BLACKBOOK IN THE KNOW 5 6 It had to be blue In late 2012, France’s Rougié (rougie.com), the internationally acclaimed foie gras producer, got into an equally upmarket, though surprisingly unrelated business – lobster. And not just any: the decidedly delectable but rarely tasted Homarus gammarus, or European blue lobster (named for the royal hue of its shell), which accounts for only 5% of the world’s production of the shellfish. Today, it’s appearing on grandes tables from Paris to Tokyo, thanks to Rougié’s partnership with a tiny but enormously innovative Breton company. “Rougié understood that our priority is quality, not volume,” says Alexis Taugé, founder of Cinq Degrés Ouest (5do.fr). “This product is a luxury… our desire is to help people rediscover it, with all its natural qualities preserved.” Using a revolutionary highpressure technology, the lobster – fished only during the short months its flesh quality reaches perfection – is de-shelled raw. The animal suffers no stress; this ultra-fresh lobster’s gustative qualities are then entirely conserved thanks to nitrogen cryogenic freezing. Its briny-sweet flavour and exquisite texture leave little doubt why Bretons have long considered homard bleu the king of crustaceans. Jeffrey T Iverson 6 6 Ho Chi Minh Hotspot The onetime sleepy preserve of expats and diplomats, An Phu has morphed into a buzzy suburb with interior furnishing boutiques, day spas, cosy bars and three of the city’s best eateries – making this leafy quartier a destination in its own right LuBu The Deck Of all the hip new openings, An Phu’s most coveted tables are at LuBu ( $ luburestaurant.com), or “hectic” in Vietnamese, a name that presumably refers to the kitchen – where almost everything on the pan-Mediterranean menu is made from scratch – rather than the ambience inside its whitewashed, roughly rendered walls. Signature dishes like seared swordfish with steamed potatoes, squash, tomato frito and bacon jam and harissa beetroot-cured salmon with pine nuts, pink grapefruit and beetroot chips guarantee a return visit. At homespun dining salon Trois Gourmands (3gourmandsaigon.com), or 3G, Gils Brault’s extensive menu groans beneath the weight of rustic dishes guaranteed to delight Gallic culinary traditionalists and worry the weight-conscious: foie gras is fashioned into everything from fried spring rolls to weighty crowns for tender joues de boeuf; lobster is accompanied by artichoke or homemade ravioli; and locustwood-smoked salmon pairs with homemade truffled cheese. Airy, open outpost The Deck (thedecksaigon.com) offers a stark contrast to 3G, trading on contemporary Asian fusion cuisine, minimalist decor by interior designer owner Lawson Johnson and jaw-dropping views over the Saigon River. Bartenders craft peach and cardamom bellinis and dragonfruit margaritas devised by renowned New York mixologist Joseph Barowski at a marble bar, while waiters ferry Asian-fusion dishes like galangal-infused caramelised salmon, chargrilled lamb fillet kushiyaki and chargrilled Phu Quoc prawns drizzled in garlic olive oil from kitchen to table. gemma price Photos from top: emily Robertson, Frederik Wissink (2) 40 CENTURION-Magazine.COM CONTACT CENTURION SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS
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