Dine With Rocky at Aish, The Park, Hyderabad

Where fine dining Apps go, Gourmet Passport has it's own niche and exclusivity. Gourmet Passport, with its partnership with only the best restaurants and hassle free, singular offers has very rapidly won the hearts of consumers. Now with consolidation across 9 cities, Gourmet Passport enters the next phase of hosting and curating special dining experiences for its users. 

Fine dining is an art that is otherwise diminishing, what with the advent of fast foods and QSRs. At the other end of the spectrum, there is renewed interest in slow food, the way our forefathers ate. Food that was cooked with care and patience, foraging the best of local ingredients and giving deliberate thought to each dish. Perhaps that was the secret of their health and well being.

Fine Dining is much more than having a meal. It is about taking out ample time to revel in good company, conversations and cuisine and to savour it to the fullest. Gourmet Passport is committed to carrying on this tradition of fine dining with aplomb, with a connoisseur like Rocky Mohan himself at the helm of affairs. 'Dine With Rocky' have been very popular events in Delhi for a long time. They later travelled to Mumbai and Bengaluru. Hyderabad had it's first 'Dine With Rocky' event recently at the exquisite restaurant, Aish, The Park.

Dine With Rocky is an exclusive evening in an intimate setting with the most prestigious local luminaries personally invited by Rocky Mohan to share his table, while showcasing the host venue's culinary expertise. The Dine With Rocky at Aish featured a 10 Course menu curated by Chef Thimma Reddy and personally approved by Rocky Mohan. The menu was a tribute to the inclusive culture of Hyderabad with some modern elements added.

The gourmet dinner was attended by Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary Telangana State, Vivek Verma, Chief Strategy Officer and Head Retail, Srinivasa Farms; Ekta Verma, Ted Ex; Chef Chalapathi Rao, Founder and Restauranteur, Simply South; Chef Shankar, Renowned Chef, Partner Fusion 9 group; Sampath Rao Tummala, Managing Director and Restauranteur, The Spicy Venue; Shashi Rao, TRS General Secretary & Entrepreneur; Aslam Gafoor, Head Luxury Dining, Dineout India; Vijay Marur; Mohammed Habib, from Royal Family of Paigah; Raunaq Yar Khan and Suryaveer Singh, Wine Sommelier, Executive Director of Trance Hotels and Malliha Fatima from Wow Magazine.

There was an exclusive tasting & appreciation session of the Chivas Regal's15-year-old XV by their brand ambassador Mr. Declan Mccrossan. Chivas Regal 15-year-old XV is a blended whiskey, luxuriously fruity and sweet thanks to careful cask selection, including some whiskey that has been finished in Grande Champagne Cognac casks. 

Aish, inspired by the lifestyle of the Nizams of Hyderabad, is genteel fine-dining, personified. It is not just a restaurant, but a piece of art, design by none other than Tarun Tahiliani. The menu featured the best of Hyderabadi cuisine along with subtle variations and Andhra influences. Nannari, an extract from the woody and aromatic roots of sarsaparilla with lime and organic honey was the perfect refreshing drink to start with. This was followed by a robust Gosht ka Marag for non-vegetarians and Matar our Nariyal ka Shorba for vegetarians. 

Then a platter with an overturned cocktail glass arrived. Lift the glass and a delicious smokey aroma greeted your senses, this was Smoked Gosht Shikampur Kebab and Smoked Gajar ki Shikampur Kebab served with saffron and mint mascarpone. The next course was Chippe ke Jhinge for non-veg and Chippe ke Khumb, Chippe being a stone platter on which these are cooked. This was a personal favourite, the succulent prawns served with fenugreek sev.

Everyone needed a break now and it came in the form of an eye-catching and tantalising Kala Jamun & Black Salt Sorbet, one of the best sorbets I have had( and you've got to grant me, I am a bit of an authority on tangy sorbets!).

In the pious month of Ramzaan, no dinner in Hyderabad is complete without Haleem, so the next course was Gosht Haleem. Here for many, the vegetarian Jackfruit Haleem turned out even better than the non veg Gosht Haleem which was perfect too.

For the piece de resistance, another beautiful platter appeared with a unique symphony of a vibrant Bekti Lal Mirch with Amchoori Bhindi, Baghara Palamur Quinoa and Chicken Sufiyani Pulao, which is a mild and aromatic affair totally devoid of chilli. Together the dishes created a beautiful balance of colour, texture and flavour. For vegetarians, instead of the Bekti, there was Lal Mirch ki Pasinde.

The dessert was again a platter of mini bites of Hyderabadi Baked Fig and Jaggery Ice Cream, Sesame Seed Snap; a Dark Chocolate Jouzi Cake, an old Aish speciality and Alphonso Creme Chantilly, a platter fit for the Nizam. 

To end the decadent meal, there was Irani Chai served in quaint roadside eatery holders with Badam Akhrot & Ginger Cookies. The Paan Chocolate Truffles came disguised on a delicate mogra stem with the flowers still intact. This presentation just blew me away. The romance of fine dining was all there amidst warm banter and Rocky Mohan's infectious joie de vivre. Kudos to The Park Hyderabad team for curating an impeccable evening for esteemed Gourmet Passport guests.

Pics credit: Vishal Kumar Sharma