Robert works within his own Oriental tradition, although nowhere in the Far East will you find such dishes, for he has used his background as a springboard rather than a straitjacket. The style is Vietnamese, but the flavors transcend national frontiers. An impressive list of French-born chefs regard Tan Dinh’s as a cuisine that merits critical scrutiny. After a bowl of his frogs’ legs soup, Alain Senderens exclaimed, “Worthy of l’Archestrate.”
There are a number of initial surprises. The restaurant, with its coral fabric walls and sober chandeliers, is far removed from the clichés of paper lanterns and dragon motifs. The wine list is connoisseur. The chef speaks fluent French and English and was graduated from the Sorbonne. His kitchen costume is blue jeans and tennis shoes.
In the evenings the service is handled by a white-coated waiter and three men in business suits coming after their day’s work is done—father, brother, and uncle. Family solidarity. Father is a director of marketing for Citroën. Brother is a graduate student of pharmacology. Uncle has an office job.
In Saigon the Vifian family on both sides was well-to-do. Robert’s maternal grandfather owned a shop selling imported delicacies that was the local equivalent of Fauchon. From the age of eleven the boy was given sips of French vintage wines to develop his palate. Grandpa had hired Saigon’s best chef to come to the house and give lessons to his four daughters as part of their preparation for important marriages.
This girlhood training helped Robert’s mother when the family came to Paris to begin life again. She did all the cooking in the bistro in the Fifth Arrondissement that they named Tan Dinh, meaning New Town. The boys were still in school. Robert did his homework in the restaurant. Because of his interest in food and wine, he began helping his mother.
Vifian père, a nimble, tennis-playing bon vivant, is planning to buy a pharmacy for older son Freddy. “We certainly had to do as much for Robert,” he says, explaining Tan Dinh’s move to larger quarters in the summer of 1978. Now Robert directs the kitchen with the aid of mother, aunt, and two helpers.
First-timers to Tan Dinh experience a tremor of surprise upon entering, fearful they have strayed into a French restaurant. The tasteful, subdued interior is neither an accident nor a holdover from a previous tenant. The Vifians were not out to capitalize on folklore. They wanted to be judged by the same standards as a comparable French restaurant. Paradoxically, the soft sell of the décor prepares the client for the out-of-the-ordinary. Furthermore, the understatement discreetly indicates that prices will not be Oriental-bargain but going-rate-Parisian.
In addition to Robert’s personalized contributions, a few traditional dishes are always available, prepared with the care they once received in Mrs. Vifian’s home. They are unusual to those not familiar with Vietnamese cuisine. Cha gio (pronounced “cha yo”) is Vietnam’s version of the Chinese spring roll. At Tan Dinh it is called pâte impériale. The crisply deep-fried rolls are presented surrounded with their fixings. You go to work making neat packets: first a cha gio, then a wee slice of pickled carrot, perhaps a bit of cucumber, a sprig of mint, then the careful wraparound with a salad leaf (romaine is good) and a dip into the sauce. Forget the chopsticks. This is irresistible finger food.
Noodles are a specialty of the Orient. At Tan Dinh an individual portion adds up to three rice bowls full. Topped with an exquisite sauce of shrimp and vegetables, they are good to the point of soul satisfaction. No doubt a similarly seduced Marco Polo brought back the noodles of the East to inspire the pasta of the West. Typifying Robert’s interchange between the two worlds, his fillet of beef, the most tender and flavorful imaginable, is a Western dish treated in an Oriental manner.
The topography of the Champs-Élysées is like the backbone of a fish, the main thoroughfare with small vertebrae leading off from either side. The Champs are now as populous as the Grands Boulevards and no longer fashionable; the haute couture and the class restaurants are all in the side streets.
Chiberta is located on the short rue Arsène-Houssaye at the Étoile end of the Champs-Élysées. It is the most New York–in–spirit restaurant in Paris, even though most of the customers speak French and the acme of French crystal, flatware, and porcelain is laid on the shrimp-bisque tablecloths.
