Degustation menus, the kind you find at smart restaurants in all the gourmet capitals of the world (and now, because of the global recession, at bargain prices), have gained recently popularity in India too. Till about two years ago, diners were, in fact, hard put to even pronounce the word —Degu… what?, wrinkling up their noses at a whiff or something bad. But today, chefs are increasingly presenting tasting menus (there, that’s less of a tongue-twister, isn’t it?) with aplomb, and hopefully there are enough takers for these.
The big surprise this week for me was the discovery of an amazing tasting menu, of all places, at the government-run The Ashok in New Delhi. That too for “Frontier food”, the kind you would otherwise stuff yourself with gluttoniously at ITC’s Bukhara.
Frontier at The Ashok, that seeks to parallel Bukhara in terms of its offerings, is one of the most underrated Indian cuisine restaurants in the country. It was revamped a couple of years ago to look “luxurious” but even before that — in the days when it served a more dhaba-style of food (cutlery was only on request) — it earned enough praise from people who were not thwarted by the general sarkari air of disrepair at the hotel. Dal Bukhara may be greatly extolled, but ask me honestly and I’ll tell you that I much prefer the Dal Dera Ismail Khan (black urad, similarly cooked on a low flame for 36 hours), as the restaurant calls it, that is less tomatoe-y. So it is sad indeed that the restaurant lacks the buzz of a private venture a la Bukhara. And that the excellent degustation menu here is largely undiscovered.
Executive chef Rajiv Chopra puts forth an astonishing spread of 16-17 courses, quintessential flavours of the North-West Frontier Province. There are individually plated, sensible portions of the likes of Jhinga Samarkand, tandoori fish, the wrapped-in-egg Bannu kebabs and so forth. While the recipes are authentic, the chef’s creativity comes into play in the presentation — each portion is served with accompaniments and “garnishes” of authentic home-style vegetable preparations. (For instance, there were a few pieces of a superb sweet and sour crispy brinjal with the prawns I tried.) This is a great way to get acquainted with the entire repertoire of the cuisine; veggies and meats. Which is why the target audience for the menu — you have to book a day in advance and the chef discusses your preferences beforehand — is primarily foreign. But if you are an Indian who doesn’t want to indulge in a typically heavy meal with big portions but limited choice, this is ideal (for Rs 2,000 per head).
Chef Chopra announces quite gleefully that sometimes even he doesn’t know what is coming next. He just goes into the kitchen, sees his ingredients and sends out the order. And it is thus impossible, or so the restaurant claims, to have the same menu a second time.
A degustation menu is meant to showcase a chef’s creativity and ability. By definition, it should be one that keeps changing frequently. But while most restaurants will change their tasting menus at least seasonally, at the highest level, the menus should change daily, only using the best ingredients the chef has been able to source (preferably personally) that day.
But what about the guests? What is the etiquette when it comes to enjoying a tasting menu? The first thing that everyone wants to know, of course, is whether it is okay to ask for seconds? Of course, it is. The chef is only likely to be flattered with the request, but do keep in mind the number of courses that are to follow. At the Frontier, for instance, I am told that no one but a couple of Afghan guests have been able to go through all the courses. (After four kebabs, I asked to move on to the mains too; it is alright to skip.)
Courses are usually broken by a palate cleanser, usually in the form of a sorbet. But a golden rule that few Indian diners understand is not talking on the mobile phone during dinner. If you have asked for a tasting menu, you’ve set yourself up for an “experience” rather than a necessary chore. So savour it. And, finally, you may have to time your visit to the powder room carefully. Don’t go missing just as the halibut arrives, for instance. Chefs time their cooking to perfection — or should — when serving you their tasting menus and won’t take it kindly if you insist on eating cold fish for no fault of theirs!
