Chez Vous shows us how the French do it

You can now taste a piece of French life right amidst the bustling lanes of Mumbai. Chez Vous, touted as Mumbai’s first all-French bistro, will soon be open to the public.

Literally meaning ‘your place’, Chez Vous wants people to experience the French way of eating food. “A traditional French bistro is a warm and friendly place with simple but delicious food, which we have recreated here,” says 31-year-old Satyen Melwani, one of the co-owners.

Walk into the bistro, which is replacing the legendary Sundance Cafe at Eros Building and you are transported into a world of stark white walls, black furniture and to break the monotony, splashes of green.

“The theme was Absinthe, so green features prominently in the interiors,” says Maria Jiminez Leon, the interior designer for the place. Green finds its way in the large chandelier that lights up the Absinth lounge, the lounge seating and the seating on the first floor. Leon has also introduced small elements to give a feel of a traditional French bistro — carved mirror frames, carved blackboards, and geometric motif patterns on the ceiling and lining the bar area. The bistro has three blackboards, “which will list the day’s special, made from the freshest ingredients available”, informs Leon.

As a tribute to Sundance Cafe; and because “everyone in the city has some Sundance memory,” according to Melwani, Chez Vous has two Sundance specials on its menu - a beef cheese burger and a veg cheese burger.

The menu is the masterpiece of chef Cedric Combe, 33 (also a co owner) who, with his eight member team, will be dishing out all things French from their small kitchen.

“Sharing food is big part of eating out in France and to serve that end, we have introduced meat, fish and vegetable platters”.

The platters include canapes, gherkins, cheeses, fresh fruit, shrimp, croquettes and cold cuts. Beef, chicken, veal and fish are the meat staples and the chef promises a lot of crab specials.

Chocolate tarts, nougats, creme brulee, baked Alaska snow egg and upside down pineapple pastry makes up the dessert list.
The bistro is open all day and serves breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. While most ingredients will be procured locally, the wine, foie gras and cheeses are being imported from France.

The wine and cocktail list is typically French with cointreaus, cognac, chatreuse and of course, absinthe playing starring roles. The absinthe fountains at the bar promise absinthe lovers a taste of the ‘green fairy’.

Will Chez Vous truly make you feel at home? Find out for yourselves when they throw their doors open to the public next week.