Olive Welcomes Autumn with Warm Creative Food Canvas

"Autumn is a second Spring, when every leaf is a flower."

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year, when nature undergoes a subtle transition as the hot and sultry summer eases out gradually, bringing in a pleasant nip in the air, as you want to snuggle in something warm and rejoice this beautiful life once more. Olive Bistro, Hyderabad, that has become a benchmark of pure, natural flavours in a city foodscape steeped in over the top masalas and curries, is sure to savour this beautiful time and essay it in its menu. Beautiful restaurants are canvases of self expression and creativity. They create and dazzle and surprise and are never run of the mill. They run away from the mill, again and again, season by season.

So in a city where most restaurants 'play safe' and offer a strange hotch potch of 'multi-cuisine' fare with no character of its own, Olive stands proudly doing what it does best. And yet they have slowly cajoled and manoeuvred and steered the city's palate to new tastes and culinary adventures. A case in point being when they started four years ago, they would sell two glasses of Sangria per day. And let me tell you they have the best Sangria in town. Today they sell almost eight litres of Sangria per day! The new autumn menu, culled out by Chef Rishim Sachdeva is a warm embrace of a soft and fluffy, fine Pashmina on a nippy evening by the lake. It is sophisticated but heartwarming, timeless and indigenous, light and soothing.

"The menu is all about local, seasonal produce done in a fun way," says Chef Rishim, adding "that involves lot of umami flavour that we achieve through fermentation and preserving. The cooking is technique heavy but in a fun way."

So in a preview, we were floored with a smorgasbord of dishes with grace and grit and gravitas. They appeal instantly with the grace of vibrant colours and stunning yet simple plating. Then they exhibit a grit representing the planned way in which the best is extracted from a mundane, every day ingredient such as cauliflower or beetroot or peas, and paring it with a meaty element, making them exciting and highly palatable. Finally when you taste it, there is the gravitas or wholesomeness and character to completely satisfy your senses.

BBQ Cauliflower and Leek Flatbread

For vegetarian appetisers you have Funky Hummus and Smoked Falafel and clearly the unforgettable BBQ Cauliflower and Leek Flatbread. Being a Punjabi who loves her Gobhi ka Paratha, I felt this is a deconstructed Gobhi ka Paratha, but served with so much elan and finesse that it will be the favourite vegetarian dish of many. 

Red Velvet Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouleh

Kefir Lime Fishcakes with Saffron Aioli and Pickled Fennel

Pork Ribs with Carrot, Keffir and Saute Green Beans

For non veg there is an even more impressive range- Red Velvet Fried Chicken-Quinoa Tabbouleh which is such a winner of a dish using beetroot in such an innovative way that even a kid would love it, Pork Ribs with Carrot, Keffir and Saute Green Beans is balanced and sublime with perfectly cooked pork, tender, home smoked and slow braised! The Kefir Lime Fishcakes with Saffron Aioli and Pickled Fennel have a fresh lemony, zesty feel that goes well with fennel. Each dish comes with a nice salad on the side and some interesting grains, making it very balanced and nutritious too.

Slow Braised Lamb

One must compliment the gorgeous plates and platters they serve the dishes in. Specially procured and custom-made, the beautifully crafted plates in hues of turquoise, grey, aqua and  blue set the mood for sure. In the main course, I sampled the Slow Braised Lamb-inspired by Chef Rishim's travel to Morocco- which is slowly braised for 72 hours, served with seasonal peas and potato mash, beetroot puree and crunchy vegetables.

Salted Caramel Tart

For dessert, there is the heavenly Salted Caramel Tart, both sinful and scintillating. The Tiramisu for two is a fantastic dessert, thankfully not served in a glass (done to death in other places) but a pastry form with Kahlua sponge and creamy mascarpone cheese and homemade lady fingers.

Tiramisu

I have never been disappointed by any dish at Olive till date and the experience continues. The beautiful ambience is the perfect icing on the cake. Yet, just setting up an idyllic ambience and not backing it up with constant innovation does not work. At Olive, more than anything else, you experience the fruits of labour of a team ticking with fresh ideas, robust energy and the will to excite and influence and educate the tastes of a city which is soon adapting to a cosmopolitan, global ethos.

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." Indeed.