Shek's cellar

Pickings

Mumbaikars, or visitors to that city, cannot have remained immune to its hip Athena, or Sin, or Basilica, all boasting restaurateur Moshe Shek's acclaimed Mediterranean cuisine.

Having given Mumbai enough to chew on, Shek descended on Delhi this week, to launch Oliva at the Capital Court building in Munirka.

Even though it may not be in a posh neighbourhood, the restaurant has a warm, bistro-like atmosphere, and a chic, minimalist decor.

The first-day, first-course saw a packed opening, with the staff clearly overwhelmed by the orders.

Hopefully, these glitches will soon be sorted out, for Shek's experience is not to be scoffed at. Modesty prevents him from calling himself a celebrity chef, but from Israel to London to Mumbai, he can claim Princess Diana, Mikhail Gorbachev, Benjamin Netanhyu, Zubin Mehta, Michael Jackson and Prince among his list of diners.

As for the food "" the stars of the day were muhammmah, a delicate dip of walnuts with olive oil served with foccacia and lavash breads, chargrilled beaten chicken steak on spinach potato roulade, brocolli, mushrooms in red wine jus and the most divine walnut brownies.

The menu at Oliva also includes French salad nicoise and rouille, Italian pastas and bruschettas, Israeli hameen, North African charmoula and Spanish pincho chicken.

A meal for two costs Rs 1,400 if you go the whole hog. Shek's promise of authentic, fresh fare means having to source out and build a relationship with speciality grocers and farmers to ensure an uninterrupted supply of olives, pastas, arboria rice, phyllo pastry and feta cheese.

Shek's clear about one thing: fusion cuisine is a big no-no. "The spirit of the Mediterranean can only be captured by using the best ingredients available and respecting the diversity rather than mixing it together. Taking liberties by thinking outside the box does grave injustice to the cuisine of the region," says Shek.

We certainly hope he sticks to that dictum to give Delhi a real taste of the Mediterranean.