Rimas Balsys (asker) Dec 7, 2018:

@ all [2] After further extensive searching (filtering out Ondine as a blogger's name and a restaurant name) I've found widely varying illustrations ranging from what in EN would be described as "scalloped potatoes/vegetables", "spiral potatoes/vegetables", and what looks like crushed potatoes squeezed into a mould then upended/released and briefly sauteed. So there you are, take your pick, but I'll have to stick with "ondine", unfortunately with no explanation.

Rimas Balsys (asker) Dec 5, 2018:

@ all If I may offer a suggestion for your collective assessment, "scalloped potatoes" and "scalloped vegetables and potatoes" are pretty common dishes where potatoes and/or veg are sliced and casseroled in a cheese, onion & garlic sauce.

Tony M Dec 4, 2018:

@ Asker I can think of 2 possibilities here:

1) cut using the 'scalloped' cutter on my mandoline (as Phil has suggested) — though it seems a bit unlikely they would use this for ALL the vegetables on the plate, and while it could work for hard things like potatoes and root veg, it's hard to see how they could do it with broccoli, green beans, or peas!

2) with the essence of 'ondine' being a water nymph (and cf. poetic use of 'ondes' for 'waters'), I'm donering it if means perhaps 'swimming in water '— or at least, "a bit wet" — cf. the term a 'nage' of various things used in cuisine.

Lorraine Dubuc Dec 4, 2018:

I would keep 'ondine' For whatever it means. It seems to be a word that is used as accessory to embellish the naming of the dish, just like the word 'fantaisie' would. 'fantaisie de légumes, fantaisie de pomme de terre aux amandes' etc. It is a poetical way of inviting the diners to travel through the culinary world. I don't think it means 'crinkle cut' as suggested earlier, but it also could.

Charles Davis Dec 4, 2018:

If anyone doesn't know Ravel's Ondine, the first part of his Gaspard de la Nuit, I urge them to listen to it. Here it is played live by Martha Argerich (at the age of 75!), preceded by Annie Dutoit reading the poem by Aloysius Bertrand on which it is based:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekmVXP-ELGQ

Off topic, I know, but that's what the word Ondine means to me.

ph-b (X) Dec 4, 2018:

A bit more about "ondine", if that's any help. They're referring here to bûche (de Noël) ondine : http://www.pignol.fr/site/images/carte-des-fetes-2017-2018.p... and here they're talking of semelle à bûche ondine, whatever that maybe (but note the wavy patterns, as philgoddard hinted). There's also a recipe for crème ondine here: http://www.association-projet.org/projets/familles/38-recett... and there's even ondine lasagna here: http://www.lesbonsproduitsdumonde.com/e_commerce/ondine-lasa... A bit wavy again. Don't some Italian words end in e in the plural? So again something to do with "waves"? Good luck!

philgoddard Dec 4, 2018:

Scalloped means cut in a wavy pattern :-)

mrrafe Dec 4, 2018:

Marie Guerlain Marie Ondine Guerlain is a perfume heiress who also promotes her cookware designs and food coaching programs. The references in the menu might relate to her cooking style. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/marie-guerlain-579013162 , https://ondine.com/ Ondine also is the name of several distinguished restaurants so the menu might be alluding to them. One is a seafood restaurant, lending credence to Phil's theories.

philgoddard Dec 4, 2018:

Ondine is a variety of potato, but that may be coincidence. I wonder whether it means little waves or ripples. And maybe that means scalloped.