British pub grub whets Paris appetite

FROM ADAM SAGE IN PARIS

In the kitchens of the Batofar is Stéphane Laugenie, a French chef heavily influenced by his 18-month spell at the Crown and Goose in Camden, North London. Also in residence are the Leeds 13, a group of art students famous for fooling the media into reporting that they had wasted a university grant on a holiday in Málaga.

Together, they are helping to fire intense interest in the Batofar, a converted Irish lighthouse ship that has been moored on the Seine for the past 18 months. It provides meals, cinema, a dancefloor and a base for contemporary art. "This has become one of the most original cultural centres in the capital," the newspaper Libération said last week.

M Laugenie said: 'We noticed that there was nowhere in Paris like you find in London for the 20-to-25 age group."

Not the least surprising aspect of this success is the food served by M Laugenie. He said: "I had been a chef in Bordeaux for 18 years before moving to London and I was so amazed at the quality of your cuisine that I decided to bring it back to Paris.

"In southwest France, the gastronomy, like the people, is conservative, but the British modern food involves a real openness of mind and a genuine tolerance of different cultures."

Last Thursday M Laugenie offered cod filet in tandoori sauce. Then there was his English "plateau" - ciabatta with poached egg, bacon, cheddar, fishcake, sorrel sauce and coleslaw. He also surprises the French with a wide vegetarian selection.

More than 300 people cram into the Batofar every night and up to 90 of them eat his version of British pub food.

Among them are the members of the Leeds 13. The group, now numbering only 11, have been employed by the Batofar to reflect on the use of urban space. One day they threw a large number of oranges into the fountains outside the Louvre. On another, they were expelled from the National Library for playing bowls - also with an orange.

It may be a little bewildering, but the project is proving a hit, said Julie de Muer, a Batofar director. "It's drawn great interest," she said.