Detractors criticize the place as too glitteringly perfect, not that anyone can fault the supermodern air-conditioning system that can aspirate every curl of smoke within seconds. The admirers who keep Chiberta sold-out represent a slice of successful Paris in the arts, politics, communications, and big business. If the atmosphere suggests Manhattan’s The Four Seasons, that is fine with the local customers. The Concorde set is not attracted to Quaint on its home grounds.
Chiberta has had a meteoric career since it appeared on the Paris scene at the end of 1976. Within a few months it had won the annual prize given by the Académie-Kléber-Colombes. The epitome of sleek chic contemporary, Chiberta has a superlative host in Louis-Noël Richard and an interesting young chef, Jean-Michel Bedier.
A round-faced, ginger-haired Burgundian, looking younger than his thirty-two years, Bedier claims no mystic vocation, saying only, “I was a dunce in school.” Homework may have been torture, but helping maman and grand-mère in the kitchen was a pleasure. For the past twelve years he has been a Parisian, beginning as low man on the totem pole at the Relais Paris-Est. From there he moved to the kitchen of Georges Garin, then the most famous chef in Paris. Next step was Le Camélia in the suburb of Bougival, regarded as a top training ground.
Sticking to the periphery, Bedier went to the dreary northern suburb of Gennevilliers and earned a Michelin star for a restaurant there called Julius. Chiberta was his return to the heart of the capital. The stars were right.
He had a free hand in a splendidly equipped kitchen. His recipes are evanescent. It is rare for tomorrow’s dish to be precisely like today’s. He likes to play the market. What looks good to him when buying determines an alteration here or an adjustment there.
He likes his sauces short, his recipes provocative, and his primary ingredients barely transformed by heat. A gentle shock of surprise is fun, but his personal rule is demanding: A Jean-Michel Bedier dish must be bon et beau.
Because the proof of this pudding is in the eating, here is a sampling of recipes from four bright young chefs of Paris Present.
BAVAROIS DE SAUMON FUMé CHIBERTA
(Smoked Salmon Molds)
Line 4 timbale, charlotte, or other deep molds, each 3 to 4 inches in diameter at the top, rinsed, with ¾ pound very thinly sliced smoked salmon. Trim any overhanging salmon and in a food processor fitted with the steel blade purée it.
In a small bowl beat ½ cup crème fraîche until it holds soft peaks. In a bowl combine the puréed smoked salmon, 4 teaspoons red salmon roe, preferably Russian, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne. Gently fold in the crème fraîche, divide the bavarois mixture among the molds, and chill it for 1 hour.
Run a thin knife around the inside of each mold and invert each mold with a sharp rap onto a plate. Nap and surround each mold with coulis de tomates frais and sprinkle it with snipped chives. Serves 4.
COULIS DE TOMATES FRAIS CHIBERTA
(Fresh Tomato Purée)
In a blender or in a food processor fitted with the steel blade purée 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, and force the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl. Season the purée with salt and pepper and chill it. Makes about 1 cup.
TERRINE DE RAIE JAMIN(Skate Terrine with Scallop Mousse)
In a large flameproof baking dish combine 4 pounds skate with water to cover, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and a cheesecloth bag containing 6 sprigs of parsley, 6 peppercorns, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1 bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a boil and poach the skate over low heat for 5 minutes. Let the skate cool in the liquid, transfer it with a slotted spatula to a cutting board, and skin and bone it.
In a small heavy saucepan reduce 1 cup white fish stock over high heat to 2 tablespoons. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade or
in a blender in batches purée 1 pound sea scallops, rinsed, with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Transfer the purée to a metal bowl, set the bowl in a larger bowl filled with cracked ice, and beat the purée until it is cold and thick. Beat in 3 egg whites, 1 at a time, and the reduced fish stock. Beat in 1 cups crème fraîche, about ¼ cup at a time, until it is incorporated and the mousse is fluffy. Chill the mousse, covered, for 25 minutes.
Spoon one third of the mousse into a buttered 1½-quart rectangular ceramic or glass terrine, cover it with half of the skate, and continue to layer the mousse and skate, ending with a layer of mousse. Rap the pan sharply to expel any bubbles and smooth the top with a spatula. Put the terrine in a baking pan, add enough hot water to the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the terrine, and bake the terrine, covered with a buttered sheet of wax paper and a triple layer of foil, in a preheated moderately slow oven (325°F) for 2 hours. (The water in the baking pan should be just hot.) Remove the terrine from the baking pan, let it cool, and chill it for at least 12 hours, or longer, if possible.
