have rescued things (we know for a fact there are all sorts of berries growing in Al Ain), but, as it is, the dish just serves to illustrate how limited the UAE’s variety of home-reared meat really is. Still, at Dhs75 for an extremely generous plateful, it looks like Le Bistrot is at least passing on what it’s saving on import costs to its customers.
Dessert is infinitely more successful. Both the honey panacotta and date tarte tartin – served with creamy camel’s milk ice cream – would stand out on any menu in the city, and, unlike some of the starters and mains, don’t feel as though they’ve been shoe-horned into the sustainable concept.
So, has Le Bistrot’s green venture signalled a compromise on quality? As far as the meat dishes are concerned, yes – the UAE’s leathery specimens would give your typical Parisian restaurateur a mild stroke. Still, hardened eco-warriors will treasure the opportunity to make a sacrifice, while the rest of us can simply dig into the fresh seafood and creative desserts, both of which are well prepared, well priced and (most importantly) as local as they come.
Open daily, 12.30pm-3.30pm, 7pm-11.30pm. Le Méridien, Tourist Club Area (02 644 6666).
