There is no shortage of restaurants in Hyderabad, with several new ones popping up every month. However, when it comes to restaurants featuring offbeat and truly international cuisine, Hyderabad lags behind some of the other metros. Those that have attempted have often perished (e.g. The Blue Door). Bouchon is one of the new entrants that believes that it can fare better.
Bouchon is located inside Bombay Duck, which houses three other restaurants – Amethyst, Aubergine, and Lila. However, it is the most popular of the lot. I visited Bouchon on Friday evening, which is probably the best day to get a quick sampling of what the restaurant has to offer. Every Friday, Bouchon hosts a special ‘Tapas Friday Nights’ event, which is priced at Rs. 750 (inclusive of taxes).
Bouchon is a French word that refers to restaurants serving Lyonnaise cuisine. Tapas, however, is a Spanish word, which refers to appetizers and snacks. On the other hand is a very popular Indian fish. The cuisine of Bouchon represents this mishmash of different regions quite well. The spread is mainly French; however, it has lots of elements from other parts of Europe, and even a couple of Indian dishes.
Bouchon has both indoor and outdoor seating. I initially opted for al fresco dining, as the IPL semi-finals were displayed on a large screen. However, soon I moved indoors due to the uncomfortable Hyderabad summer weather. The décor is elegant and modern. The waiters are attentive and easily available. And, the French head chef, keeps a close eye over the quality of the dishes being served.
The spread was quite huge. Even though it only had appetizers, one searching of each dish should fill you up nicely. The veg section had various marinated veggies and olives, mozzarella cheese balls, lasagne etc. I enjoyed the lasagne as well as the hummus with pita bread; however, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the veg section, because what was available in the non-veg section was simply too tempting. The spread included chicken, lab, pork, beef, shrimp, tuna, mussel, squid, and octopus. The few dishes that I can recall are pepperoni, smoked ham, leg of lamb, and shrimp on a coconut. I was unfamiliar with most of the dishes on offer, and tasting them was an exciting gastronomic adventure. The chef had prepared strange combinations such as shrimp on a macaroon or goat cheese with beet. A few of them didn’t work for me (I didn’t like the squid much), but others were sublime. Be forewarned though, if you have a conservative palate, you might not be able to enjoy a lot of what is on offer here. However, if you love experimenting with your food, you’re going to be thrilled with the Bouchon has on offer. Perhaps keeping in mind the Indian sensibilities, there are a few Indian dishes including chaat and kachouri, but they’re nothing special.
The desserts section was not as expansive as the starters. There were delicious macaroons and mangoes on display. However, they weren’t included in the Tapas. The dessert included cream patissiere, tart, éclairs, and various flavours of gelato. The only disappointment was the mango flavoured gelato, which seemed like a diluted version of what is available in Natural.
I loved my time at Bouchon, and definitely want to pay them another visit, perhaps during the sunday brunch. However, your mileage may vary based on your palate. Also, vegetarians might be disappointed with what’s on offer, since there’s a lot of non-veg.
