MAISON POURCEL, A FAMILY HOUSE
THE MOST COLONIAL TERRACE.

Shanghai, late July. J&L Pourcel and Olivier Château opened the doors to Maison Pourcel. A lovely place, in an Art Deco building that managed to withstand the assaults of time and contractors, in the French concession. A site steeped in history since it was the place where, back in the 30s, the first French restaurant in the city opened: it was called the "Maison Rouge" and was a very popular Shanghai spot. Away from the frenzy that makes Shanghai vibrate. Plane trees offer much sought-after shade, especially during these days, when heat and humidity reign over Shanghai. This district is a very special spot in the city, right in the middle of skyscrapers, neon lights, and luxury shopping malls. In there, everything is at human scale. Dolce vita.

Maison Pourcel offers genuine French Mediterranean cuisine, obviously designed by the twin brothers. Maison Pourcel has different spaces. On the last floor of the building, the 8^th one, under the sun, or under the stars, a gourmet restaurant nicely topped with an open-air glass roof, surrounded by bay windows. The charm would not be as attractive without...a terrace. And there is, indeed, a terrace! A small terrace like a cocoon, like the bow of a boat, which towers above the building and overlooks the woody districts.

On the 6^th floor, the lounge and its wine and cocktail bar, three private dinner rooms and a large terrace sheltered under an arbour, which can accommodate up to sixty guests. Whenever you want to, a place where you can cool down with fresh fruit juices, teas or coffees. When the night becomes tender - or devilish - you will indulge yourself to a few cocktails. Do not try to resist our reinterpretation of MOJITO. Go for the traditional recipe or choose the one with tonic, orange or mango. Or even the royal recipe, with a dash of champagne. Explosive, surprising mojitos that will set the tone for the rest of the night. Music...and let the party begin!

Maison Blanche celebrates its 20^th anniversary

On September 7^th, restaurant Maison Blanche, one of the nicest Parisian food places, will celebrate its 20^th anniversary. 20 years have already passed since the place set up on the roof of the Champs-Elysées theatre, on the prestigious avenue of fashion and haute jewellery. Up above the façade of the theatre, which stands as a listed building, is the wide bay window that looks out over the Seine and its flurry of river-boats, the typical Parisian roofs and last but not least, the Eiffel Tower.  Paris stands at the foot of Maison Blanche, but after all, Maison Blanche IS Paris! The Pourcel brothers's cuisine found its Parisian setting over 10 years ago. A few months ago, they entrusted the key to their kitchen to Chef Sylvain Ruffenach, a great chef from Alsace, who spent some of his training time with New-Yorker chef Daniel Boulud. It has already been 20 years since chef José Lampreia created restaurant Maison Blanche, back in 1990. Since then, it has always been the favourite place of young lovers and VIPs. All the greatest stars in the world have had dinner at Maison Blanche. It is also the perfect place for exclusive events, weddings, birthday parties, and the favourite spot of major companies to celebrate their achievements.  Maison Blanche offers a large two floors dinner room, which can accommodate up to 300 seated guests or 400 standing guests for cocktail parties. Every Saturday, at midnight, Maison Blanche turns into one of the trendiest clubs of the city by hosting the "White Party". A place where hip Parisians party hard until 6 in the morning.

Maison blanche - The CHIC-EST terrace ever!

A wooden terrace, exquisitely shaded by trees, to indulge in the few Parisian sunbeams. Away from any urban hustle, this welcoming, intimate and quiet place is the perfect location for a business lunch or a break between two meetings. This open-air terrace, which looks out onto the Eiffel Tower, and remains opened during summer and covered in winter, is also the meeting place for smokers...

You will be able to choose from a menu of original cocktails that you will sip on while daydreaming about crazy Parisian nights.

Happy Birthday Maison Blanche!

CARTE BLANCHE to MAISON BLANCHE

From September 13^th to 18^th, restaurant Maison Blanche moves away from prestigious Parisian avenue Montaigne to take up its quarters in Shanghai. General manager Bruno Franck, and chef Sylvain Ruffenach will be in Shanghai for the MAISON BLANCHE week.

