In the Garden of the Senses - Twin Chefs in Montpellier Blend the Modern and Traditional

MONTPELLIER, France - They are known as les Freres Pourcel, twin brothers who shook the French food world just a year ago as they captured the coveted third Michelin star for their modern, personalized restaurant on the outskirts of this southern city.

Along with their partner-maitre d'hotel-sommelier, Olivier Chateau, theylike to joke that they now have a star for each one of them.

The Pourcel story is a familiar French one. The twins Jacques and Laurent, sons of a local winemaker, grew up with a passion for the food that marries with the rich and heady local wines. As a double tour de force, they spread their wings around the country, Laurent apprenticing to such top French chefs as Michel Bras and Alain Chapel, and Jacques working under the tutelage of Michel Trama, Marc Meneau and Pierre Gagnaire. They opened their own restaurant, Le Jardin des Sens, in Montpellier in 1988 and seem never to have looked back.

Their restaurant-hotel matches their cuisine, with a look distinctly contemporary (the architect, Bruno Borrione, is known for his work at New York's Paramount and Royalton hotels) and a cuisine that intelligently blends tradition with modernity.

Be warned: The place is very hard to find, even for one with a good sense of direction and all the Michelin literature. (Internet users may visit the restaurant Web site - www.relaischateaux.fr - and print out a map.) - Vast, Tiered Dining Room Once you find it, you will enter into a garden of the senses: The vast

tiered dining room overlooks a garden in progress, with a 400-year-old olive tree, fruit trees and vines. Everywhere, from the Porthault linens to the Bernardaud china, you see that they have determined to do it right. My only complaints: prefer a more classic look and find the huge room more of a theater set than a dining room.

I also missed a female presence, one that inevitably lightens and softens what can sometimes be a sobering and off-putting grand three-star experience. The food is a model of modernity, although it is clear that the Pourcels are not about to abandon the great French traditions. Working with the regional larder of Provence and the Languedoc, they have at their disposal fresh oysters, extraordinary sea bass (loup de mer), plump farm pigeons and tender veal.

Their food is complex in ingredients, rich in flavor, but simple to understand: Who could not adore a warming first course of fresh wild cepe mushrooms paired with thin slices of country ham, a tender confit of shallots and garlic, leaves of baby spinach, all bathed in a sauce blending rich meat juices and fragrant walnut oil? Sometimes the combinations are daring, as in bonbons of crusty, deep-fried foie gras served with a sweet-and-sour salad of pears in vanilla and teamed with a salad featuring grilled-rapeseed oil.

Simpler, and so welcoming, is their salad of ''all the season's vegetables, served raw and served cooked'' tossed with a bouquet of herbs in a vinaigrette of olive oil and lemon. The drama continues, with rich filets of young pigeon served atop a sort of Moroccan pastry-wrapped pastilla filled with giblets and seasoned with a touch of curry, all served with pan-seared pears and pigeon juice with a touch of cocoa. And I defy anyone to find fault with the flawless roasted veal chop, simply deglazed with a touch of young garlic, and served with a tiny salad and stuffed Provencal vegetables.

Their food is audacious and architectural, like many of the world's chefs who are filled with that youthful exuberance. But the difference between the Pourcel brothers and those chefs in Sydney or New York is that the twins have training and tradition, a foundation that so many other young chefs lack. Add to this Chateau's extraordinary knowledge of the great wines of the Languedoc, and a good time is assured. - For longtime fans of Pile ou Face in Paris, it was a sad day indeed when they sold the thriving Michelin-starred restaurant three years ago.

Lucky for us, the three restaurateurs - Claude Udron, Alain Dumergue and Philippe Marquet - resurfaced in July on the Mediterranean coast, in Marseillan, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Montpellier. In this quiet seaside village, they opened the charming Chez Philippe, a casual and perfectly appointed bistro with a argain 100-franc ($18) menu.

Since opening day, the ''complet'' sign has been out for lunch and dinner, and reservations a week in advance are not out of order. With chef Sebastien Demeulle at the stove, Chez Philippe offers a choice menu of five starters, five main courses and five desserts, all with an accent on the anguedoc.

With such specialties as the layered vegetable omelette crespeou; eggplant with delicate goat cheese; poached oysters from the Bassin de Thau, and a gratin of mussels cooked in the local Noilly Dry, we have a veritable regional festival. – THE restaurateurs are always searching, for a new local wine, a new local cheese monger, a new local vegetable grower, a new local designer to embellish their already well-tended prize. Go with an eye toward pleasure, and hope that their exuberance, attention to detail and passion for food rubs off.

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– Le Jardin des Sens, 11 Avenue Saint-Lazare, 34000 Montpellier. Tel: 04-67-79-63-38; fax: 04-67-72-13-05. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Closed Sunday,

Monday lunch and two weeks in January. Menus from 230 to 590 francs (about

$40 to $100). A la carte, 190 to 480, including service but not wine. Chez Philippe, 20 rue de Suffren, 34340 Marseillan. Tel: 04-67-01-70-62. Credit card: Visa. Closed Sunday dinner, Monday and Tuesday. Open for dinner only every night in July and August. Closed in January. 100-franc menu. A la carte, 150 to 170 francs, including wine and service

Winter Fare From 2 Paris Chefs Northern Dishes; A Vegetarian Menu

PARIS - I have followed the career of David Van Laer since the 1980s, when he first surfaced as an eager and impressive young chef at Jean-Pierre Vigato's La Manufacture just outside of Paris.

Three years ago he went off on his own to open Le Bamboche, a pint-sized restaurant that instantly took off, as diners applauded his combination of modern and classical French fare in a cozy Left Bank setting right behind the Bon Marche department store.

A few weeks ago he moved to larger quarters on the Boulevard du Montparnasse, and if a single meal is any sign, Van Laer should continue along his successful path. Considering the time and energy constraints of getting Le axence opened, the new menu differs little from Le Bamboche.

Throughout his career, Van Laer has kept true to his own tastes and origins, all the while weaving into the menu dishes from his native northern France. So chez Van Laer you find updated versions of such classics as the traditional presskoph head cheese (here laced with lobster rather than pork) and waterzooi, a sort of chicken pot-au-feu (here prepared with scallops, or coquilles Saint-Jacques).

Best dishes at a recent dinner included a rustic gratin dish with a rich parmentier de queue de boeuf, or mashed potatoes layered with bits of slowly cooked oxtail that had been shredded, all served with a gentle truffle puree.

He has a fine way with pigeon, and samples of two versions - one on the a la carte menu was served in a pastry-cased tourte and another on the bargain 190-franc menu was simply roasted - prove that this little bird deserves greater exposure. Both preparations showed up the bird's earthy richness and wintry appeal. The tourte was the sort of dish you expect to find on a fine bourgeois table, not a sunny yellow restaurant on Boulevard du Montparnasse: The pigeon has that properly livery, gamy flavor, enhanced by a sauce becasse and a few sips of J.L. Colombo's racy 1997 Syrah La Serine Pointue, a bargain at 150 francs.

Another good bet was the first course platter of ravioles (tiny raviolis) stuffed with shellfish and a fragrant truffle cream, and the lobster presskoph, a humorous and delicious headcheese bathed in an herb-rich vinaigrette. I was less enthused about the frogs' legs fricassee unsuccessfully paired with lentils, garlic cream and snails; and the remoulade of langoustines, which I would not have ordered had I known that the langoustines were raw. (It's a sacrilege to serve them raw, for it is in gentle cooking that the langoustines are allowed to bring out their iodine-rich flavor and soft mellow texture.) As ever, Van Laer's cellar offers some bargains and discoveries, including A. Ostertag's spicy GewŸrztraminer (the 1996 Vignoble d'Epfig at 180 francs), the Perrin brothers' astonishing white Coudelet de Beaucastel (the 1996 at 200 francs); J.L. Colombo's viognier-florah white Rhone Les Figuieres (the 1997 at 170 francs), and Michel Richaud's ripe Cotes du Rhone Cairanne (the 1997 at 120 francs).

The new decor is full of lots of bright sunny golds and terra-cotta, just a hint of the Mediterranean. Go see for yourself. With a bargain 190-franc menu at lunch and dinner, and valet parking to boot, how can you miss? - VEGETARIANS have never been treated very well in this city. Oh, sure, chefs will prepare vegetable-based dishes if you ask, but most of us really don't want to be a bother or stand out from the crowd. Leave it to Mark Williamson to find a way: Each day at his continually evolving restaurant, Maceo, Williamson offers a full-fledged vegetarian menu, with a selection of four first and main course vegetarian dishes. Each dish revolves around what's in the market and in season, so right now the menu is peppered with chestnuts and fennel, beets and dried peas, onions and apples. The newly refurbished main dining room at Maceo has been open since

September, with sparkling wooden floors, gorgeous stained wood panels in rich oak framing the restaurant's original beveled glass mirrors, and clever, modern lighting.

