Birthday party

At the Taj Mahal hotel on Mansingh Road,there will be tough decisions to be made at lunch time — will it be an avocado and shrimp chaat golgappa or a masala vegetable carpaccio? Varq,the Indian gourmet dining restaurant at the hotel celebrated its second anniversary with the introduction of a new menu. A continuation of its interesting east-meets-west combinations,the menu’s new additions read like a mix of improbables — kale channe ki cappuccino,a chocolate dosa and prawn popcorn. “There are 25 new dishes,” said the Taj’s grand master chef Hemant Oberoi with gumption. “We have worked on the presentation and we marry ingredients that work well. We have tried hard to also keep the food contemporary yet traditional,” he added.

True to his words,the fish rechad on prawns ratatouille— a thick pan-seared fillet of black cod coated with a spicy goan masala comes placed on a bed of curried prawns and vegetables. The kale channe ki cappucino,on the other hand,is a flavoured black chickpea broth served in a coffee mug with a frothy top just like well,a cappuccino. “The chocolate dosa has a coconut chutney on the side,made from mascaporne cheese and coconut,and you are almost tricked into thinking it is your regular white chutney that comes with a dosa,” said Oberoi. At Varq,food is paired not with wine but with signature teas. So you can opt for a warm sip of rose tea,or a hibiscus infusion or even a mellow tinted fennel while you wait for the next dish to arrive.

Artist Anjolie Ela Menon,who was present at the lunch,reminisced about her work in the restaurant. “Food and art have always worked well together here. I remember climbing the scaffoldings here when a mural I had done was first put up,” she said. The mural by Menon sits comfortably on the wall along with the oil paintings,carvings and sculptures that dot the restaurant. So,while you admire the extensive artworks covering the interiors,ponder over whether to go for a malai tikka en croute or a narangi black cod. The answer,either way,promises to be satisfying.