Pentagonal Gastronomic Event of the Assoc. JRE: Chefs at Sea in Zadar's Foša

"Chefs at Sea" has now become a traditional event organized by the European Association of Caterers "Jeunes Restaurateurs" in the framework of which restaurant chefs from other parts of Europe visit the kitchens of restaurants on the Croatian side of the Adriatic. They are in all restaurants at the same time preparing dinners, i.e. their delicate dining creations only for ten guests.

The young Frenchman Bidard arrived in the kitchen of  the "Foša" chef Saša Began from the restaurant "Le Saint Lazare" in the small town of L'Abergement-Clemenciat, located north of Lyon and relatively close to the Swiss border and Geneva. Clement is the fifth generation of the same family to run a small but esteemed and famous restaurant since the late 19th century.

That is why Clement, in its culinary universe, respects tradition and authentic local ingredients while preparing his own meals. In his restaurant, although located in the interior of France, he dedicates most of his cooking to fish dishes, when he toys with fruit and vegetables of all kinds, so on his plates in "serious" fish dishes you can have a play of fruit. In a dessert, there may be a  pear combined with a - beetroot. 

Still, Bidard delighted the selected group of guests on the terrace of "Foša" the most with the first dish he brought the taste of French cuisine. He prepared goose foie gras with almost liquid mashed potatoes and coconut and got a great meal that one guest called - "silky".

In later sequences, the French chef, however, dedicated himself to our seafood, so his most interesting meals were those with tuna steak seared on one side only and a sea bass fillet. Bidard's cuisine is obviously characterized by unusual combinations of vegetables with protein foods and sauces. The sequences he prepared were more than interesting, the more so because he very discreetly combined the knowledge of Asian cuisine. Still, honestly, compared to the serious "seafood" offer of "Foša" Bidard's fish dishes without olive oil, no matter how interesting they might have been, only at times threw the guests off their chairs.

With all the grub made by the young Frenchman, the move of the evening was the choice of wine: except the introductory sparkling wine, all dishes were accompanied by Zadar wines, the winery "Fiolić" and "Degarra" including the strange "Bomary" from the Maraška cherry which perfectly went with the already mentioned beetroot, pear and blueberry. Clement Bidard is an ambitious chef, so it's no wonder his goal is to get a Michelin star for his small provincial but obviously successful and excellent restaurant.