Gone are the old banquettes, dreary and heavy draperies and oppressive, outdated lighting that once were part of the old Le Mercure Galant. Best dishes sampled at a recent lunch include Williamson's fines lamelles de chevre croustillantes aux dattes et noix: a soul-warming phyllo-encased tourte filled with leeks, goat cheese, dates and pine nuts, served with a refreshing little salad of julienned carrots and celery root. Equally appealing was the cannelloni croustillant sur caviar d'aubergines, with phyllo canneloni wrapped around a delicious mushroom stuffing, served with a too-salty eggplant caviar and a topknot of salad. The risotto - a wildly inventive dish that included a parsley puree, mushrooms, snow peas, fava beans and another signature topknot salad - was less convincing. There was plenty of it, but the dish lacked focus, salt and that essential creamy richness of an authentic risotto. Wines, of course, are the main reason to come here. Two wonders include a fresh and refreshing Swiss white, Alain Neyroud's pinot blanc (the 1996 is priced at 240 francs) and a racy young Coteaux du Languedoc from Domaine d'Aupilhac (the 1996 is priced at 130 francs.)

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Le Maxence, 9 bis Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris 6; tel: 01-45-67-24-88; fax 01-45-67-10-22. Closed Saturday lunch and all day Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Visa. Menus at 190 and 320 francs. A la carte, 325 to 375 francs, including service but not wine. Maceo, 15, rue des Petits-Champs, Paris 1: tel: 01-42-97-53-85; fax: 01-47-03-36-93. Closed Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Diners, Visa. Vegetarian lunch menu at 180 francs, 220 francs at dinner. Traditional menu 195 francs at lunch, 220 francs at dinner. Prices include service but not wine.

Ducasse IV: A Mixed Bag Questioning the Classics

PARIS - Alain Ducasse, with a total of six Michelin stars to his name, cannot afford to lose. With the recent unveiling of Spoon Food & Wine - his fourth restaurant in France - it is clear that he is on a roll. The man who has attempted to redefine how a grand French chef behaves (he defies the old rule that a chef's place is behind the stove) and to prove how long his arms can stretch (regular flights between his three-star restaurants in Monaco and Paris, with weekend appearances in his retreat at Moustiers, in Provence) is now redefining the modern concept of world food.

When would one ever pronounce in the same breath the words ''luxurious, refined and audacious'' with ''iceberg lettuce, BLT and pastrami on rye''? But they all apply to his newest effort, a small and smart spot right off the increasingly upmarket Champs-Elysées.

Spoon is perhaps France's first truly international restaurant, dipping into French, British, American, Italian, Chinese and Indian cuisine, with a décor that turns heads and, again, attempts to question classic traditions.

Rather than with tablecloths, tables are dressed with cloths that slip into slots, like elegant table runners. Some 70 magazines from around the world are there for guests to read, and notepads and pencils are set at each table to jot down one's thoughts. Along with knives, forks and of course spoons, each diner receives an elegant pair of Christofle bamboo chopsticks, which I never saw anyone use. Although the restaurant advertises a ''free'' second cup of coffee and warm steamed towels at the end of each meal, we were offered neither.

The menu is not organized in a normal first course, main course, cheese and dessert progression. Each section is divided into three columns, allowing diners to mix and match according to the main dish, the sauce, and rice or vegetable accompaniment. And in this era of something for everyone, the menu is bilingual French-English, with Asian and vegetarian dishes, and everything from pastrami sandwiches to South American cebiche to Chinese steamed ravioli.

Half the wines on the list come from America, with a fine showing from Australia and New Zealand, a true ''happening'' in France. And the cheese course (rather than the classic Brie, Camembert and Roquefort) consists of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Cheddar and Stilton.

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and on that front Ducasse has a way to go. Some of it is not his fault. Truth be told, the public is not all that ready for such a reshuffling of the status quo. On a recent evening the well-heeled international crowd appeared downright confused as to how to order and how to eat. After studying the menu, the youthful Spanish couple at my left asked the waiter to order for them. They then asked that their white wine be put into ''a real ice bucket'' instead of the plastic ice-cube-less version. The iceberg lettuce served to them in a tall, elegant glass bowl was instantly transferred to a common plate for more practical eating.

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Up-to-Date Methods

Ducasse and his chefs use every method of cooking available - grills to roasts, rotisserie to woks, cooking over a hot stone, modern induction and even vacuum-packing - but the results at the moment are less than brilliant.

On our recent visit, everything that came from the kitchen looked and tasted very dry, and was by and large lukewarm. Even the wok-seared vegetables had that soggy, stewed airline quality about them. And though I am all for choosing what I eat and when, we are not always the best judge of what garnish goes well with each dish. The best finds on that visit included a full-flavored youm koumg soup, full of spice and laced with squid and shellfish, as well as designer macaroni gratin, rich and plump, with plenty of veal cooking juice to pour over it.

Less successful were the very dry, tasteless grilled squid served with a perky sauce of crushed preserved lemon, and a dry roasted veal steak cooked on the rotisserie.

With seating for no more than 70 and tabs that inch toward 500 francs (about $90) with a decent bottle of wine, this is not the sort of cuisine that is going to keep Ducasse at the top. The concept reminds me of a model for a worldwide chain. But I am sure Ducasse has already thought of that.

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Spoon Food & Wine, 14 Rue de Marignan, Paris 8. Tel: 01-40-76-34-44; fax: 01-40-76-34-37. Closed Saturday and Sunday. All major credit cards. A la carte, 200 to 300 francs.

From Paella to Purely Paris

International Herald Tribune

PARIS - The welcome is warm, the rice delicious, the Spanish fare a great change of pace. For the last year, the owners Pierre Ruffin and Alberto Herraiz have offered Parisians a totally authentic Spanish experience, complete with giant platters of varied paella, a medley of excellent tapas - tiny plates of starters - good desserts and excellent wines. All this comes at a very decent price, with warm and friendly service and a pleasant setting across from the charming park of Saint Julien le Pauvre Church on Paris's Left Bank.

This pocket-size restaurant is bathed in warm shades of ocher, and for the good tapas starters, the menu may include the famed Spanish pata negra ham; filling red peppers stuffed with shredded bull's tail (poivrons farcis à la queue de toro); delicious, spinach-rich tortillas, and tender baby squid bathed in their ink (chipirons à l'encre). There are some six different versions of paella, all of which bear no resemblance to the watered-down versions we are most familiar with today. The rice - all Spanish rice from the Ebro delta, where the grains are larger and more strongly flavored - is the main element in all the paella dishes, with flavorings that vary from a jet-black version made with squid ink to a Valencia version seasoned with chicken, rabbit, vegetables and snails.

The paella is served in the pan in which it is cooked, and diners eat right out of the pan, which is perched on a stand at the table.

Desserts vary from a soothing sheep's milk yogurt to irresistible hot melted chocolate in a beautiful white bowl, served with state-of-the-art churros, a kind of fritter. The wine list offers some true discoveries and bargains, including the Gran Corona Torres from the Penedes area of Catalonia, a mix of cabernet and the aromatic tempranillo grape.

On two recent visits the restaurant was embarrassingly empty, and the background music varies from cheery marching tunes to abrasive Spanish sounds.

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Old-Fashioned Bistro

French critics like to call Au Moulin a Vent-Chez Henri the L'Ami Louis of the Left Bank. Although there is no succulent roasted lamb or chicken to compare with what one finds at L'Ami Louis, Chez Henri does the job when you are looking for a busy, old-fashioned, purely Parisian bistro. This is the place to go with a crowd when you're in the mood for red meat and Beaujolais.

With a barely legible menu in purple ink, a jovial patron and sausages hanging from the ceiling, this is one rare spot to find authentic boeuf a la ficelle, top-quality fillet of beef that is tied with a string, then cooked quickly in boiling water. The boiling technique seals the outside of the meat, making for a beef that's perfectly rare and without a trace of fat. (Don't be turned off by the unappetizing gray appearance of the meat - the inside will be gloriously red and appetizing.) Another star is the entrecôte, the rib eye, with shallots, earthy pan-seared beef that is literally pasted with finely minced shallots so they cook to a fragrant, golden crispness. Almost everything here comes with cubes of sautéed potatoes, perhaps the best version of that bistro classic I have ever tasted.

