Kathmandu :

It’s gazpacho time at Chez Caroline and I sit in the courtyard ordering the piquantly

delicious chilled Spanish soup of which Caroline says, “The interpretation

I like is the light and nourishing one which has the right balance of balsamic vinegar and olive oil in the liquefied tomatoes.”

Served with pieces of ham, cheese, boiled eggs, capsicum, cucumber and croutons you mix it so that it suits your taste.

On cool nights I will have the robust French Onion Soup, which was created in the 13th century in a hunting lodge when a king mixed champagne and onions. Says Caroline, “I don’t use a meat stock. The soup has to cook slowly on a low fire. It is only made with onions and herbs and is served topped with a piece of bread and cheese grilled in the oven. It’s my family recipe.”

Caroline’s family of intellectuals with a love of good food watched delighted as she opened Chez Caroline while her husband Utpal Sengupta a New York Times notable General Manager for the Shangri-La for two decades turned from his trade and uses his skills to manage 48 villages in the Terai and run health projects in Bodh Gaya stopping in at Chez Caroline between grueling trips into for flung places.

Summery salads are made to perfection in Chez Caroline. Chef Gopal and Maitre de Madhu had me enjoying the mixed wonderful taste of the apple and celery salad served with Camembert cheese (Napoleon III’s favourite) with crushed walnuts. Caroline smiles, “The idea came from my old habit to eat apples, Camembert together. The ingredients cut the pungent taste of cheese.”

The peanuts smoked chicken and pakchoi salad in a vinaigrette dressing makes people who sample it fall silent for a moment. It is typical of Caroline’s cutting edge forays into fusion cuisine but she modestly declares, “It’s just an idea that came from nowhere one day and proved to be quite pleasant.”

Out of the 50 items on the menu, I enjoy the quiche similar looking but quite different to the pizza. The quiche was made in 1550 in Lorraine, France and was and is an open tart filled with beaten eggs and cream. It can be cooked with bacon in it. “A favourite in my grandmother’s family. I grew up with it and kept the family habit of putting some grated cheese on top,” said Caroline.

My favourite at night in Chez Caroline is the steak, which is served either with pepper or mustard sauce. The soup and sauces at Chez Caroline seldom use the flour and butter thickener. The pepper sauce has peppercorns (once sold in England by the grain) in abundance and the mustard sauce has a taste of the 1720’s when mustard was made into balls with honey, vinegar and cinnamon to keep it until needed. “I just add some fresh cream and a meat glaze.”

Nowadays I order my steaks grilled with just peppercorns and capers with a delectably French accompaniment of mashed potatoes.

To end the meal I have the lemon and basil sorbet. The first sorbet is attributed to Nero who had ice brought from the Alps to Rome. Caroline is passionate about sorbets declaring them to be “the most refreshing desserts. They are made of pure fruits with sugar syrup. This one is made of lemon juice, perfumed with fresh basil”. When Caroline isn’t around everyone from Sunil and Navaraj at the cash counter to Sukhram, Sitaram, Suman and Raju cosset diners in comfort, while Madhu and Gopal direct operations. The service is as amazing as the food. Call 4263070.