Chef Vikramjit Roy is known to do things differently. A strong believer
in progressive cuisine, he questions the validity of ‘authentic recipes’. “I
have documented 182 recipes of Thai green curry from a trip to North Thailand,”
he says, “so which one would you call authentic? Almost every north Indian household
has its own take on the ubiquitous rajma, as do Malayali families on the meen
moilee.” So it is not surprising that while most restaurants introduce menus to
celebrate the start of a season, Chef Vikram even finds reason to create
special dishes to mark the end of a season.
The End of Winters menu at Tian – Asian Cuisine Studio is based on
ingredients that will be available only for a short period now. “It showcases today’s
food – not yesterday’s, not tomorrow’s,” he says and adds that this philosophy is
also very much in line with the ITC Hotels’ endeavours to reduce carbon
footprint and promote responsible luxury. From green peas to black carrots,
even certain lentils from Punjab that according to Chef Vikram have a unique
flavour in the current month, find pride of place in the dramatic presentation
of a 10-course menu.
Even though he claims to have gone easy on the presentation while
pushing for techniques in the kitchen, his artistic inclination is sure to take
you on a gastronomic experience that’s enthralling, evocative of some familiar
flavours with completely surprising ingredients. So an amuse bouche that seems
to have burrata and cherry tomato has neither, and Thai curry and rice is
presented in a way that you would never imagine possible, yet tastes very much
like one would expect Thai curry and rice to taste!
Coming back to the 10-course extravaganza, I am wondering whether to
reveal the details of my experience or if I should leave you with just a few
glimpses so that you may enjoy the show as much as I did. Yes, you read right!
I did call it a ‘show’. It is in fact story telling in its most creative form
with dishes named as Grass, Fog & Smoke, Cyclone, Aftermath, Snowfall and
finally Sleep. From prawns, Bay of Bengal bekti, steamed chicken tartar, lamb
chops, halibut and crab, non-vegetarians are well taken of, as are vegetarians
with corn cakes, sweet potato, herbed tofu, soya chops, braised daikon and
seasonal vegetable dumplings.
I will now leave you with a collage of pictures that is enticing enough
to make you want to try this menu for yourself, without divulging the details of
the dishes so that they may be revealed to you as dramatically as they were to
me.
Details
Tian, ITC Maurya, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic
Enclave, New
Delhi.
Timings: 7pm –11.30pm.
Phone: 011 2611 2233.
Rs 5,000 plus applicable taxes.