Remove the foil and wax paper and run a thin knife around the inside of the terrine. Dip the pan in hot water for 2 to 3 seconds and invert a platter over it. With a sharp rap, invert the terrine onto the platter. Blot up any liquid with paper towels. Slice the terrine with a serrated knife and serve it surrounded with sauce tomate froide. Serves 6 to 8.
SAUCE TOMATE FROIDE JAMIN
(Cold Tomato Sauce)
In a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a blender purée ¾ pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, and force the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar and add 2 tablespoons olive oil in a stream, beating the sauce until it is well combined. Add 1 tablespoon minced tarragon and 2 mint leaves, snipped. Makes about 1 cup.
ASPERGES ET SAUMON CHIBERTA(Salmon with Asparagus)
Purée 4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, through the fine disk of a food mill into a saucepan and cook the purée over moderately high heat, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated completely. Season the purée with salt and pepper, measure it, and chill it.
In a ceramic or stainless-steel bowl combine the purée with twice its volume in whipped cream, folding in the cream a little at a time until it is well incorporated. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to taste, transfer the sauce to a sauceboat, and garnish it with mint leaves.
In a large skillet cook a ½-pound salmon steak, skinned, boned, sliced into 8 scallops, and flattened between sheets of wax paper, in ¼ cup clarified butter over moderately high heat for 5 seconds on each side, or until it is firm.
Remove and discard the coarse stems from 2 bunches of watercress, rinsed and patted dry, sprinkle the watercress with olive oil and salt to taste, and divide it among the lower third of 4 plates. Put 2 salmon scallops over each mound of watercress, sprinkle them with snipped chives, and on the upper two thirds of each plate arrange 4 cooked asparagus in a fan design. Serve the dish with the tomato sauce. Serves 4.
BAR AU BEURRE BLANC JAMIN(Sea Bass with Vegetables)
Have the fishmonger skin and fillet a 5-to 6-pound sea bass and cut each fillet into 3 scallops.
In a saucepan cook ½ pound carrots, cut crosswise into 1½-inch lengths and each length trimmed into a neat oval, in 1 quart boiling salted water over high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until they are just tender. In another saucepan cook ½ pound small white onions in 1 quart boiling salted water over high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are just tender. In a small enameled or stainless-steel saucepan cook 6 mushrooms, trimmed, in 2 cups water with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt over moderate heat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are just tender.
In a large enameled or stainless-steel roasting pan combine 1 cup each of dry white wine, white fish stock, and thinly sliced fennel and ½ cup chopped shallots. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and reduce it for 5 minutes. Add the fish and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until it just flakes when tested with a fork. Transfer the fish with a slotted spatula to a platter and keep it warm. Reduce the cooking liquid over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is syrupy. Add ⅔ cup heavy cream and reduce the mixture over high heat for 3 minutes. Whisk in 1 stick (½ cup) firm but not hard butter, cut into 6 pieces, 1 piece at a time, adding each new piece before the previous one has completely melted. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl and season it with salt and white pepper. Divide the sauce among 6 heated plates, put a bass scallop in the center of each plate, and arrange the vegetables decoratively around the fish. Serves 6.
FRICASSÉE DE HOMARD CHIBERTA
(Lobster Fricassee)
In a kettle bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil with 2 tablespoons vinegar, add two 1½-pound lobsters, and cook them over high heat for
2 minutes. Transfer the lobsters with tongs to a cutting board and shell them. Force the coral, if any, through a fine sieve into a small bowl.
In a saucepan cook ½ cup each of diced carrot, diced celery, and diced turnip with salt and pepper to taste in 3 tablespoons butter, covered, over moderately low heat for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
In another saucepan cook ½ cup green beans, trimmed and cut into lengths, in 2 quarts boiling salted water over high heat for
3 minutes. Add ½ cup each of snow peas, trimmed, frozen green peas, and frozen lima beans and cook the vegetables for 3 minutes more, or until they are just tender. Drain the vegetables in a colander, refresh them under running cold water, and transfer them to the bowl.
