William Sitwell rounds up the characters, from Mauritian fishmonger to a baker from Paris, who are flying the flag for French food in Britain.
The British may have turned the globe pink, but the French would like to think they've made it taste good. Although the two nations are only separated by a narrow strip of water, France and Britain have a rivalry - an antipathy, even - that dates back centuries. It finds modern expression in the resentment we feel at their seemingly effortless supremacy in such areas as football and lunch breaks. But there is one thing about the French we've taken to our hearts: their food. Croissants, wines, great coffee, the omelette - all standard French fare that we wouldn't now do without. And then there's the food from areas of the world where the French style of cooking and eating has merged with local traditions and ingredients to evolve into the complex and exotic flavours of places such as North Africa or Mauritius.
George Ng-Yu-Tin is among those bringing a French inflence to British palates. A London-based fishmonger and chef-pâtron, George was born on the island of Mauritius, which was colonised by France in 1715. "I was the first restaurateur to bring tropical fish to the UK," he says. These days, he imports fresh fish daily, much of it from the Seychelles, which were ruled by France for 58 years (1756-1814) and still has a strong Gallic flavour to its cuisine. (The British held power for 160 years after the French, but left virtually no gastronomic legacy.) Then there's Algerian-born Mourad Mazouz, whose London restaurant Momo put North African food firmly on the map. His latest project, Sketch (due to open in the capital this month), will incorporate fine French dining, a patisserie and even an art gallery. And French-born Patrick Fouquet, a baker for the London branch of Poilâne, works throughout the night to satisfy our desire for French-style sourdough loaves.
Of course, we can rustle up some Gallic delicacies ourselves. Soho café Maison Bertaux was opened in 1871 by Communard refugees, but today it's owned by British-born Michelle Wade, who maintains its French flavour with the help of Madame Micallef, who acts as waitress, cleaner and bouncer. And while crêpière Lindsay Wotton isn't French, she expresses her Francophilia through her Breton eaterie in Richmond, Surrey. It seems that our love for the French culinary experience is almost enough to allow us overlook that fact that they'll almost certainly stuff us in the World Cup.
Chef-pâtron
George Ng-Yu-Tin
"Typical Mauritian cuisine uses spices such as chilli, and we mix seafood with fruit - such as lobster and pineapple.
If you came here and tried my head of grouper in a bouillon, I swear you would never want to eat anything else."
La Poissonnerie du Pêcheur,
46 Golborne Road, London W10.
Tel 020 8968 5455.
Restaurateur
Mourad 'Momo' Mazouz
"What will this place be like? I don't know... beautiful, stylish, modern, with good food and
a great atmosphere. I just do
it with my heart. If you taste my food, it will change your life. Maybe this will be a place that people will thank me for. You know, this is my passion."
Momo, centre, and chefs at the building site that will be
Sketch,
9 Conduit Street, London W1.
Waitress
Madame Micallef
"We make everything fresh here - croissants, Dijon slices, tarts. Michelle, the owner, says that I'm the customer who never went home. Now all
the customers are my friends.
I serve, clean... basically I
take over. If I couldn't come here I think I would die."
Maison Bertaux,
28 Greek Street, London W1.
Tel 020 7437 6007.
Baker
Patrick Fouquet
"You might think this is exhausting work, but ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a baker. I work from 1.30am to 9.30am, but I like the hours because it's what I decided to do. I enjoy the work, too - it's traditional, manual work. It's good to follow a tradition and make everything by hand."
Poilâne,
46 Elisabeth Street, London SW1
Tel 020 7808 4910.
Crêpière
Lindsay Wotton
"I wanted to make my
restaurant more informal, and hit on the idea of a crêperie. So, I went to Brittany to learn the skills. I like to think this place is a small corner of France. All the staff here are French and some of them don't even speak English."
Chez Lindsay,
Hill Rise, Richmond, Surrey.
Tel 020 8948 7473.