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

Raw Mango & Poached Plum Salad

When you run out of vegetables to make salads with, in summers, fruits come to the rescue. Fruits are after all power packs of vitamins and minerals and taste good too. Yet mix too many of them, and it becomes a melee. But if you carefully pick two unique fruits in a smart manner and use them judiciously, it is a melange.

Chef Aungshuman Chakraborty, Complex Executive Chef, Hyderabad Marriott & Courtyard, has always displayed great creativity in all his menus. Thus this startling salad kind of lives up to our expectations of him. What a stunning combination of flavours!

Chef Aungshuman has had a wonderful 18 year long career with great brands such as Hyatt, The Park, Trident, The Oberoi, The Lalit and Intercontinental Hotel. He joined the pre-opening team of The Park in Chennai with Chef Willi Wilson and pre-opening of the French fine dining restaurant at Leela Palace Bangalore, The Dining Room with Chef Jean Michele Jasserand. He worked at The Oberoi Grand, an iconic heritage property as Executive Sous Chef and later got exposure to the flight catering to explore that vertical with Oberoi flight services, Mauritius as Executive Chef.

He has worked and assisted renowned Chefs like Max Bukhaltar, Mathew Cropp, Willi Wilson and Jean Michele Jasserand. He has a certified Professional Development Programme on Kitchen and Restaurant Management in the 21st Century from Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, Dubai. 

Here is the exquisite salad recipe contributed by him for Tangy Sorbet:

Raw Mango and Poached Plum salad with young greens with honey lemon dressing

INGREDIENTS

     

QUANTITY

UOM

Raw Mango                          150 gm

Plum                                       80 gm

Romaine lettuce                     50 gm

Red wine                               To poach

Salt                                        To taste

Black Pepper                         To taste

Cherry tomato                        30 gm

Honey Lemon Dressing

Honey                                     50 ml

Lemon juice                            30 ml

Extra Virgin Olive Oil               50 ml

MOP

Steps-1 

1. 1. Peel and grate the mango
2. 2. Clean and dry the lettuce
3. 3. Cut the cherry tomatoes into half
4. 4. Half the plum and remove the seed
5. 5. In a sauce pan bring the wine to simmering point
6. 6. Reduce the heat and poach the plum till its kind of soft
7. 7. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients and emulsify
8. 8. Take a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients and mix lightly
9. 9. Arrange in a bowl or a plate and serve chilled.

#50CoolSaladsForSummer 6. Fattoush

Fattoush, Arabic: فتوش‎, also fattush, fatush, fattoosh, and fattouche is a Lebanese peasant salad made from toasted or fried pieces of #khubz (Arabic flat bread) combined with mixed #greens and other vegetables, such as radishes and #tomatoes. When @tangysorbet recently reviewed The Souk Experience at #Encounters at @tajkrishnahyd recently, it was the perfect opportunity to request Chef Simon Shakour, who was visiting from Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai and is a master in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine to share this recipe.

It is a deceptively simple salad to make and healthy without a doubt. The crunchy bread croutons give an interesting contrast of texture. If you don’t have khubz or khubuz you can use slightly dried pita bread too. The original recipe by Chef Shakour. 

Sr. No.	Orion  Code	Ingredients Name				Unit	Quantity
1	1050079	Iceberg Lettuce				Gms	100
2	1050138	Tomatoes				Gms	30
3	1050110	sliced Bell Peppers				Gms	30
4	1050293	English Cucumbers				Gms	20
5	1050117	Red Raddish				Gms	10
6	1600732	Sumac Powder				Gms	5
7	1601598	Dry Mint Powder				Gms	5
8	1600076	Salt				Gms	5
9	1050087	Lemon Juice				Nos	1
10	1550727	Olive Oil				ml	20
11	Recipe	Crispy pita bread				Gms	20
Method of Preparation:
1. In a bowl toss together bellpeppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, radish and lettuce sesaoned with salt, sumac
powder, dry mint powder, olive oil and lemon juice.
2. Toss well and serve topped with crispy fried pita bread.

#50CoolSaladsForSummer No. 4 Beetroot Carpaccio With Feta

Beetroot is a tricky ingredient but a gorgeous one. I still feel it is an under-utilised ingredient in Indian restaurants. The colour is just so exquisite and the natural sweetness is too good. One restaurant that always surprises me with the way they use beetroot is Olive Bistro Hyderabad. Must say I have had the best beetroot based dishes at Olive. Including the latest Beetroot Carpaccio introduced in the new menu by Chef Viraf Patel, Consultant Chef at Olive.

Viraf Patel, known for his culinary adventures that are laced with much eccentricity, conviction and the belief in truly honest cooking, is one of the most celebrated young chefs in India. With a deep knowledge of ingredient and applications, he works with the understanding of origins of recipes and makes them relevant to our time and age.

Chef Viraf began his culinary escapades fairly early in life. Born to a mother dedicated to the hospitality industry and a father who was a printer publisher, he always maintained an interest in all things culinary and later went on to pursue his education in the culinary arts at the prestigious Les Roches School of Hospitality Management. Post his education in Les Roche, Chef Viraf went on to work at Restaurant Zur Rossweid, Zurich where the largely methodical and technique focused, Chef Attinger became his mentor and challenger. He attributes much of his culinary understanding, attention to detail and technique to Chef Attinger. Upon returning to India, he has worked and consulted with some very good standalone restaurants. We couldn't help requesting him for this recipe.

Here is this gorgeous recipe. Of course to replicate it, you would have to have his special touch. Or you can always go to Olive Bistro, Hyderabad and have the original.

Beetroot carpaccio with feta & orange vinaigrette 

Arugula lettuce, toasted sunflower seeds & Orange Rind

For the roasted beetroot

Beetroot – 1kg

Sea salt – 50gms

Oil – 50ml

Wash the beetroots, and cut off the top and bottom, place in an oven proof dish, drizzle with oil & sprinkle with salt, cover in aluminium foil & roast in the over at 170 C for 1.5 hours or until tender – be careful to check that they are not burning but avoid opening up the foil as you want to keep in all the moisture.

Once cooked, cool and place in the fridge to chill. Post chilling, peel the beets and slice them into very fine slices on the round. Place on a plate as evenly as possible, cover with cling film and refrigerate again

For the orange vinaigrette

Orange whole (California preferred) – 1 piece

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 30 ml

Apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar – 20ml

Orange juice – from the same orange

Orange zest – from the same orange

Salt – a pinch or 2

Zest the orange, this can be done by gently grating the orange peel on a very fine grater, do not reach the white core of the skin. Another method would be to remove the top most layer of the skin with a very sharp knife. Once the zest is removed, cut off the white core of the peel and cut out a few orange segments, juice the rest of the orange.

Mix all the ingredients and whisk into an emulsion – leaving some fine zest for garnish

To plate up 

Toasted sunflower seeds – a good pinch

Feta – 20 gms

Orange Zest

Arugula lettuce – shredded – 10gms

Mint – a few leaves 

Orange segments 

Dress the beetroot slices with the vinaigrette – and arrange the rest of the ingredients nicely on top.

Enjoy chilled.