Other dishes worth trying - if they're on the menu that day - include a refreshing salad of mushrooms and green beans, another of perfectly cooked, thinly sliced artichoke bottoms and a classic sole meuniere. The magret de canard, fatted duck breast, can be dry and tough. The Beaujolais Fleurie goes down very easily, and the bread is dry and dreadful.

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Fogon Saint-Julien, 10 Rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, Paris 5; tel: 01-43-54-31-33. Closed Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Credit card: Visa. 120-franc ($21.50) lunch menu (including wine and coffee), 160-franc menu. A la carte, 200 francs, including service and wine.

Au Moulin a Vent-Chez Henri, 20 Rue des Fosses Saint-Bernard, Paris 5; tel: 01-43-54-99-37. Closed Sunday, Monday, holidays and August. Credit card: Visa, MasterCard. A la carte, 280 to 320 francs ($50 to $57).

Around the Tables of Australia

The following is a list of the best restaurants visited during a monthlong tour, with notes on some favorite dishes.

PERTH

The Loose Box Restaurant, 6825 Great Eastern Highway, Mundaring. Tel: (61-8) 9295-1787.

If Michelin gave stars in Australia, Alain Fabregues's The Loose Box would have three. It is the epitome of French perfection and attention to detail. I loved the colorful goat cheese, truffle, mushroom, eggplant, tomato and capsicum terrine for its brilliant flavors and welcoming texture.

Fraser's, Fraser Avenue, King's Park, West Perth. Tel: (8) 9481-7100.

Chris Taylor of the welcoming Fraser's, in the center of a lovely park, offers honest fare. Such dishes as his char-grilled dhufish fillet with lemon, extra virgin olive oil and parsley show how the chef wisely allows perfectly chosen ingredients to speak for themselves.

ADELAIDE

Universal Wine Bar, 285 Rundle St., Adelaide. Tel: (8) 8232-5000; fax: (8) 8232-5757; e-mail: universal@ portal.net.au

A fine, casual wine bar for sampling the nation's best wines. Try anything the waiter suggests, or, if they are on the list that day, go for one of those big Rhone-style reds, such as the powerful RBJ Theologicum mourvedre grenache or Charles Melton's Nine Popes, starting with a lovely light Lenswood sauvignon blanc.

Charlick's Feed Store, Ebenezer Place, East End, Adelaide. Tel: (8) 8223-7566; fax: (8) 8223-7065.

This new, casual dining spot is owned by Maggie and Colin Beer, modern pioneers of the Australian food world. Try the smoked tommy ruffs (sardine-size fish) with green olive and pickled lemon dressing, and sample alongside it a glass of the refreshing white Chapel Hill McLaren Vale verdelho, made from the Portuguese verdelho grape with overtones of honeysuckle and tropical fruits.

The Grange, Hilton International, Victoria Square, Adelaide. Tel: (8) 8217-2000.

If you have time for only one meal in Australia, head for the Grange to sample Malaysian-born Chinese chef Cheong Liew's shark's-fin pouch in venison consommé, spiced with tarragon, a dish that is filled with bravery and brilliance, or his red roasted barramundi with green chilies, coriander, snow-pea shoots and calamari shavings, a dish with such genius you won't want to finish it, for all you'll have left is the memory.

Petaluma Bridgewater Mill, Mount Barker Road, Bridgewater. Tel: (8) 8339-3422.

This trendy spot just outside Adelaide is run by the Petaluma winery and showcases its wines. Try the Croser champagne, as well the fried salt-and-pepper quail with lime and ginger relish, or the roasted duck breast with bok choy, kumquats and cinnamon glaze.

SYDNEY

Cicada, 29 Challis Ave., Potts Point, Sydney. Tel: (61-2) 9358-1255.

Peter Doyle has reached the pinnacle of modern Australian cooking. His food is seamless, unconventional, balanced and sensible; I fell in love with his perfect jewel box of a package: avocado, crab, mint and coriander, a starter that was like a soothing bath for the palate.

Tetsuya's, 729 Darling St., Rozelle, Sydney. Tel: (2) 9555-1017.

Tetsuya Wakuda is a leader of Australia's fine fusion cuisine, merging the best of Japanese philosophy and classical French technique. In a most unassuming setting, plan on sampling his signature confit of ocean trout with ocean-trout roe, braised red capsicum, leeks, konbu seaweed, capers and parsley oil. Think texture, color, flavor, essence.

Bistro Moncur, the Woollahra Hotel, 116 Queen St., Woollahra, Sydney. Tel: (2) 9363-2782.

Damien Pignolet offers great Australian-style French bistro classics in an embracing, warm setting in one of Sydney's most chic neighborhoods. Try the vegetable couscous.

MG Garage. 490 Crown St., Surry Hills, New South Wales. Tel: (2) 9383-9383.

The new trendy spot, with the Greek-born chef Janni Kyritsis, is actually in an MG car showroom. Specialties include guinea fowl baked in clay with pancetta, mushrooms and barley pilaf, as well as many dishes with a fine, Middle Eastern touch.

BRISBANE

Two Small Rooms, 517 Milton Road, Toowong, Brisbane. Tel: (61-7) 3371-5251.

One of the best bets in Brisbane. This warm and charming spot run by Michael Conrad and the chef David Pugh offers lovely, simple fare. Try their outstanding mud-crab omelette with stir-fried vegetables and spicy prawn sauce.

This is one place where I was able to get a simple roasted rack of lamb without the trimmings that camouflage the delicate flavor. Their Mandalong lambs are slaughtered at 9 months: They are weaned at 3 months and fattened on grain for better texture and flavor.

E'cco, 100 Boundary St., Brisbane. Tel: (7) 3831-8344.

Philip Johnson offers no-nonsense food in a lovely setting. He uses all the clichés in the book, but his creations manage to taste original and appealing.

Try the Moreton Bay bugs, a type of shellfish, with pine nuts and aioli; roast chicken with couscous, yogurt, artichokes and asparagus, or sand crabs with chilies and lemon oil. Save room for the Venetian espresso cake with coconut ice cream and shavings of fresh coconut.

Pier Nine Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill, Eagle Street Pier, 1 Eagle St., Brisbane. Tel: (7) 3229-2194.

This is a beautiful waterside setting for great oysters and such specials as king prawns with garlic hollandaise or Victoria black-lip mussels with ginger, chili, sweet curry leaves and lime juice.

MELBOURNE

Flower Drum, 17 Market Lane, Melbourne. Tel: (61-3) 9662-3655.

For Chinese food like you have never had before, depend on the owner Gilbert Lau to wow you with such specialties as tender baby abalone the size of an oyster, bathed in vinegar, ginger and soy. The dish was a gastronomic revelation.

Richmond Hill Café & Larder, 48-50 Bridge Road, Richmond. Tel: (3) 9421-2808; fax: (3) 9421-2818.

Stephanie Alexander, one of Australia's top restaurateurs and food personalities, has opened this casual café with an exquisite cheese room, great wines and a modern menu that includes pastas, such traditional fare as boeuf à la mode and cheese plates with fruits, nuts and breads. Sunday nights are reserved for a variety of functions, such as cabaret nights and wine dinners.

A Defining Moment in Food

SYDNEY - If I am fortunate, it happens about once a year. It is what I have come to call the Defining Moment in food. I all but stop midbite, and realize that I am in the presence of greatness. The room shakes. The most recent defining moment came in the Grange Restaurant in the Hilton International Hotel in Adelaide, Australia.

During a monthlong dining tour that included some of the best spots in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, it was the Malaysian-born Chinese chef Cheong Liew's love poem for the palate that seemed to rocket me to another planet.

During the six-course tasting menu, Liew - who has been credited with the fusion of Eastern and Western flavors during the 1970s - provided food that fed the spirit, the soul, the body, and with each dish-and-wine pairing, I felt as though I was in the privileged presence of a genius who had complete mastery and control of his ingredients.

Like a musician with perfect pitch, this chef has an uncanny talent for balance, strength, harmony, nourishment. His food, which applies Asian methods to European food, has an extraordinary density of flavor, contrast of texture and a way of illuminating each ingredient without camouflaging the others.

So, his food is immensely satisfying. (When Stephanie Alexander, a top Australian chef, tasted Liew's food for the first time she announced ''I had just better stop cooking.'')

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Shark in a Pouch

Such bold and complex dishes as shark's-fin pouch in venison consommé, spiced with tarragon, is a perfect example of his creative genius: A pasta-pouch filled with a sherry-tinged shark's-fin soup floats atop a rich venison consommé.