Which is a twofold event, since Maison Blanche will perform in two different places: first of all at the France Pavilion, where the menu will be exclusively designed by chef Sylvain Ruffenach, and then at Maison Pourcel, where every night, the gourmet menu will also be designed by the chef.

Maison Blanche will therefore aim at Chinese customers, and for a few days, Paris will get closer to Shanghai. Being at the biggest World Fair of the century and at the France Pavilion sure is a nice way to celebrate one's 20^th anniversary! 

Welcome the artists and let the show begin!

Gourmet menu - "Maison Blanche" Paris
2010 Shanghai World Expo

Appetizers

Sea bass tartare flavoured with Raz el Hanout.
Cucumber aspic and Greek yogurt ice-cream

Menu

Large Mediterranean prawns, pumpkin royale with orange, chestnut emulsion
Pan-fried duck foie gras, lime caramel and mango in Muscat
Roasted turbot, avocado chutney with coriander, Parmentier mashed potato and green curry
Lamb chop and slow-cooked lamb shoulder façon kebab with oregano, eggplants and tomatoes au parmesan

Desert
"Ebony" molten chocolate cake, Bailey's panacotta, vanilla ice cream.

Algiers the White

Algiers The White, Algiers the Happy, Algiers the Well Protected: the city deserves all the nicknames it was given. It offers infinite treasures. The first thing you see when entering the Algiers bay is the old town, the Casbah. On top of everything, it overlooks the modern city. Its light can be dazzling when the sun hits the white walls of the city and the blue water of the Mediterranean. A city of contrasts. Welcoming. Exotic. Complex. Enriched by its relics. Go for a walk. Discover this city that was founded during the 7^th century BC. and that still shows traces of Carthaginian, Roman, Ottoman, Spanish and French occupations. Maupassant described Algiers as a "lovely, filled with dazzling light" place, Montherlant characterized it as a "paradise", Jules Roy found it dazzling, while Camus described its sweltering sun. Delacroix discovered the magic, the light, colours and aromas of Algiers in 1832. A short 3-day trip during which the doors to the East and more specifically to a harem welcomed him. The painter had the privilege to meet Algiers women in their golden, silky "prison". Eugène Delacroix came back from his trip imbued with orientalist fever. He then spent two years working on one his masterpieces "The Women of Algiers", a direct expression of his trip and emotions.

Just for a weekend, or for vacations, experience Algiers. Algiers the Antique, Algiers the Picturesque, Algiers the Traditional, Algiers the Modern, Algiers the Controversial, Algiers the Unknown, Algiers the Gate to Sahara desert. Hurtle down the steps of the Casbah, enter the gates to La Grande Poste, breath Le Jardin d'Essai, visit the Djamaa El-Kebir mosque, daydream in the Roman ruins of Tipasa and Cherchell, and do not miss the "the tomb of the Christian woman" better known as the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania. Jacques et Laurent Pourcel fell in love with this versatile city, and designed the menu for "le Continental" restaurant in Sofitel Algiers Hamma Garden. The new menu was recently launched.  A cuisine filled with Mediterranean flavours, waiting for you after a long day of walk under the sun of Algiers. At night, behind the gigantic bay windows of Sofitel, you will treat yourself to the show offered by the lights of Algiers la Belle.

Love at first sight with a paradise to be immoderately protected.
En route for the South. The Camargue.

 

Alphonse Daudet, Mistral and even French youth idol of the 60s, Johnny Hallyday, sung praises of this lords land. Van Gogh painted it. It is neither shallow, nor jet-setty, even since the French President rode its lands on a horse. It remains wild and confidential. Furiously.

From the ramparts of Aigues-Mortes to the walls of Saintes-Maries de la Mer church, through the Alyscamps of Arles, discover the genuine, true, deep South of France, and find the treasures it hides between its sea, its marshland and its ponds. Rich paradises with specific flora and fauna. Protected species, such as elegant red flamingos, found a shelter in there and you might even experience a chance meeting with them during a random walk.