In a large skillet combine the lobster meat, 4 teaspoons dry sherry, and curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste and steam the lobster, covered, over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add ½ cup heavy cream and reduce the sauce over high heat for 2 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon. Add the vegetables, the puréed coral, if any, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer the fricassee for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are heated through. Stir in 2 tablespoons softened butter. Transfer the fricassee to heated plates. Serves 4.
FILET DE BOEUF AU CITRON TAN DINH(Marinated Fillet of Beef)
In an enameled or stainless-steel saucepan combine ⅔ cup each of chicken broth and Asian soy sauce, ? cup lemon juice, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon each of salt and wasabi (Japanese horseradish, available at Asian groceries), ¼ teaspoon each of pepper, cinnamon, and ground star anise, and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil over moderately high heat, skim the froth that rises to the surface, and let the marinade cool.
With the point of a sharp knife make several small incisions in a 1½-pound fillet of beef, well trimmed. Divide 2 teaspoons each of minced lemon peel and peppercorns among the incisions, add the meat to the marinade, and let it marinate for 30 minutes. Transfer the meat with a slotted spatula to a cutting board, pat it dry with paper towels, and halve it crosswise. Strain the marinade into a bowl and reserve ½ cup of it.
In a small saucepan combine the reserved marinade, ½ cup chicken broth, and 1 tablespoon potato starch. Bring the liquid to a boil over moderate heat, cook the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it is slightly thickened, and keep it warm, covered.
Broil the meat on a broiler rack under a preheated broiler about
4 inches from the heat for 3 minutes on each side for rare meat. Transfer the meat to a cutting board, let it stand for 2 minutes, and cut it into ¼-inch slices. Divide the meat among 4 plates, nap it with the sauce, and sprinkle it with snipped chives. Garnish each plate with soft-leafed lettuce and slices of tomato and lemon. Serves 4.
PâTES FRAÎCHES DU TAN DINH
(Noodles with Shrimp and Vegetables)
Put 3 cups flour in a bowl, make a well in the center, and add 3 eggs, lightly beaten, ¼ cup cold water, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Combine the mixture well, adding more water if necessary, several drops at a time, to form a firm ball of dough. Let the dough rest, covered with an i
nverted bowl, for 1 hour. Knead and roll three fourths of the dough, reserving the remaining dough, covered and chilled, for another use, and cut it into noodles.
In a kettle bring 6 quarts water to a boil with 2 tablespoons salt. Arrange the noodles in a wire basket, lower the basket into the kettle, and cook the noodles for 30 seconds, or until they are al dente. Lift the basket from the water, drain the noodles, and transfer them to a bowl. Toss them with ¼ cup peanut oil.
In a large skillet stir-fry 1 large green pepper, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise, in 3 tablespoons peanut oil over high heat for 10 seconds. Add 1 cup thinly sliced onion, 1 large zucchini, scrubbed, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices, 4 teaspoons tomato paste, and 2 teaspoons minced garlic and stir-fry the mixture for 10 seconds. Add ½ pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, and halved lengthwise, and stir-fry the mixture for 10 seconds. Add 1 cup canned chicken broth and the noodles and stir-fry the mixture for 15 seconds, or until the noodles are heated through. Divide the mixture among 4 heated bowls and garnish it with coriander leaves. Serves 4.
TO KNEAD AND ROLL PASTA DOUGH
Set the smooth rollers of a pasta machine at the highest number (10 on many machines). (The rollers will be wide apart.) Divide each pound of dough into 6 pieces and flatten 1 piece into a rough rectangle. Cover the remaining pieces with an inverted bowl. Dust the dough with flour and feed it through the rollers. Fold the dough in half and feed it through the rollers 8 or 9 times more, folding it in half each time and dusting it with flour if necessary to prevent it from sticking. Turn the dial down one notch (to 9 on many machines) and feed the dough through the rollers without folding. Continue to feed the dough through the rollers without folding, turning the dial one notch lower each time, until the lowest or second-lowest notch is reached. The pasta should be a smooth, long sheet 4 or 5 inches wide and about 1/16-inch thick. Knead and roll the remaining dough in the same manner.
Remembrance of Things Paris Page 21