French chef creates Italian food

Apart from fashion and French, Bengaluru has one other import from the streets of Paris that has been sparking creativity in artists and writers since 2008.
Jean Michel Jasserand's Toscano has the air of a Parisian café. A wine bar-cum-restaurant cum pizzeria in plush UB City, Toscano has an al fresco dining area, a vintage wine bar and wrought iron furniture that makes it every bit French.Except for the food, which is exclusively Italian.
Being French, why didn't Jasserand start a French restaurant? He says that from a market point of view, he saw a demand for Italian cuisine . "Italian food is simple and uses a lot of wine," he explains. "I did not want to try anything new." Jasserand also believes that French food would not suit the Indian palate as it's heavy on the meat. "Italian, on the other hand, is simple and has great vegetarian options and is best suited for Indian tastes," he says.
Jasserand's intention was to have something that wasn't fancy; he wanted none of that "fine dining". He wanted to set up something affordable, a place for all sorts of customers - couples, families, individuals. So Toscano is an open bistro with an old world charm, an informal place where you can eat "in jeans and Tshirt". This despite his pedigree.
The French chef previously worked in Leela Kempinski, a seven-star hotel in Bengaluru and has always been in the five-star luxury, industry. "For years I have been in charge of up to 100-150 chefs in hotels," he explains. "But then, every chef dreams of setting up his own place."
Jasserand, who has been in India for a little over seven years now, is discreet about his personal favourite cuisines. "A chef has to enjoy and like all kinds of cuisine," he says, naming Asian and Middle Eastern food as cuisines he likes. Do his creations every have an Indian touch? "We stay true to Italian tastes, patrons spice it up themselves but I never mix Indian tastes with Italian," he maintains.
His signature dish sounds quite like a mouthful. It's "sage, garlic and mountain pepper flavoured chicken breast grilled and served with rosemary roasted potatoes, caramelised ratatouille and confit tomatoes". His other favourite creation is the "chocolate kahlua mousse in almond tuile and vanilla bean creame anglaise", an absolute melt-in-the-mouth , sinful delight.
The master chef looks quite appreciative at his own little bit of 'Paree'. For Jasserand, his restaurant is his muse.
deepa.bhasthi@timesgroup.com