One is advised to consume most of the warming consommé first, then burst the pasta pouch filled with the soup, wild mushrooms, chicken and ginger. A garnish of tarragon makes this the perfect yin-yang dish, with the heat of the game and ginger, the coolness of shark's fin in a single, dramatic bite. Set off with a glass of Lustau Jarana Fino sherry, the dish creates a complete circle of flavors.

Another adventurous dish, red roasted barramundi (a firm Australian fish) teamed up with green chili, coriander, snow-pea shoots and calamari shavings, makes for a memorable meal that pleases all the senses, with its herbal aroma, dense flavor, visual appeal and burst of sensations. You could almost hear the sound of the sea in the dish. Paired with an Evans and Tate semillon, it was a dish to savor and remember.

Using Liew's romantic, almost ornate cuisine as a starting point, one can easily see that Australia - which inherited a drab Anglo-Saxon diet not at all fitting to the island's climate or ethnic diversity - is in full flourish.

With a strong foundation of adventuresome chefs, eager diners and a wildly expanding wine industry, there is nothing to hold Australia back. A visit 10 years ago covering the same territory suggested that there was promise. Today's Australian cuisine surpasses that promise.

The energy and sense of humor suggest that anything is possible here. Take the names of modern Australian restaurants - Salt, Dish, Tables, The Loose Box, MG Garage (yes, in an auto showroom) Fuel (yes, in a gas station), Café Sweethearts, France Soir, J'Febs (for the initials of the names of the owner's five children), Nudel Bar, Fishface, The Raving Prawn, The Little Snail, Medium Rare - and you see this is a nation that does not take itself too seriously.

The names of Australia's wines tell you a lot about the Australian sense of humor as well as lighthearted irreverence: RBJ Theologicum, Dead Man's Hill gewurztraminer, Diva sangiovese, Abbot's Prayer merlot cabernet, Nine Popes, Chapel Hill The Vicar, Hill of Grace. But it is no laughing matter that Australia boasts some 800 wineries, most producing very high-quality wines. By the year 2010 Australia hopes to produce 15 percent of the world market in volume (and more by value) putting it fourth behind Spain, France and Italy.

Today one finds a lot of substance in Oz. As the Australian food writer Cherry Ripe points out, Australia is a European culture in an Asian-Pacific location. With chefs whose heritage include Malaysian, Japanese, French, British, Greek, Italian and native Australian, true fusion cuisine is not only possible but perfectly natural. The chefs are also in the midst of creating their own trademark style, one that reflects the ethnic populations, the seasons, the oceans, the hills and the lifestyles of this vast nation.

As with much of the rest of the modern world, the food of Australia is ingredient-driven, and by that I mean that the chef chooses to honor the prawns from the sea, the chicken from the barnyard, the fruits and vegetables from the garden, making them taste as much like themselves as humanly possible.

There is an Australian look to food as well, large white plates serving as lovely, clean palettes for the chef's artistry. The Australians understand wine and food pairing better than most, with perfect matches almost every time.

As the Australian food authority Maggie Beer noted, ''We are learning from other countries' mistakes.'' And so this ecologically aware nation that is banning the caviar of the protected sturgeon, and pioneering fish farming as the waters' bounty is increasingly depleted, is also creating a lively exchange between growers and restaurateurs, experimenting but with an intelligent eye.

Traveling from city to city, it was clear that chefs leave no stone unturned. They are unrestrained by tradition and offer a cuisine that is at once vibrant, fresh, innovative and well crafted.

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THEY do make mistakes. All too often, I found chefs insisting on an East-meets-West cuisine when they had no technical ability to carry it out. It seemed that menus were filled with such items as Vietnamese Pho soup or Indian curry or Japanese sushi because the chef assumed diners expected this exotic blend. All too often, the dishes fell flat and were far less exciting than the real thing in an ethnic restaurant.

I hope to grab those jars of truffle oil from every Australian chef's hands: The powerful oil is used in excess, often marring otherwise excellent dishes. Likewise, such appealing ingredients as arugula (almost always served with indigestible, weed-like stems intact) are used as a crutch, and Western-style breads often appeared simply awkward in many fusion menus.

Some practices - such as opening oysters beforehand and washing them under running water - seem simply naïve and lazy. And a government that bans the creation and the import of raw-milk cheeses is surely misguided.

The high praise is fitting for perhaps only a small portion of restaurants. As Alexander remarked: ''In Australia, if you know what you are doing, you can have the best of everything every day. But you will be alone.'' The circle, it is clear, needs to be enlarged.

Will Paris Embrace This U.K. Invasion?

PARIS - A diner at my table offered her unsolicited response to the abrasive, deafening, dinner-time noise and clatter that filled the gigantic new Left Bank brasserie, Alcazar: ''If I come back, it will be just the two of us, my husband and I. We have been married for 50 years, so if we can't talk to one another for two hours, its O.K.''

The French have been invaded by the British, and only time will tell if Parisians will embrace it. Sir Terence Conran of design fame has bravely and boldly expanded his London dining empire to Paris with his bright, airy, smart and bustling 200-seat brasserie Alcazar. All red, white, black and modern, this brilliantly designed spot is just the sort of injection Conran and others think Paris needs. (Others might argue that the restaurant is little more than a continued internationalization and dumbing down of cuisine, with a Euro-Asian-fusion menu that could be served anywhere in the world.)

But Conran is not out to lose. He has chosen Guillaume Lutard (formerly of Taillevent) to man the stoves of the glassed-in kitchen that looks out into the bright, two story glass-roofed restaurant in a courtyard off Rue Mazarine. The bread comes from the baker of the moment, Eric Kayser on Rue Monge. And Conran made sure that everyone in town knew he was coming: He papered the press with lavish and colorful advertising; invited everyone in the neighborhood to half-price preopening lunches, and held a series of high-profile ''soft opening'' events before the official start on Nov. 8. Add to that the fact that the restaurant will be open seven days a week, with a brunch on Sundays, and Alcazar is hard to miss.

While the food breaks no new ground, the menu features typical brasserie platters of fresh oysters and shellfish, as well as largely Mediterranean-inspired menu peppered with saffron, arugula, goat cheese, fennel, couscous and artichokes.

Two preopening meals proved uneven, with excellent fresh Guillardeau oysters from Brittany, a fine caramelized puff pastry tart of tomatoes and fresh goat cheese, and a welcoming main course vegetarian platter of braised seasonal vegetables. Far less successful were a misguided puff pastry tart piled high with arugula and rouget and a gigantic, dry chicken breast stuffed with a bland mixture of foie gras and artichokes. The food lacks any definite focus or personality.

The reason to go to Alcazar is that it offers a change of pace from the standard choucroute-and-beer brasserie, with a stunning and modern décor, exquisite service from a well-trained and enthusiastic staff, and a place to hang your hat almost any time of day. An upstairs piano bar offers wine by the glass and a brief menu that includes tastes of sushi, oysters, caviar, smoked salmon and foie gras.

The spot, by the way, is the former Alcazar night club, which closed eight years ago. The site began its life in 1850 as a printing plant.

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Alcazar, 62 Rue Mazarine, Paris 6; tel: 01-53-10-19-99; Fax: 01-53-10-23-23. Open daily until 1 A.M. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. A la carte, 300 to 400 francs ($53 to $70)

Food for the Moment, And a Belgian Breakfast

PARIS - Sometimes it is good to be proved wrong. When Gilles Ajuelos opened La Bastide Odéon across from the Odéon Theater in 1995, I liked the bistro well enough, but wasn't sure it would have staying power. How wrong I was.

Today the bistro bustles day and night, with hordes of customers being turned away at the door. That's because Ajuelos and his staff know what we want: Food that's modern, light, of the moment and well thought out.

On my last visit I loved the bowl of tiny ravioles de Royans floating in a light broth seasoned with tomatoes, lots of parsley and Parmesan. Equally excellent was the grilled baby chicken - coquelet - served with lemon confit, fennel with saffron and a marvelous sauté of wild mushrooms.

At other times of year you will find such seasonal specialties as warm asparagus with poached egg, grilled bacon and Parmesan cookies; stuffed suckling pig with Parmesan-gratinéed polenta, or porgy in a red-wine sauce with green asparagus, baby onions and baby fava beans.

Desserts included an inventive tarte fine à la rhubarbe as well as a warm financier topped with apricots and a yogurt sorbet, and warm Valrhona chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Good wine choices here include the firm and fruity red Corbières Bastide de la Baronne, and the same wine in white.

How many ways are there to eat breakfast? Le Pain Quotidien - Daily Bread - shows you how.

