Culinary experiments that worked this year,and those that didnt Several new specialty diners brightened the citys food map this year while we got used to balancing raw slices of tuna on our chopsticks and spooned out globules of mango caviar. Then,there were dishes that made us raise a curious eyebrow and turn down a second spoonful. For instance,the ostrich meat at the Olive Bar and Kitchen in Mehrauli found few takers. We introduced it in our Carnivore Festival and it pretty much sat on our menu, says Tiwari. The Ostrich Fillet was paired with sherry risotto and a raspberry drizzle. We could see a lot of apprehensions about the meat among our guests. However,at the Smoke House Grill in GK-II,experiments never cease. When the diner decided it was time to offer a new menu,senior sous chef Mayank Tiwari flew in several kilos of John Dory,a deep sea fish,from Australia to his kitchen and cooked it with a variety of different bastes and sauces. It took me about two months to perfect the dish pan-seared fish was served with smoked shimla chili sauce and a rind of freshly skewered pineapple was tucked on top. The delightful Twice Baked Goat Cheese Soufflé served with caramelized nuts,braised beetroot and a balsamic drizzle that became an instant hit when the Olive Bar and Kitchen reopened in August. I was surprised that the dish had so many takers. It is one of our most popular appetizers now. I came across the recipe at Kells Kitchen in Sydney and it took me three months to train the boys here. It is complicated and takes about 50 minutes to prepare, says Chef Saby. While the soufflé raised the bar,the Bruleed Foie Gras served with quail egg and Brioche bread fell flat. It is not something I was hoping for. There was another foi gras dish in the menu at Olive previously that was a big hit but this one met with much apprehension. At Mismo Kitchen & Bar,it required some effort in the kitchen to make Grilled Chicken Quesadillas into a popular pick. It was surprising that that dish had such few takers. We soon modified the dish and tweaked some flavours before re-inking it on the menu, says Suman Chatterjee,Manager (Operations). Now,Smoked Barbequed Chicken Quesadillas,says Chatterjee,is one of the top selling items on the menu. The Hunan Clay Pots at the Chi Kitchen in Select Citywalk in Saket and at Safdarjung Development Area,gets a thumbs-up each time it is presented on the tables. The Laksa Lemak Clay Pot is a complete meal of chicken and vegetables served on a bed of steamed rice in a clay pot, says owner Sohrab Sitaram. However,Sitaram adds,I introduced Congee with a lot of hope but the dish is not doing well. Congee is a rice porridge served with a tray of helpings like lemon rinds,crispy peanuts and wasabi. At the Yum Yum Tree in New Friends Colony,owner Varun Tuli is still keeping his fingers crossed about Brown Garlic Jackfruit. Our guests were too apprehensive to try this dish. The crispy golden triangles of the fruit,tossed with spring onions,garlic and chilli,go very well with drinks but we got a dismal response. I plan to retain it on the menu and re-launch it in 2010. However,it was the restaurants experimental sushis that got Tuli a round of applause. We do a combination of nigiri and maki roll. For a spicy salmon roll we make a sushi roll and add another sheet of raw fish on the outside. We top it with tempura flakes and we serve a spicy sauce along with wasabi, explains Tuli.