Camargue offers the strokes of mistral and the shrilling of cicadas, a seashore that celebrates the union of sea water and freshwater. A little paradise you have to visit. Where Nature, Men and traditions live in perfect harmony on the shores of Vaccarès, the long banks of the Rhone river and the seashores of the Mediterranean. On these harsh lands, kingdom of félibres, manadiers (owners of bull of horse herds) and gardians (Camargue herdsmen) look after brave toros, reared for bullfight, while rice growers cultivate their wild rice. They all stand for Camargue.

Reach Arles by the road or the canal. Just when the morning comes. Go pay respectful tribute to Cesar's bust, dragged away from the dark waters of the river. The only remaining statue of the emperor made while he was alive. Cesar saved from the waters to illuminate the antique Arles museum. Go for a walk.

By lunchtime, look for some shade under the arbours. Find sheltered terraces. Stride along the avenues and treat yourself to delicious gourmet surprises. A few steps away from the museum, enter l'Atelier or the Bistro d'à Côté, owned by Jean-Luc Rabanel, a chef with two Michelin stars, discover his gourmet cuisine filled with emotion and experience.
www.rabanel.com.

With taste-buds satiated with anis or calisson, leave Arles to penetrate the heart of Camargue. Head to Les Saintes-Maries de la Mer. Birds and toros will greet you along the way. Small gardian houses, sagne roof sheds, pave the way like big white pebbles. Just as white as the fiery horses, descendants of Crin Blanc, the hero of the eponymous book by Denys Colomb de Daunant, a famous Camarguais as well as an aristocrat, dandy manadier. Road signs will lead you to the road of farmhouses bearing singsong names such as Mas Cacharel, Pont des Bannes, Auberge Cavalière, Mas de la Fouque...

The bell tower of the old church appears in the distance. You have reached the Saintes. The shade of marquis Folco de Baroncelli hangs over the city. In the 19^th century, he stood up for minorities, and since then, Tziganes, Romanies, Manouches, Gypsies and Camarguais, gardians, bullfighters, tourists and street musicians and fortune-tellers mix in the city.

Dinner time is coming. You like shellfish coming straight from the sea, to be eaten raw or just seared a la plancha?  Facing the bullring, stop at El Pica Pica. Or investigate roads and paths. Why don't you stop at "La Chassagnette"?

A green, sustainable, eco-friendly restaurant at the heart of Camargue...but not only. Chef Armand Arnal reigns over the kitchen. Mistral enthusiastically sings praises of this man who previously worked for Chef Ducasse. Last spring, Gault Millau awarded Armand Arnal its "Gault Millau d'Or". A trophy that recognizes "dynamism, corporate spirit and modernity in a creative, talented chef".

And if you feel like dreaming, sleeping and contemplating shooting stars, have dinner in the wild part of Camargue. Here is a magical place to do so: « Le Mas de Peint ». A unique place, a genuine 17^th century residence, the family house of Lucille and Jacques Bon. The chef is creative. He cooks products from his kitchen garden (Le Sambuc, Arles, 04-90-97-20-62.)

The day after, enjoy some free time at the beach: choose Beauduc's beach. Bathe in genuine, intense freedom. Do not be afraid of the chaotic, dusty path that will lead you to the last wild paradise of cabaniers, nature lovers, surfers and telline pickers.

And be crazy, go "sort" the toros with the gardians of herds, right at the heart of the nature reserve, and sail on the Petit Rhône, under the supervision of wild birds (www.kayakvert-camargue.fr). By the end of the day, reach Aigues-Mortes. Lovely evening in the shade of the ramparts that saw Saint-Louis leave for the crusades. Aigues-Mortes is the paradise of white gold: salt. Choose fleur de sel, the sea salt that settles on the red banks of salt ponds. Do not leave without paying a visit to one of the nice restaurants in the city, such as the Templiers, a place owned by Igor Alary. Walk in the steps of Claude and Georges Pompidou, Jackie Kennedy-Onassis and have diner at la Camargue before going for a dance at mythical "Chu", la Churascaia, a night-club lost in the middle of nowhere, between roubines and maritime pines. A place like no other, which has been characterized by its magic, its free spirit and its starry sky for almost fifty years. Dance till dawn.

La Churascaia, 30600 Vauvert, 04-66-73-51-99.  

In the small hours, in the nonchalance of summer, go back to Montpellier.