This Belgian import, with its clean wooden tables, ivory bowls for coffee and chocolate, and fabulous fresh assortment of breads and rolls, offers a stunning view of the new Marché Saint Honoré, with its all-glass building reflecting the charming old structures that surround the square.

Try the substantive, wheaty baguettes à l'ancienne, great rounds of country bread, tiny rye and raisin rolls served with a huge tray filled with honeys, jams and jellies to sweeten the day.

Newspapers are there for the asking. Service is friendly if a bit distracted.

As the day wears on, the menu moves on to a selection of open-face sandwiches, such as mountain ham; beef, basil and Parmesan; country terrine; a mix of goat cheese and honey, or delicate fromage blanc, radishes and onions.

Of course Le Pain Quotidien is also a full-fledged bakery, so stop in for a loaf any time of the day.

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La Bastide Odéon, 7 Rue Corneille, Paris 6. Tel: 01 43 26 03 65. Fax: 01 44 07 28 93. Closed Sunday, Monday, the first three weeks in August and Christmas week. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Menus at 150 and 190 francs. A la carte, 250 francs.

Le Pain Quotidien, 18 Place du Marché Saint Honore, Paris 1. Tel: 01 42 96 31 70. Open Daily, 7 A.M. to 7 P.M.

In Paris, 2 Unique Restaurants

PARIS - Ever since I first sampled Marcel Baudis's authentic, honest and full-flavored food in 1987, I knew he was a chef I would want to know for a long, long time. Starting at his handkerchief-sized dining room in the Marais and moving to the ''new world'' of Bercy in 1991, he never faltered or left us with anything but food filled with character and modern sensibility.

His road has not been easy, for the Bercy neighborhood has taken a long time to develop. But today his patience and talents at L'Oulette are being rewarded by a mostly full dining room for lunch and dinner. Baudis, a native of Montauban in the southwest, draws deeply on his culinary roots with a menu that boasts tiny calamari, generous mounds of haricots blancs frais, foie gras, goat cheese and all the wonderful, little-known wines of that region.

Go, and order his now-classic escabèche de calamars, the tiniest, tenderest squid cut into fine threads, sizzled in olive oil, deglazed with white wine, then infused with a whole pantry of spices that include anise and curry. Equally memorable is his millefeuille de sardines, a warm and welcoming layered affair made up of raw, marinated sardine filets, Moroccan brick pastry, tomatoes and Parmesan.

Main courses include a variation on a Morrocan tajine of lamb with olives and lemon confit, and a lovely aioli, with poached cod and an array of steamed vegetables ready for seasoning with a golden, garlic-rich mayonnaise.

On my last visit, I added three new wines to my love-list: a dry and refreshing vin de pays de Saint-Sardos; a floral and dry Jurançon sec Domaine Bellegarde, and a sweet Sainte-Croix du Mont Chateau du Pavillion, a neighbor of Sauternes, and bargain-priced.

Dessert lovers should not miss the chef's spicy fingers of French toast, served with a cooling cinnamon ice cream. In good weather, eat on the terrace and listen to the chimes of the Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bercy. And if you can't figure out what to order, the dining room's able director, Alain Fontaine, will steer you in the right direction.

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Those looking for a unique neighborhood restaurant should try Le Petit Plat, a small spot on the lovely, tree-lined Avenue Emile Zola. The food here is creatively composed and carefully prepared, service is casual but efficient and the wine list offers pleasant surprises.

Jean and Victor Lampreia have been here since 1994, when they moved from their tiny restaurant in the 5th arrondissement. Highlights of my last visit included a refreshing summer salad of thinly sliced artichoke hearts layered with thin green beans; perfectly cooked pigeon on a bed of couscous; a whole porgy (dorade) beautifully prepared with generous portions of fresh, sweet fava beans, and warm pound cake, or quatre-quarts, sliced and layered with fresh strawberries.

Wines to sample here include the lush red Cotes-du-Rhone Domaine Saint Claude from Vaison-la-Romaine, and the superlative Gran Corona from the Torres family in Spain. This wine from the Penedes is made of 85 percent Cabernet and 15 percent Tempranillo, a grape that adds extraordinary fragrance and depth to a wine well worth seeking out.

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L'Oulette, 15 Place Lachambeaudie, Paris 12. Tel: 01-40-02-02-12. Fax: 01-40-02-04-77. Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Menus at 165 (not including wine) and 250 francs (including wine). A la carte, 225 to 350 francs (not including wine).

Le Petit Plat, 49 Avenue Emile Zola, Paris 15. Tel: 01-45-78-24-20. Closed Sunday and Monday. Credit card: Visa. 135-franc menu (not including wine). A la carte, 180 to 240 francs (including wine).

An Aftertaste of Summer In Two Romantic Bistros

PARIS - While the city's Indian summer lasts, take advantage of the few choice outdoor spots that add a certain air of romance and a real spirit of vacation, even if it is no more than a break from a long workday.

If like me, you are a hopeless romantic who loves those perfectly ironed, faded red-checkered tablecloths, lace curtains and sturdy oak bistro doors, and waiters who refuse to pick up a plate until you have finished every last morsel, then La Fontaine de Mars is for you.

On a sunny day I know fewer better spots in Paris for enjoying simple bistro fare, from an earthy salade quercynoise (a tossed green salad with warm sautéed duck gizzards and hearts) to a bright piperade aux oeufs pochés ( a sauté of peppers, tomatoes and onions with poached eggs) or boudin aux pommes fruits (blood sausage with apples).

On my last visit, I devoured the fresh fricassée of chicken with wild morels in cream; sautéed calf's liver in sherry vinegar sauce; great crisp sautéed cubes of potatoes, and excellent house Beaujolais à l'ancienne.

In warm weather, desserts should fit your mood, such as a delightful fresh peach soup (soupe aux peches) or a cooling orange and grapefruit soup (soupe aux agrumes). Coffee comes with an excellent square of Valrhona bittersweet chocolate. If you get the right table, you will even be able to gaze up at the tip of the Eiffel Tower.

On the subject of romance, one of the city's most historic and romantic sites remains La Closerie des Lilas. The place that Hemingway made so famous has been revived, thanks to its new director, Jean-Jacques Caimant, last seen managing Joel Robuchon's dining rooms. La Closerie's lovely outdoor terrace beneath the shimmering plane trees is more welcoming than it has been for a long time and the clientele as chic Left Bank as ever.

And now we have the freshest of oysters, excellent whole grilled bar (on my last visit just a touch overcooked) and a staff that is willing to help you with your choices.

The wine list is expensive, but count on Monsieur Caimant or the sommelier Evo Jacobozzi to steer you toward a good buy of the moment, such as a little-known white from the Gers. The brasserie awaits those who want less fuss and fanfare, and offers quality oysters, such classics as herring and steak tartare and changing daily specials.

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La Fontaine de Mars, 129 Rue Saint-Dominique, Paris 7. Tel: 01-47-05-46-44. Open daily. Credit card: American Express, Visa. A la carte, 250 to 300 francs.

La Closerie des Lilas, 171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris 6. Tel: 01-40-51-34-50. Fax: 01-43-29-99-94. Open daily. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. 250-franc lunch menu (including wine and coffee). A la carte, 400 to 450 francs.

Provencal Chef's Ode to Melons

CAVAILLON, France - Would that 100 regional chefs in France had the same passion for produce as Jean-Jacques Prevot. Anyone familiar with this Provencal capital of the European cantaloupe, could suspect that the famed ''melon de Cavaillon'' would fall into his range of obsession, and so it does.

Until the end of the month this enthusiastic, committed chef is offering a lively all-melon menu, in which he features every part of the fragrant, sweet and juicy fruit.

From the seeds, or pepins, he concocts a luscious, puree-like sauce. The flesh just beneath the rind is turned into a slippery pickle. A gelatin-like sauce adorns the local banana shallot, or echalote de Simiane, which is cooked ever so slowly in red wine sauce.

Perfect slices of melon are sauteed in butter and olive oil, anointed with a touch of balsamic vinegar, and turned into a rosette-like offering, twisting the melon slices with smooth and mild slices of wild boar ham. The accompanying pickles form a perfect foil. Monkfish is stuffed with nuggets of melon, the fish is cooked slightly, then teamed up with a iodine-rich sauce based on the delicate langoustines, or Dublin Bay prawn.

His nougat glace is laced with a confiture of melon, and of course the house aperitif is a refreshing, melon-tinged drink that includes an infusion of dozens of local herbs. He will show you the melon can be eaten raw or cooked, sweet or
salty, hot, cold, or spiced, as an entree or a dessert.

