We were very interested to try this restaurant because we love good Indian food and of course we love fine dining. I had opted us both to do the non-vegetarian tasting menu, but in retrospect, i wish we had done one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian just so we could try the different dishes. There were two options for add-ons – a lobster tail course and a chili cheese Kulcha as a bread supplement. For the wine pairing, we did go ahead and go with one of each of the Indienne pairing and the Reserve pairing.
We did start with cocktails as per usual. Andrea got the Lotus (tequila, shochu, lychee, jasmine, orgeat, bitter melon) and I got the G&T. I don’t remember Andrea’s cocktail, but I remember mine not being very herbaceous and kinda watered down.
The first course was the Dhokla Aero. Dhokla is already a spongy cake, but this was much more airy and light. There was curry and other spices and the flavors and the prepration were such a nice return to fine dining on this trip. It felt like a relaxing exhalation that put me at ease (haha, I suppose I start suffering fine dining withdrawal after a couple weeks).
Second course was their version of Pani Puri. Physically, it was not the usual spherical shell , but rather a buckwheat mini tart shell. In the shell was a round passionfruit gel that contained liquid since we were warned to eat the pani puri all in one bite and to keep your mouth closed when you bit into it. It was different from a traditional pani puri, but was a pleasant and playful bite.
The next bite was a the Avocado Bhel. In this case, the black rice was formed into wafers sandwiching the avocado so that it basically resembled an oreo (or a round ice cream sandwich) with green filling. There was also some tamarind to give some sour and sweet fruitiness. The picky part of my was mildly irked that the cookie part wasn’t aligned exactly with the filling.
Next came the Yogurt Chaat. There was a light yogurt on a bed of strawberries. The yogurt was at topped with a crisp fried nest of fine noodles (rice?).
Our first seafood dish was the Scallop Xec Xec. This was a perfectly cooked scallop served in a scallop shell with Golden Kaluga Caviar and a corn raab (soup).
Then came our supplemental course, the Lobster Ghee Roast. The loboster tail was roasted and set atop a bit of yogurt. On the side, there was a prawn ela ada (rice dumpling) and a mango puree.
Next came the Chicken Katli. This was a savory version of a katli, but still shaped in the diamond parallelogram shape. In this case, it was a layer of chicken paté and in place of the edible silver on top, it was covered with black truffle. The sauce was a amul cheese emulsion. The chili cheese kulcha was also served with this course and all the better to use the kulcha to mop up the extra cheesy sauce.
Then came our final savory course, the Lamb Nihari which featured lamb served 2 ways. First there was the loin, perfectly cooked and crusted and second was the rib meat. On the plate there was also a fried potato where a thin strip of potato was spooled into a round round and also a bit of celeriac. Each of the ingredients were arranged so they were spread evenly on the plate and in center they poured the broth/sauce. As sides, we were given a cup of Black Dairy Dal and some Garlic Naan. For me, the dal was very memorable since it was the most delicious dal I think I’ve had (although I can’t say I have a lot of dal in my life).
We were offered coffee or tea or chai so I went with chai. It was served in dishware with a floral pattern that made you think of something you would find at grandma’s house, lol. The chai was not very spiced (esp. compared to the chai tea spice mix I brought back from India) and really just tasted mostly like milk tea. It was delicious and sweet but not overly sweet.
Lastly came the Treats – a trio of mignardise. First, there was Huckleberry which came in the form of a jelly, then the Bhapa Doi in the form of a little tart topped with gold leaf, and lastly came the Filter Coffee that came in the form of a bon bon.
All in all, it was an enjoyable take on a fine dining version of Indian food with the dishes and flavors were inspired by Indian food (unlike Gymkhana…).
Wine Pairing
| Indienne | Reserve |
|---|---|
| Domaine Rondeau Bugey-Cerdon, Gamay | Domaine Rondeau Bugey-Cerdon, Gamay |
| Bugey-Cerdon, France NV | Bugey-Cerdon, France NV |
| Joëlle Vrignaud Chablis, Chardonnay | Bachelet-Monnot Bourgogne Côte d’Or, Chardonnay |
| Chablis, France 2022 | Burgundy, France 2022 |
| Vignobles Brisebarre, Vouvray | Sybille Kuntz Riesling |
| Vouvray, France 2022 | Nahe, Germany 2012 |
| A Tribute to Grace Rosé, Grenache | Bruno Clair Marsannay Rosé |
| Santa Barbara, USA 2024 | Marsannay, France 2022 |
| La Rioja Alta ‘Viña Ardanza Reserva’ Tempranillo | Marques de Murrieta Gran Reserva Tempranillo |
| Rioja, Spain 2017 | Rioja, Spain 2016 |
| Bache Gabrielsen ‘Very Old’ Pineau des Charentes | Rare Wine Co. Historic Series Boston Bual |
| Charentes, France NV | Madeira, Portugal NV |
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