A Rendezvous for dinner Vincent and Jessica Mathias’s restaurant
Rendezvous is one of the most happening 'French' eateries in Pondicherry.
THE most popular ‘French’ cuisine restaurant in all of Pondicherry is Vincent and Jessica Mathias’s Rendezvous on Rue Suffren. It is a charming, split-level eatery of 250 covers that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and whose menu is not exclusively French but includes west coast Indian cuisine, several Kerala dishes, and the kind of food you will find in tiny Goan villages. Vincent was a chef with the prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay during the late 1970s and the kitchen he worked in then was that of the flagship restaurant Rendezvous. The story goes that with the impetuousness of youth, he got involved in trade union activities, and the Taj asked him to leave. Vincent did that. He joined the shipping company Moboil as a trainee cook, was sent to Liverpool where there was a maritime college, but did not go before swearing to start a restaurant that was bigger than the Taj’s Rendezvous someday. His is an interesting story. Of how he sailed and made his money. Then returned to India to start a fastfood restaurant in Kodaikanal. Another one in Manipal. Before coming to settle down in Pondicherry. So many years after he swore to do a restaurant bigger than the one he worked in at Taj, in July 1994 Vincent opened Rendezvous in Pondicherry. And while it certainly cannot be compared to the Taj’s Rendezvous which has since shut down, Vincent’s restaurant is the toast of the town. "All the big daddies come to eat here," he says proudly. And it is true. Pondicherry’s Chief Minister N. Rangasamy dines there often and cycles off home in the night after a heavy meal without a care in the world!
The Mathias couple does an admirable team job in running Rendezvous. Vincent does not cook much now. But Jessica does! They have a staff of 51, which includes 15 in the kitchen, and it is with this team that Jessica works. She handles the back stage, planning the day’s work right from grinding all the masalas at their home (which is in the restaurant itself), to making sure the fish that comes to the door is cleaned and filleted properly. He plays the role of the manager, answering phone calls, meeting people, planning menus for private parties and banquets, taking stock of the produce, making sure that Rendezvous gets the best organic fruit and vegetables and meat from Kodai, seafood from Kerala and Bombay, he imports the alcohol, handles the finances, and generally has a good time. "We don’t specialise in anything," Vincent says, showing off Rendezvous’ 383-item menu, "but we try to excel at everything." The restaurant is strong in its Continental menu and in its seafood. "Taste the Tiger Prawn Curry, it is just like grandmother used to make it," he says. His chef’s background helps big time. He trains the kitchen staff himself in Continental food, how to run the cold kitchen, make the salad, desserts, coffees. Rendezvous has a big kitchen because, Vincent says, a cook needs place to dance! He looks after his staff, they look after his place, everybody is happy!
"The advantage of being in Pondicherry," Vincent says, "is that is has what no other city has — the Ashram! And it has French culture. But what we have here is our culture. I am aware that through Rendezvous I am the flag bearer of French culture in Pondicherry. The French come to eat my food. They are very happy! They come again and again. There is so much of repeat clientele. I get fed up seeing the same faces! But I try to make the menu exciting and suitable for everybody." And it is that kind of restaurant where, perhaps Vincent does not realise himself, you can dine at for a month and yet have a different meal every day. From sandwiches, burgers and pizzas to soups, salads and pastas, and classic French cuisine, sizzlers and tandoori to Oriental food, Goan and South Indian specialities and exciting Continental desserts. "This place is my joy," reveals Vincent. "When I was a chef with the Taj in Bombay, I once told M. F. Husain, ‘Uncle, I want to go around the world.’ And he replied, ‘Then go take a cycle!’ I am glad I did not take his advice. Though now the world cycles up to my restaurant’s door. And Pondicherry’s chief minister does that occasionally on a cycle."
THE most popular ‘French’ cuisine restaurant in all of Pondicherry is Vincent and Jessica Mathias’s Rendezvous on Rue Suffren. It is a charming, split-level eatery of 250 covers that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and whose menu is not exclusively French but includes west coast Indian cuisine, several Kerala dishes, and the kind of food you will find in tiny Goan villages. Vincent was a chef with the prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay during the late 1970s and the kitchen he worked in then was that of the flagship restaurant Rendezvous. The story goes that with the impetuousness of youth, he got involved in trade union activities, and the Taj asked him to leave. Vincent did that. He joined the shipping company Moboil as a trainee cook, was sent to Liverpool where there was a maritime college, but did not go before swearing to start a restaurant that was bigger than the Taj’s Rendezvous someday. His is an interesting story. Of how he sailed and made his money. Then returned to India to start a fastfood restaurant in Kodaikanal. Another one in Manipal. Before coming to settle down in Pondicherry. So many years after he swore to do a restaurant bigger than the one he worked in at Taj, in July 1994 Vincent opened Rendezvous in Pondicherry. And while it certainly cannot be compared to the Taj’s Rendezvous which has since shut down, Vincent’s restaurant is the toast of the town. "All the big daddies come to eat here," he says proudly. And it is true. Pondicherry’s Chief Minister N. Rangasamy dines there often and cycles off home in the night after a heavy meal without a care in the world!
The Mathias couple does an admirable team job in running Rendezvous. Vincent does not cook much now. But Jessica does! They have a staff of 51, which includes 15 in the kitchen, and it is with this team that Jessica works. She handles the back stage, planning the day’s work right from grinding all the masalas at their home (which is in the restaurant itself), to making sure the fish that comes to the door is cleaned and filleted properly. He plays the role of the manager, answering phone calls, meeting people, planning menus for private parties and banquets, taking stock of the produce, making sure that Rendezvous gets the best organic fruit and vegetables and meat from Kodai, seafood from Kerala and Bombay, he imports the alcohol, handles the finances, and generally has a good time. "We don’t specialise in anything," Vincent says, showing off Rendezvous’ 383-item menu, "but we try to excel at everything." The restaurant is strong in its Continental menu and in its seafood. "Taste the Tiger Prawn Curry, it is just like grandmother used to make it," he says. His chef’s background helps big time. He trains the kitchen staff himself in Continental food, how to run the cold kitchen, make the salad, desserts, coffees. Rendezvous has a big kitchen because, Vincent says, a cook needs place to dance! He looks after his staff, they look after his place, everybody is happy!
"The advantage of being in Pondicherry," Vincent says, "is that is has what no other city has — the Ashram! And it has French culture. But what we have here is our culture. I am aware that through Rendezvous I am the flag bearer of French culture in Pondicherry. The French come to eat my food. They are very happy! They come again and again. There is so much of repeat clientele. I get fed up seeing the same faces! But I try to make the menu exciting and suitable for everybody." And it is that kind of restaurant where, perhaps Vincent does not realise himself, you can dine at for a month and yet have a different meal every day. From sandwiches, burgers and pizzas to soups, salads and pastas, and classic French cuisine, sizzlers and tandoori to Oriental food, Goan and South Indian specialities and exciting Continental desserts. "This place is my joy," reveals Vincent. "When I was a chef with the Taj in Bombay, I once told M. F. Husain, ‘Uncle, I want to go around the world.’ And he replied, ‘Then go take a cycle!’ I am glad I did not take his advice. Though now the world cycles up to my restaurant’s door. And Pondicherry’s chief minister does that occasionally on a cycle."