Prevot - whose family has been in the restaurant business in France for several generations - continues to dig deeper and deeper, working with melon growers to create a super-sweet and juicy Cavaillon melon whose sweetness level is inspected with a syringe.

The small restaurant in the center of this old-fashioned farming town is decorated with what must be the world's largest collection of melon memorabilia, including Art Deco forks for spearing cubes of melon, melon artwork, pottery,
posters, and trompe l'oeil works.

At the end of the season Prevot does not close up shop. He turns his attention to scallops, for his mother once ran a restaurant in Brittany where coquilles Saint-Jacques were the specialty.

In the winter, Prevot offers an all-truffle menu. All this would be a lot of trickery if Prevot's passions were not built on the complete understanding of his ingredient, and a willingness to capture the best qualities of each.

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Prevot, 353 Avenue de Verdun, 84300 Cavaillon.

Tel: 04-90-71-32-43. Fax: 04-90-71-97-05.

Credit cards: American Express, Visa.

Closed Sunday dinner and Monday. Open for Sunday lunch from September to July.

All-melon menu from 295 to 360 francs, including service but not wine. A la carte, 280 to 360 francs.

One's Memorable, Another's Just Dull

PARIS - La Zygotissoire, a small rotisserie restaurant at the edge of the trendy Bastille neighborhood, is perhaps the city's best buy today. Where else can you have a delicious, can't-finish-it-all three-course meal, with coffee, for 80 francs? And the food is not just O.K., it is memorable and inventive.

On the 80-franc ($13) menu, one might begin with a chicken-wing salad, made up of a quartet of moist, beautifully roasted chicken wings set on a bed of greens; move on to a faux filet cooked on the rotisserie, and sauced with shallots, then top it off with a dessert of homemade ice cream or sorbet. A la carte starters include the brochettes de legumes anchoiade, excellent brochettes of zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant, with a delicately flavored anchovy sauce and a small green salad alongside. Good main courses include a filet of sea bass grilled on the rotisserie, or a filet of bar, on a bed of Swiss chard greens, served with a round gratin of the celery-like whites of chard.

The wine list offers some offbeat surprises, such as the rarely seen Ladoix, a worthy red from the northernmost village of the Cote de Beaune, and almost always a bargain.

The restaurant shares ownership with the popular 12th arrondissement bistro, Les Zygomates. - It has been a long time since I had a meal in Paris as boring as the one I had the other night at the trendy, and generally good-buy,
Campagne et Provence: The welcome was as chilly as a day in December, the food dull as dishwater and the service amateurish.

Walk in with a reservation, suggest you might be seated at that nice sunny table in the window and the head greeter shrugs, suggesting that when he puts people there they always ask to be seated elsewhere. (So when the restaurant is half empty, why not let the customer choose?) Everyone on the staff (including the chef) seemed to want to be elsewhere.

A salad advertised as mesclun was nothing other than a tangle of mixed greens - no herbs, no verve, a few shavings of Parmesan and strips of ham. Equally unimpressive was saffroned rabbit with a ''risotto'' of epeautre, or ''poor man's wheat'' - a dish that sounded promising but turned out to be something that might have come from a packaged TV dinner.

Only the wine list - with Alain Brumont's robust 1994 Madiran Meinjarre - and the wholesome sourdough bread from l'Epi Gaulois in the 14th arrondissement saved the evening.

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La Zygotissoire, 101 Rue de Charonne, Paris 11.

Tel: 01-40-09-93-05; fax: 01-44-73-46-63.

Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Credit card: Visa.

80-franc menu. A la carte, 130 to 160 francs,
including service but not wine.

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Campagne et Provence, 25, Quai de la Tournelle, Paris 5; Tel: 01-43-54-05-17; fax: 01-43-29-74-93.

Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday, and Monday lunch. Credit card: Visa.

120-franc lunch menu and 180-franc and 215-franc dinner menus including service but not wine.

Shades of Lyon in a Paris Bistro

PARIS - Francoise Petit promised herself four things: She would never marry a chef; she would never own a restaurant; she would never live in Paris, and she would never have a daughter who was a Virgo.

Well, now the 34-year-old Francoise Constantin has all four, and she is as giddy as a schoolgirl.

At the age of 17, she began working as a waitress at the quintessential Lyonnais bistro Cafe des Federations. During her 13 years there she and her patron, Raymond Fulchiron, became minor celebrities in the food world, as gastronomes came from far and near to hear their banter and chow down on saucissons chauds, andouillettes, blanquette de veau and platters of weeping Saint-Marcellin cheese, all washed down with tumblers of sturdy Morgon.

In 1994 Francoise left Lyon for Paris and promptly broke her three other promises. Since April she and her husband, the chef Daniel Constantin, have been happily installed at the Auberge Pyrenees-Cevennes, the classic Parisian bistro that was also known as Chez Philippe and run by Philippe Sebource until his death least year. With hams and sausages hanging from the rafters, colorful old tile floors and rustic stone walls, the bistro remains thankfully unchanged.

And while the Constantins have maintained many of the old standbys - platters of sausages and cured meats and cassoulet - they have also added such Lyonnais classics as robust green salads loaded with top-quality cured bacon; a rich and densely flavored pork sausage, and those Saint-Marcellin cow's milk cheeses from Mere Richard in Lyon.

Chef Constantin, who has been at the stove since the age of 14, is a classic French cook - a dying breed of those who have French cooking in their very veins, and it shows in everything that comes from his spotless kitchen.

The food has soul, character and an honesty one rarely sees today in simple bistro fare.

The chef's battery of sturdy copper pots that he brought from the Eiffel Tower after working there for a decade attest to his determination and respect for French cuisine.

''You can't make a Bearnaise in stainless steel,'' he likes to say.

Daily specials here might include thick slices of exquisitely flavorful saddle of lamb seared on an ancient gas grill; a rich and creamy potato gratin, and an impeccably prepared plateful of sauteed girolles mushrooms.

The 43-year-old chef's motto is: ''It is simple to do, but difficult to succeed at.''

Wines all come from small producers and have been selected by Francoise. Try the silky Chiroubles cru Beaujolais Domaine du Clocher from Jean-Noel Melinand, or the fresh and fruity Coteaux du Lyonnais, available by the
glass or the traditional Lyonnais pot.

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Auberge Pyrenees-Cevennes, 106, rue de la Folie-Mericourt, Paris 11

Tel: 01-43-57-33-78.

Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Credit card: Visa. 148-franc ($25) menu. A la carte, 160 to 210 francs.

A Paris Institution Reinvents Its Menu

PARIS - Some city restaurants have an uncanny way of allowing themselves to be reinvented for each generation of diners. Pierre au Palais Royal, situated behind the Comedie Francaise, is one of those endlessly flexible restaurants.

Owners, waiters and waitresses change, but this longtime beacon of true French bourgeois fare remains steadfast. Well, sort of.

The restaurateur Jean-Paul Arabian (formerly of Lille and Ledoyen in Paris) has taken over, giving the cozy restaurant a face-lift and wisely altering the menu to please a broader range of palates while remaining true to the cause.

Fashion has fads so why shouldn't food? And since it's not likely that the world will end its love affair with pasta and rice anytime soon, Arabian offers a bit of each, along with such Pierre favorites as foie gras, organ meats, steak, boeuf a la ficelle, roast duck with peas, and the extraordinary cheeses of Paris's best cheesemonger, Roger Alleosse.

A recent dinner there was close to perfect. It began with a modern and refreshing gazpacho - lots of minutely chopped vegetables in a slightly spicy tomato broth - set off with a tartare of tuna and a flourish of fresh herbs.

Less exciting, and an old-fashioned preparation that might as well be scratched from the books, was an overcooked, soggy portion of white asparagus topped with a needless rectangle of puff pastry, all bathed in a buttery sauce mousseline. Even at its best, I think this dish speaks of days past. Today we like our asparagus a bit less gussied up, and certainly less cooked.

The pastas and rice are a revelation, in that they are FRENCH versions, not Italian. And once the French learn how to cook pasta and rice - Italy, watch out. The spaghetti with palourdes was distinctly French tasting, with a broth that had a rich, substantive base. The clams could have been cleaned a bit better, but the overall effect was truly satisfying. Ditto for the risotto that bound delicious fresh girolles (chanterelles) and another variety of mushroom, mousserons, to the firm grains of rice, bathed in a densely flavored stock.

For the culinary classicists, Pierre offers giant portions of veal tongue, langue de veau, poached and served with a brilliant fricassee of seasonal vegetables. Perhaps the dish most often ordered here is the pan-seared entrecote, a beef rib steak beautifully cooked and served with a green salad and a gargantuan mound of crisp, hand-cut fries.

