Thursday, December 14, 2017

Wine Appreciation Session at A2, The Park, Chennai

The cozy A2 pub perched at The Park's crown hosted a one-of-a-kind wine appreciation event. Wine tasting events are quite rare for the city. It was an introduction to the 3 Folonari wines brought into the Chennai market by a wine distributor, Ace Beveragez. I attended this event on an invite, extended mainly to media and bloggers.


A2 - The Park



Maurizio Bertacchini, the export director of Folonari wines was there to introduce us to the nuances of wines. He spends most of his time travelling attending events such as this and introducing Italian wine to different markets. 



Maurizio Bertacchini

He gave us a small introduction before each wine was served to the guests explaining what made it unique. Numerous factors like the weather that particular year, soil composition, rainfall not to mention the interesting ways the maturation process can affect the taste. For example: The Folonari Pinot Grigio is vinified in Stainless steel tanks to yield a crisper mouthfeel. 


If you're new to wine, some of the facts you should know about them are,

1. Wine is made from just grapes and yeast! They don't even have water or sugars added.

2. Wine naming is done either based on the variety of grapes used or on the region where the grapes were cultivated. It's not a straightforward process. Read more here.

3. Some major kinds of wine are Red, White and Rose. The red color (tannins) that red wines have come from grape skins. The longer the skin is in contact with the wine, the darker it is. 


A bit about each of the wines we tasted.

Cavicchioli Rose Spumante



Cavichiolli Rose Spumante - Sparkling wine



We started off with the Cavicchioli Rose Spumante. Cavicchioli is a wine making family that's been in the business for decades and has made a name for themselves. This is a "sparkling wine." Prosecco has the character of champagne but it's actually a wine with a little bit of the grape's color (tannins) seeped in. This one had a refreshing fruity quality to it with a slight bite and would be perfect for opening special occasions. 




Cavicchioli 








Folonari Pinot Grigio




Folonari Pinot Grigio











The next wine was a non-bubbly or "still" wine; the Folonari Pinot Grigio. Delicately flavored with citrusy notes and a "bright" acidity that even I could note. The other aspect was the crispness owing to the fermentation in steel tanks. By now we were slowly realizing that wine can get us high easily. 😸  



















Folonari Pinot Grigio


























Folonari Chianti 







The third and final wine to taste was an easily drinkable red, the Chianti (from the Chianti region) made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. This wine is D.O.C.G compliant meaning they are certified by strict guidelines by the Italian government. It was just what you expect from a nice red wine; smooth, full with the ripe flavors of cherries and raspeberries and a pleasant finish.
















As you may know, the pairing of good wine with fine food is a science by itself and these wines lend itself to accompany red meat or seafood! In fact, the wines serve the purpose of being a digestive aid is what Mr. Bertacchini said! 

The evening ended soon after and it was nicely hosted by Mr. Bertacchini who knew the ins and outs of this vast topic. These wines will be selling on the shelves by March 2018.






















Tapas from A2




All this lovely wine was punctuated with tapas/small eats like Mushroom galettes, bruschetta and some tastefully made avocado based Maki that the chef wanted us to try. This one had a creamy texture and nutty flavor to it. Good stuff! 




Avocado Maki













Mushroom Galettes









Other Brands I Spotted among A2's shelves


For the whiskey lovers, A2 has some great brands from Japan like Nikka.

Found this barrel strength Nikka!








The Gathering








The Poolside Lounge overlooking A2


Note: Have tried my best to be accurate about the information in this post. Regret any inadvertent errors regarding the wine. 





Friday, October 27, 2017

Flying Elephant, Park Hyatt, Chennai - New Menu Tasting

This being my first visit to this illustrious multi-level restaurant, I was eager to explore what the "Flying Elephant" has to offer the Chennai audience. This event was to introduce us to the new menu being brought out by the Park Hyatt team and was on an invite.



About 


The interesting name is surprisingly a reference to Lord Ganesh's lore. Once you step into the restaurant, your eyes are sure to be kept busy with the variety of sights this place has to offer. The setup is eclectic and refreshing to say the least.





Beautiful Design; tables set along the atrium's perimeter












The "Bedroom" - a private dining /  meeting area with its own steward overlooking everything. - Available on reservation





The Italian Open Kitchen


Indian breads being prepared


Shakin it up!

You'll see a cozy den in a depressed alcove on the ground floor adjoining a small bar. The den even houses interesting books to check out during the quiet hours with a drink.













The general layout is one interspersed with see-through kitchens and dining spots varying in  grandeur and detail.Like the red and gold embroidered Sindoori sheesha artwork adorning one section and the high-ceilinged second level with cane basket lighting that seems to evoke the orient. 






While the ground floor houses a dessert bar, the 
upper level has a vibrant Italian and Indian section with chefs shimmying away, moulding the respective breads before letting the ovens take over.






