][1]This week’s 5pm newsletter is all about bistros and brasseries. So, the 5pm Dining blog figured that we should have a chat with Craig Sandle. Mr Sandle is a man who knows a thing or two about what makes a brasserie tick – his has just been recognised with a Bib Gourmand in the latest Michelin Guide.
As the Executive Chef at Edinburgh’s Caledonian Hotel, Chef Sandle is the man charged with bringing to life the ideas of Jeff and Chris Galvin, the chefs whose name is above the doors at the Caley’s two restaurants – The Pompadour by Galvin and Galvin Brasserie de Luxe.
Galvin Brasserie de Luxe is currently running a prix fixe two course menu for £15.50 with 5pm Dining.
In this interview, as well as talking about brasseries in general, Chef Sandle talks the blog through some of the dishes on the 5pm menu.
][10]5pm: Last month, Galvin Brasserie de Luxe was given a Michelin Bib Gourmand. It was the only restaurant in Scotland to be recognised with a Bib Gourmand this year. Did that feel good?
CS: We hadn’t been expecting it. We’re really pleased with it but to say it was a surprise is an understatement. It’s great though. Bib Gourmands are for restaurants that deliver good food at a moderate price. That defines what Galvin Brasserie de Luxe is about: affordability, with great ingredients, cooking and service.
5pm: Rightly or wrongly, places recognised by Michelin were traditionally seen as offering very high end cooking, possibly with a side dish of stiff atmosphere. Do you think that is changing?
CS: I think Michelin is changing with the times. Perhaps ten years ago, most of the places with one or two Michelin stars might have been in London and there was a perception that they were where the rich and famous went to eat.
These days, Michelin have realised that people want a more relaxed, less formal experience. They still want to eat well, have good quality ingredients and have that attention to detail but they want it to be softer.
][11]5pm: What is your definition of a brasserie?
CS: For me, brasserie are big, airy and spacious. I associate them as being attached to railway stations or transport links so they are busy, bustling places with atmosphere.
They are flexible: somewhere where you can have a plate of oysters and a glass of Champagne; a three course meal or a quick plat du jour. Whatever your day holds, there is always a point where you can fit in a visit to a brasserie. The food is served at a pace and it is tasty.
5pm: Who comes to Galvin Brasserie de Luxe?
CS: Brasseries are sociable. They are places where you meet and eat but they are also good for eating alone. We have solo diners sit at the crustacean bar and eat while chatting with the staff or reading. You might be having a business lunch; be part of a group of retired ladies, someone with a child or a couple – it’s that sort of place.
][12]5pm: Is there almost a defined repertoire of brasserie dishes?
CS: There are some real classics on the Galvin Brasserie menu such as steak tartare; escargots, cassoulet, coq au vin. They are dishes that you expect to be on a menu in most brasseries. It’s partly comfort food. If you want to eat lightly then you can, perhaps from the crustacea bar. If you want to eat more substantially then you can. A good brasserie menu fits all purposes.
][14]5pm: The Galvin Brasserie de Luxe is running a two course set price menu with 5pm until November. Can you talk us through some of the dishes?
CS: Take the starter of soft poached duck egg with frisée, bacon lardons, croutons and red wine. This for me is a quintessential brasserie dish. It’s really light but at the same time it has real depth of flavour. The duck eggs are from the Borders. You have the rich, soft egg; light, crisp frisée leaves and some really nice bacon lardons which carry through the dish. There is a little bit of red wine jus and a few focaccia croutons to give some texture. It’s Scottish produce but real French flavours.
One of the main courses is a confit chicken leg with pommes mousseline and boudin noir. It’s quite simple. The chicken leg is from a top quality St Bride’s bird; the pommes mousselines is rich and smooth and then there are cubes of lightly fried boudin noir or black pudding through it. We finish it with red wine jus and some herbs. It is a classic brasserie dish in that you have two or three flavours that are quite rich and intense.
5pm: Thanks Craig.
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