Рецепт Latest Recipe for Lasting Memories
Some Chefs can do no wrong! And that’s a bold statement to make – I make it nonetheless. If you’ve ever experienced the food from Chef Tanveer Kwatra’s kitchen, you will agree with me! When Chef Tanveer designs a menu, you can picture a scene from Alinea’s kitchen or the French Laundry’s. It’s not just very good food; its the thought, the planning, the flavour palates involved that make all the difference. This update is a long time coming. Considering the menu, whether summer, autumn or winter, the menu will always be highly exclusive and exceptionally innovative. For one thing, it is very easy to imagine this kitchen as one helluva fun place to be! I’m talking about Le Meridien Gurgaon’s all day dining, Latest Recipe. Having retained most of the original staff, it is a pleasure to have access to the sense of awe, albeit with a different brand – it is the same delight even then! I suggest you consider the menu like a journey, across the span of Asia, a bit longer in the far east and perhaps not long enough in the middle. Nevertheless, this menu is revelation of flavours and a learning for the lovers of good food!
Chef Tanveer Kwatra
Starting with the Prawn Cocktail: Shrimps Get Wild (INR 650) was possibly an ace for Chef Tanveer. This was the dish I call the ‘hook’ – the moment you know this meal is going to be fabulous! Apart from the expected freshness and balance, the key to this dish was the choice of mayo Chef chose to use, Japanese Mayo or some say, Kewpie. Being thinner and tangier, there is a whole different bouquet of flavours to play with here and the consistency is perfect. Calm the palate with either the Charred Corn Tabbouleh with feta salad and falafel (INR 550) or the Quinoa Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Pine Nuts and Goat’s Cheese (INR 550), both of which do terrific justice to the vegetarian angle in this menu. The charred corn is smoky and Taboulleh is corn-sweet and light, while the Quinoa brings in a fluffiness with a perfect caramelized sweetness from roasted pumpkin. Don’t miss the Chard Bread with the salad. The nuttiness is all the texture you need to set off the pine nuts; it’s like drama you can taste! Then things continue to get exciting! The humble sounding Cabbage and Onion Salad with plum, avocado, seaweed and tanuki (INR 550) ups the ante with the awesome Asian twist of Tanuki. These tempura crumbs are a perfect pick me up the for the limp but hugely flavourful seaweed and if you’re a meat eater gone vegetarian, this is going to bring back some amazing memories of the glory days! So many textures, onion crunch, buttery beans, soft avocado, moist seaweed, intelligent – Tanuki, it was very chirashi like, this salad!
The menu goes on to become a vegetarian’s delight with Harra Moth ki Chaat (INR 550) and Dahi ka Cheela (INR 550) but the real stars would have to be the Blow Torched Salmon with Wakame salad and pineapple wafu dressing (INR 650) which tastes just as good as it sounds and has not a trace of propane to boot! Wafu is a Japanese vinaigrette of sesame oil, wasabi and Rice Vinegar. Add pineapple to that and you have the Japanese penchant for perfection at it’s best! The Salmon is served in rosettes, like a cousin of Sashimi, with a hint of green apple in case the pineapple isn’t tropical enough. The Chicken Oyster and Wild Mushroom Salad with wasabi aioli and tobiko (INR 650) complements the Salmon very well. Fleshy mushrooms, rich with fish roe and nutty Roquette leaves to make it more earthy. Also the aioli is bottle worthy. It has everything to do with the combination of mushrooms, shimeji, king brown and shiitake, beautifully done!
The Okonomiyaki
If you wish to bring in a bit of red meat instead, there is the Warm Vietnamese Shaking Black Pepper Lamb Salad with lychee (INR 650); hot and cold at play, soft lamb with Japanese flavours, a lick of spice and then the cooling lychees. You see how it works, almost like magic! Don’t leave the fun part in all this food and I don’t mean dessert! Do try the Okonomiyaki (cabbage and corn or prawn and bacon) (INR 650). This super fun Japanese style savoury pancake looks like a pizza. It is flour based with a variety of ingredients in the batter, which is then poured on hot skillets or pan grilled to make wholesome mini meals. I chose the prawn and bacon, the combination of the sweet sea and the salty fat put this in my top three dishes of the day and those were some hard choices! Pair your meal with a variety of specially curated cocktails and mocktails, and enjoy!