Desserts were fine but nothing to rave about. The millefeuille a la fraise, or thin squares of puff pastry layered with cream and fresh strawberries, was on the bland side, as was the traditional cherry flan, or clafoutis aux cerises. The wine list is limited but includes a nice selection of Chinon, the fine light red Burgundy Marsannay from Domaine Bruno Clair, the 1994 priced at 195 francs
($32).

On the evening of our visit, smokers were ubiquitous and annoying, so go forewarned.

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Pierre au Palais-Royal, 10, rue de Richelieu, Paris 1

tel: 01-42-06-09-17; fax: 01-42-96-27-17.

Open until midnight. Closed Sunday and in August. Valet
parking, evenings only. Air-conditioned.

A la carte, 215 to 350 francs ($35 to $55), including service but not wine

A Big Letdown at a Seafood Cathedral

PARIS - Few things are more difficult to cook than fish and shellfish. They are delicate, fragile, frighteningly perishable, sometimes unpredictable and almost always expensive. Overcook a chicken or a lamb chop by a minute or more and usually no one will notice. Breach the limit on an expensive sea bass and you'll be wailing in despair.

I think one would have to be crazy to open a fish restaurant. Not only are you subject to the weather, to fishermen's whims, to skyrocketing prices, you also must be aware of the fact that you are dealing with a constantly limited resource. In France, add to the downside the nation's numerous holidays, when fishermen don't go out, as well as the threat of strikes that hinder transport.

All those reasons aside, fish and shellfish are of course among the greatest of gastronomic pleasures. So we go ahead and buy and cook them and people will always go on finding reasons to open a fish and shellfish restaurant.

Craving all of the above, I returned the other night to the grand Goumard Prunier off the Place de la Madeleine, with memories of sparkling fresh fish that seemed to have jumped from the Atlantic onto my plate, of shellfish that carried like a fine perfume that distinct, refreshing iodine aroma of the sea, of respectful preparations designed to flatter the fish and shellfish with a minimal amount of culinary fan-dancing.

Alas! From start to finish the meal was bland, boring and dull. From the tiny slender fillets of sardines to the last cool mouthful of fromage blanc sorbet I sat in depression. How could Jean-Claude Goumard, who has been able to capture two Michelin stars since he took over the historic fish restaurant in 1992, let his place slip to such depths.

What's worse, all the problems were quite elementary. Sardines, squid, langoustines and sea bass all suffered from similar problems. Where they should have glistened, shimmered, arriving tender but firm, each specimen suffered either from overcooking or from excessive handling.

Langoustines encased in paper-thin pastry and deep fried were flavorless and mushy when they should have sent one swooning with their richness, their scent of the sea breeze.

Encornets were encased in a batter so thick it destroyed the squid's fragility and flexibility, turning them into bands of rubber. The grilled loup, or sea bass, may have been perfect as it left the kitchen, but once placed on a blazing hot plate and sent upstairs the poor Mediterranean star arrived soggy, overcooked. The sole meuniere suffered the same fate. Even the fine Chateau de Meursault 1992, mellow and just slightly nutty, did little to assuage my disappointment.

I guess I'd better return to the stove and depend on my own fish-cooking skills, for I won't be returning soon to Goumard Prunier.

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Goumard Prunier, 9 rue Duphot, Paris 1

tel: 01-42-60-36-07; fax: 01-42-60-04-54.

Closed Sunday and Monday. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Lunch menu: 390 francs (about $65), including wine and service. A la carte, 420 to 800 francs, including service but not wine.

At Last, a Table on the Terrace In Reims, a Rare Leap for Seasonal Common Sens

REIMS, France - It was not the sort of comment I expected to hear, even in 1998, in a compact village of 5,000 in rural France: A matronly woman walked into the epicerie and spoke as the French are wont to do to no one in particular and everyone in general. ''I looked through all my cookbooks and couldn't find a recipe for escabeche de sardines. So I found it on the Internet.''

As France modernizes in leaps and bounds, so does the way it looks at food and dining. One area in which it has been slowest to change is in understanding the joys of dining outdoors. Oh, yes, we romantics may take the Impressionist masterworks such as ''Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe'' or ''Le Moulin de la Galette'' as our vision of bucolic outdoor life in France, but more often than not, the reality is the opposite.

I have stopped counting the times I have reserved at a restaurant with an outdoor terrace or garden, only to find that although the day was perfectly gorgeous, diners were shepherded indoors for no explicable reason.

So I was delighted recently when I arrived at the doors of Elyane and Gerard Boyer's Les Crayeres - the Champagne region's finest restaurant and one of the best dining spots in France - to find that the entire dining room had been moved to the chateau's flower-filled terrace. One small step for mankind, one giant step for France. A three-star restaurant serving outdoors? Bravo, les Boyers!

Seated on the terrace of the 18th-century style chateau, overlooking a seven-hectare park of multiple varieties of trees, there is little to do but sip Champagne and peruse Boyer's modern, well-conceived seasonal menu. One will never go wrong with his signature saumon fume a la minute - moist and tender morsels of fresh salmon lightly and delicately smoked - teamed up with new spring potatoes in their skins and bathed in a welcoming caviar cream.

Who could not love a well-executed combination of roasted lobster, delicate risotto and fresh green asparagus points? Or a simple fillet of line-caught bar with crunchy spring vegetables surrounded with a sauce of fresh black truffles and deep green parsley sauce?

Boyer offers the tenderest noisette portion of the lamb chop wrapped in crepinette, or caul fat, and matches them with a rich puree of dates and foie gras. For artichoke lovers, the filet of lamb is ''simply'' crusted with finely minced black truffles then roasted, and offered with a spring ''ragout'' of artichokes, basil, tomatoes, herbs and olive oil.

Desserts are equally unfussy, seasonal and palate-friendly. Try the fresh strawberries set atop an almond macaroon, in a pool of pistachio cream; a soft nougat glace with a honey and apricot sauce, or a low-calorie special - a light ricotta mousse with fruits cooked in red wine and topped with ginger jelly.

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And you can find out more about the Boyers at:

http://www.integra.fr/relaischateaux/crayeres/contact.htm

Les Crayeres, 74 Boulevard Henry Vasnier, 51100 Reims; tel: 03-26-82-80-80; fax: 03-26-82-65-52.

email: crayeres@relaischateaux.fr.

Closed all day Monday and Tuesday for lunch; closed Dec. 21 through Jan. 11.

Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa. Menus: 907 and 1,067 francs, including service and wine. A la carte: 650 to 720 francs, including service but not wine.

Asparagus Addict Attains Nirvana

PARIS - I'll be honest from the start. I am an asparagus addict. From the first sighting of those slender spears during the doldrums of February until their traditional disappearance from the French market on the feast of St. Jean in mid-June, I could savor their dense, mineral-rich flavor morning, noon and night.
So when I discovered that the Michelin two-star chef Michel Rostang was offering an all-asparagus menu, I beat a path to the door of his elegant restaurant in the 17th arrondissement. I admit to falling out of love with Rostang some years back after a few meals that seemed to reflect a man stuck in gastronomic mud and on a road to nowhere.

He has awakened, big time, now a passionate chef whose table reflects a curious mind and an intensely intellectual approach to food. The asparagus meal was full of surprises, void of clichés, a love poem to that admirable vegetable.

I was mildly disappointed that nowhere in the meal did asparagus play the star, but by the end of the meal realized the wisdom of assigning it a supporting role in a number of dishes.

The first course, soupe claire d'asperges vertes de Provence was an eye opener: With Asian overtones, this complex blend of asparagus, coriander, faintly puckery epine-vinette, or highbush cranberries, and cubes of fresh tuna bathed in a clear broth was a perfect tonic. No surprise to know that asparagus were once revered for their health giving properties and used as medicine.

The star of the evening was a simple soft-cooked egg nested in a tulip of crisp phyllo, topped with a generous spoonful of Sevruga caviar. Flanked by pan-seared violet-tipped asparagus from the farms of Jean-Charles Orso in the hills of Cannes, the soothing dish was offset by a rich, heavily reduced, almost caramelized sauce of sweet sherry.

Off the special menu, diners can also regale their palates with roasted green asparagus with spiced crabmeat in a reduced crustacean sauce; rich nuggets of lobster meat paired with asparagus and baby violet artichokes in a delicate anchovy sauce, and farm-fresh guinea hen with an Italian Arborio rice risotto with asparagus butter.

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THE wine list offered a fine discovery, a finely flinty white 1995 Coteaux d'Aix en Provence, from Domaine Hauvette, where Dominique Hauvette crafts a well-made organic wine on the plains of St. Remy de Provence.

