Back to Two Frenchies today for Christmas Day lunch.
I had the French classic, Tournedos Rossini, an old favourite of mine. The dish itself has an interesting history - named after 18th-century Italian opera composer, Gioachino Antonio Rossini (known for his timeless classics like “The Barber of Seville” and “William Tell”), who’s also a consummate gourmand who seeked out the best places to eat in the cities where he lived: Paris, Bologna, Florence. The invention of Tournedos Rossini was often attributed to Chef Casimir Moisson of the legendary Parisian restaurant, Maison Dorée, where Rossini was a regular customer.
The dish - a piece of filet mignon that’s pan-fried in butter, then served atop a crouton, topped with a slice of pan-fried foie gras and drizzled with Madeira demi-glace sauce. Of course, a dish this good will have many others who claimed ownership over it - amongst those, Auguste Escoffier and Marie-Antoine Carême, even Café Anglais's head chef, Adolphe Dugléré (one of Carême’s proteges) whom Rossini himself dubbed Le Mozart de la cuisine.
The renditon here at Two Frenchies was perfectly executed. Instead of garnishing their dish with black truffles, the steak was served with a creamy mash with chopped black truffles whipped in.
The other entree we ordered was the Provencal classic, the Bouillabaisse. Perfectly executed here, with the freshest prawns and fish used, a testament to Penang’s ready access to seafood by virtue of it being an island.
For desserts, we order a Tarte Tatin, served with a cloud of whipped cream:
And their signature Pot au Chocolat:
Service was carried out with alacrity, as always, despite the restaurant being packed with Christmas Day diners. But what I enjoyed most here is the food - true-to-tradition, good, solid bistro cooking using quality ingredients.
