Journalism of Courage
Way back in the 14th century,when Francesco di Marco mentioned ravioli in his writings,little did he imagine the humble delicacy will some day appear as a monsoon speciality in the carte of a restaurant. At Prems,chef Ajay Thakur loves experimenting with the traditional cuisine,blending in different flavours and giving it a new dimension with Chocolate Ravioli with Custard Sauce,a savoury indulgence of the season. But it is not the only dish relishing the taste buds during the season. Prems welcomes the rain gods with its unique inclusion for the season,The Hot Chocolate Trail, which comprises chocolate metropolitan,ferrero rocher,dark chocolate brownie and rice kheer encased in chocolate sphere with hot chocolate sauce.
Taking a different path,Mad House Grill,the continental restaurant at Koregaon Park,is serving thermidors and piping hot kebabs to set off the chilled clammy climate embracing the city. Prawn thermidor,which is quite in demand among patrons,is a French dish consisting of a creamy mixture of cooked prawn meat,egg yolk and cognac. The dish is served with an oven-browned cheese crust typically known as the Gruyere. Thermidors are usually prepared with lobsters,but this season we wanted to try it out with prawns. Surprisingly,its doing pretty well, says Mayure Kapasi,owner of Mad House Grill.
The monsoon motto for WTF!,Viman Nagar,is when in Maharashtra eat like the Marathis. Their Monsoon Marathi Jewan,a food festival celebrating Maharashtrian culture and the season,offered an assortment of dishes such as Kombdi Cha Rassa,Kolhapuri Chicken Sukha,Thalipeeth and Kanda Bhajji. Komdi Cha Rassa is a spicy Maharashtrian chicken curry made with dried coconut and onion. It is served with bhakri, says chef Anup Kumar Saha.
Heralding the monsoon in the south Indian way,Zambar has added dishes such as Mahabalipuram Crazy Pappad,Kochi Lamb Chops,Kalan and Olan in their extensive menu. Kalan is a preparation of buttermilk with thick gravy,flavoured with mustard fried in coconut oil. Although these dishes were added specifically for the season,we will continue to serve them till Onam, shares Arun Kumar P R,brand chef of Zambar.
Making most of the made-for-each-other combination of rain and barbeque,Cocoparra at Mundhwa Kharadi has introduced Barbeque Tonight,a global grill and barbeque festival. Food connoisseurs are teased to step out into the rai n as they nibble on the specialities of the season Jalapeno Chilli Cheese Kebabs,Smoked Vegetables in Asian Barbeque Glaze,Two way Pesto Chicken Grill,Bharwan Mali dhingree and Awadhi Mali Makai Kebab.
