The problem with having the best Sunday brunch in town, as does 361 at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, is that other restaurants slide into the background. But Amaranta, the fine-dining coastal cuisine restaurant with only 44 covers, announces itself despite its discreet presence, thanks to its cuisine. From the very start, when the cruet set of specially-created sea salts and a bread boat is brought to the table, one is alerted to the fact that this dining experience will be like no other.
I am at Amaranta for a preview of their new Coastal Cuisine Festival that commences on Sunday with Syrian Christian food.
Why Syrian Christian food, I ask Manish Sharma, the executive sous chef at the hotel, who is my dining companion. His reasons are assured: there is great diversity in the cuisine in the use of meats (from ducks to mussels) and spices, owing to its proximity to the erstwhile spice trade. It is also an interesting cuisine to prepare since the skillful use of spices (though the food is heavy on them) ensures they don?t dominate the food, but enhance it. Sharma gives me the example of star anise, a spice so distinctive that when married with a neutral meat, it can change its flavour. Or for that matter, the use of shallots more than onions, thereby creating a flavour palate that is unique. The cuisine also boasts a distinct Portugese influence that attests to its heritage.
With this background knowledge, I commence on the cruise. The amuse-bouche may be a playful little turn on cuisine, but I tend to take it seriously. I think of it as a ?mood food??in the sense that it definitely puts you in the mood for the meal that is to follow. This time round, it doesn?t disappoint. The beetroot dhokla is quite unlike anything I have ever tasted and, paired as it is with a rice dumpling called paniyaram that encompasses in one bite the taste of all of south India, I am delighted. Sure, that?s an exaggeration, but it definitely familiarises you with flavours one associates with the cuisine.
The next course is the coconut and drumstick soup, which leaves a decidedly bitter aftertaste that is gratefully erased by what I think will be a triumph in the upcoming festival menu?the ney meen varuthathu, a pan-seared kingfish in tamarind sauce. Delicately flavoured and cooked to a ?melting-in-the-mouth? consistency, this subtle dish comes with a burst of flavours.
It is followed by the kallumakkaya roast, a dish of mussels tossed with ginger and curry leaves?definitely an acquired taste. If you like mussels, this dish will work for you in many ways, but if you are yet to taste its delights past the chewy consistency, this might be a miss for you.
The main course, Syrian Christian vegetable stew with appams, is a tasty dish for the not-so-adventurous people. However, the Syrian Christian Kozhi roast, a roasted chicken dish with the famed spices of the region, is a delicious main.
But it is with the desserts that the chefs get truly imaginative. The jackfruit ice-cream is the standout on the menu, fresh and crisp in flavour. With a gentle aftertaste, it rounds off the meal quite in the way a mid-meal palate cleanser would. It is an appropriate finish, especially with the generosity of spices in the cuisine.
Every dish on this menu is authentic and has been curated after a careful process of sieving through traditional family recipes from Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kottayam and Malappuram. Some of these recipes are as old as 200 years, but the idea of the festival is to reach back in time and pull out authentic flavours.
Although Amaranta is a fine-dining restaurant, it is mindful of its primary lunchtime clientele of business and corporate executives. Therefore, the 45-minute meal service still stands, even with the challenges of conjuring up centuries-old recipes.
Advaita Kala is a writer, most recently of the film Kahaani. She is also a former hotelier having worked in restaurants in India and abroad