Michel Rostang, 20 Rue Rennequin, Paris 17; tel: 01-47-63-40-77; fax: 01-47-63-82-75. Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday and three weeks in August. All major credit cards. 325-franc lunch menu; 745-franc asparagus menu. A la carte, 600 to 800 francs, including service but not wine.

Relaxing With Old Classics Chez Georges For Good Times

PARIS -- Rare is the Parisian bistro that remains solid, steady and satisfying year after year. But for 18 years I've made repeated pilgrimages to the classic 1900s bistro, Chez Georges, and it remains an example of the dream Paris bistro: convivial and relaxed, amidst a controlled murmur of good times.
Every millimeter of the long, narrow dining room Ð with its columns and mirrored walls - is packed, elbow to elbow, with a care-free, carnivorous crowd there as much for the ambiance as the cuisine, as well as the open-armed welcome of the owner, Bertrand Brouillet. The weight-obsessed, the impatient, the person who needs a space of his own should go elsewhere.

Here coats are hung or draped wherever there is room, baskets of freshly sliced country bread from Poilane and baguettes from the nearby boulangerie Lebon need constant refilling, and the chirpy waitresses all but skate across the old tile floors, racing through the room with steaming platters of steak, kidneys, grilled lamb chops, duck, sole and turbot. (That means service can be slow at times, as your hungry eyes follow a steaming platter emerging from the kitchen, destined for another table.)

On a most recent visit, starters were as satisfying as ever: celery root bathed in a mustard-rich mayonnaise; fillets of silken marinated herring floating in oil and herbs; jambon persille as fresh as a day in May; springtime curly endive, or frisee, tossed with crisp chunks of hot bacon and topped with a perfect soft-cooked egg.

never-changing star We may change but the food does not. The bistro star remains the onglet de boeuf, pan-seared skirt steak that needs little more than salt, pepper and shallots to bring out its succulent brilliance. At Chez Georges, this morsel arrives chewy, tender, with a rich, meaty flavor. As custom dictates, the meat is showered (a bit too generously for my palate) with finely minced shallots, which serve to sweeten and heighten the flavors of the beef. Alongside, come traditional French fries, which arrive hot from the kitchen. The steak de canard is as juicy and meaty as ever, served with huge portions of equally meaty cepe mushrooms; and the almost sweet, truly tender coeur de filet - seared beef fillet - comes with a Bearnaise sauce, where the tang of the vinegar and tarragon cut right into the richness of the meat.

Desserts follow suit, with fine profiteroles and a golden tarte Tatin. And the house Brouilly hits the spot, fits the mood and the moment. Who can ask for more?

Chez Georges, 1 Rue de Mail, Paris 2; tel: 01-42-60-07-11. Closed Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Visa. A la carte, about 250 francs ($42), including service but not wine

Something New and Old On the Paris Riverfront

PARIS - Some addresses seem destined for constant turnover, and 72 Quai de l'Hotel de Ville on the right bank of the Seine is certainly one of them.
In the past 15 years, the spot has hosted any number of successful chefs, at least two of whom (Georges Masraff and Gilles Epie) packed their bags for America and never came back. One almost wonders whether the newest chef, David Feau, who took over the stoves last month at the Miravile, already has his papers in order for the journey across the Atlantic.

For Parisian diners' sake, one hopes that the young and boyish Feau will stay awhile, for his simple, sane, clear food is what we need more of in Paris.

classic but modern Feau's style appeals to jaded palates that want something classic with a modern touch. And while he is fresh from his chef's position at one of Guy Savoy's many Parisian bistros, his food is not just a copy of Savoy's signature cuisine. Feau might open with an offering of a mousse-like dariole, a small cylindrical mold of creamy foie gras and chicken livers, a silken, smooth and not-too-rich starter that is drizzled with a sweet caramel sauce, making your palate wonder whether it is the beginning or the end of the meal. In truth, the sweetness is appealing, and a fine contrast to the rich acidity of the foie gras.

The 250-franc ($40) menu might include a slightly bland first-course terrine of jarret de veau paired with a wonderful remoulade of red beets - slivers of beets tossed in a mayonnaise enriched with pickles, capers, onions, parsley and tarragon. The same menu offers a delightful pintadeau en crapaudine, a farm-fresh guinea hen split down the back, flattened and grilled, and served with a luxurious polenta. Other main courses include a classic roasted Bresse chicken, tender and delicious, set on a bed of pommes boulangeres, extremely thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a dark, rich stock. When his food is good it is very, very good, and truly satisfying, making one realize that simplicity is never as easy as it looks.

With it all, try the 1995 Savigny-les-Beaune, priced at 240 francs.

The bread, alas, is dreadful. The olive bread is too soft and without character, and the tough, dried rolls are an embarrassment to an otherwise successful restaurant.

Miravile, 72 Quai de l'Hotel de Ville, Paris 4; tel: 01-42-74-72-22, fax: 01-42-74-67-55. Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Credit cards: American Express, Visa. 250-franc menu. A la carte, 300 francs a person, including service but not wine.

A Rare Breed of Chef Serves Up Hints of Days Past

PARIS - If the walls at 5 Rue de Fleurus could talk, they would speak volumes. Even before 1967 - when Jean-Claude and Jeannine Gramond took over this minuscule bistro that might well have served as the setting for A.J. Liebling's gastronomic splurges - the address had a sense of flair.
Gertrude Stein is said to have lived at some point in the tiny, two-story house in the courtyard now occupied by the Gramonds. Hemingway lived down the street.

One can chart the social and cultural changes that have overtaken the neighborhood since the day the couple opened their restaurant with five francs in the cash register and nothing more than a desire to serve simple, classic French fare. In the 1960s they often did two services at lunch, sending the overflow for a walk in the Luxembourg Gardens until places were liberated.

Before Francois Mitterrand became president of France, he lived around the corner, on Rue Guynemer, and was a frequent diner. The bourgeoisie of the neighborhood, including august members of the Academie Francaise, politicians, bishops from Rome, United Nations leaders and editors from the many publishing houses within a stone's throw of the Luxembourg made this their cantine. In short, the sort of place Parisians like to call an ''etablissement confidentiel.''

Today, the lace tablecloths, the bouquets of dried flowers, the fish tank in the tiny glassed-in terrace, are all testaments to days long past - another life, another style of cooking. And so is the dearth of ''clients fidèles.'' Publishing houses have moved to the suburbs, the two-cognac lunch is a relic of yesteryear and many of the intellectuals are now too old to make it out of their apartments to the Gramonds' domain. The younger generation would rather find nourishment at neighborhood cafés.

Chef Gramond's cuisine is both earnest and admirable. He makes twice-weekly, middle-of-the-night treks to the Rungis market for produce, meat and fish. They have always split the chores, he cooking out of a compact kitchen in the back, she tending to the 20 or so spots in the dining room.

One of a rare breed of chef left in France today, Gramond refuses to alter the classic cuisine he learned more than 40 years ago in the hotel school in Toulouse. The menu, handwritten and mimeographed in purple ink on the machine they bought three decades ago, is brief and to the point: You might find seasonal green asparagus from Provence bathed in a chervil vinaigrette; a commendable terrine of foie gras; plump scallops seared in butter and served on a bed of leeks; small, tender baby leg of lamb with a fine sorrel sauce.

Daily specials might include a lamb stew prepared with white beans, or haricots blancs, grown by Gramond on their farm in the Vosges. And come fall, his game specialties take over, with a delectable wild hare terrine; a civet de lièvre, and roasted partridge.

Three bulging cellars beneath the restaurant harbor treasures from days past:

A hoard of sturdy Santenays from the Cote de Beaune, dating to 1978, all priced at less than 400 francs. A charming 1982 Carmes Brion goes for 389 francs. There is an exceptional, long maturing Chasse Spleen, with the 1976 priced at 430 francs; as well as a 1975 Pierbone at 268 francs.

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THROUGHOUT the evening, the chef timidly enters the dining room in his clogs and spotless whites, awaiting each diner's opinion on his latest efforts. Later, come dessert time, he is back in his domain, and you hear the gentle rhythm of egg whites being beaten to stiff peaks, ready for his famed soufflé Grand Marnier.

So go, with a hunger for the fine classics of French gastronomy, and toast a chef who knows of what he cooks.

Chez Gramond, 5 Rue de Fleurus, Paris 6; tel: 01-42-22-28-89. Closed Sunday. Credit card: Visa. A la carte, 280 francs (about $45) a person without wine, including service; 350 to 400 francs with wine.