NB:

Comtemporary singer Thelma Hynes is now performing every day till the 15th november after 7 pm. Was nice to hear her live rendition of both older and more recent hits during the dinner.











Appetizers




Set menu for the night


The appetizers started off soon enough. We scanned the set-menu given to us and could see that the chosen dishes represented various cuisines with more steamed and braised items than fried.


















Focaccia - a must try.
The first item to arrive on the table was a rousing loaf-like Focaccia that reminded us how scrumptious well-made bread actually is. Warm, delicately crusted and topped with hints of Italian seasoning, we couldn't help ladling the smooth salsa onto the fresh bread slices and chomping away.



















Singapore Slaw salad - crispy vermicelli, pickle ginger, taro and apricot dressing




A huge portion of this salad was mixed in front of us adding the seasonings along with some crunchy peanuts too. Most Indians would feel at home eating this vermicelli based salad with refreshing bites of the ginger julienne and apricot dressing giving a fruity sweetness. The dish had a good bit of moistness.
An extra large portion of Singapore Slaw Salad























Table Decor



Tandoori Tarboose - Charcoal cooked watermelon, hung yoghurt chilli marination



Seeing this item on the menu, I was eager to see how they'd pull it off. In a few minutes, we heard an approaching sizzle and the portable tandoor was placed in front of us. The hung yoghurt's thick profile helped it coat the watermelon without dripping away. The heavy smoke was also adding its own flavors to the chunks. Chef mentioned he'd incorporated a kind of chilli into the marinade too which explained the surprisingly mouth-watering spiciness emerging as I bit in. Definitely a interesting take.








Steam Pork and prawn Shumai


This soft-shelled Shumai, a Chinese dumpling with roots in Mongolia was well-made. The inside was meaty yet smooth in texture. I gobbled one in its entirety and could feel the faint crunch and fishy flavor from the Swordfish rue (eggs). 














Wok fried chicken, Nonya chili sauce

This was probably the most "familiar" dish to us, chicken wok fried in Nonya chili sauce, very tender to the bite. An uncomplicated, easy-to-love Thai eat; lightly sweet and smoky with the occasional bite of lemongrass that kept things sprightly.



























Cocktails




Sweet Child of Mine - : - Chocolate White rum, Cointreau, Triple Sec n white cream - very savoury

LA Woman - : - Whisky, coconut cream expresso; note the coffee bean!




Main Course



Seabass fillet within the shell
Branzino in crosta di sale e erbe - Roasted Seabass





Branzino in crosta di sale e erbe

Roasted Sea bass in sea salt and herbs, parsley baby potatoes, wilted spinach





The first dish in the main course was the healthful Roasted Sea bass whose sizeable fillet was enclosed in an outer shell and baked till nice n crisp. The pastry shell serves the purpose of keeping the moisture and flavors locked in. The fish was indeed delicious with the grits of sea salt adding to the satisfaction.












Ossobuco di agnello alla milanese

Lamb ossobuco "milanese style", saffron risotto


This Lamb Ossobuco was made from a hunk of a portion brought it from New Zealand! Slow-cooked for more than 7 hours to yield a melt-in-the-mouth texture that went well with the very creamy Saffron risotto whose flavors also served to mellow the prominent lamb flavor. More variety in the texture would have been lovely too.










Wok fried tofu with Singapore chili sauce

Silken tofu, tomato, onion, curry leaf, chili sauce 


I've never had good tofu before so this was a first. The silken tofu struck me in terms of its jelly like consistency and the Singapore style curry which had lemongrass was a good match with the jasmine rice served alongside.






























Zaitooni khumb achari



Pickled olives, button mushroom in pickled gravy


Seeing pickled olives in an Indian gravy definitely piqued my interest and I was expecting a standout dish here. The Zaitooni khumb achari gravy was tasteful by itself, but the briny olives were a brilliant addition to it. We had the choice to have this with the jasmine rice and the flying naan but the rice proved to more well-suited.











Flying naan


This one was more a flatbread than a typical naan. An indulgent twist to the usual placid naan, it had quite a bit of chatpata flavors with cheese added on! Beautifully risen as well. Good enough to be be had on its own!




Dessert


Warm chocolate, almond and peanut butter brownies, peanut butter ice cream


This one was simple, homely goodness; freshly made and scrumptuous. Not too chocolatey. Prepared in a cast iron skillet, it aided to hold the heat for longer yielding a nice warm brownie.

Caramelized banana cake, soft serve ice cream



This one was superb. Simple, perfectly made; moist with the pleasing flavor of banana. The flambeing gave it a nice caramel note with a bite from the leftover alcohol. 



All-in-all a very good dinner with stand-out dishes! Combine this with the amazing ambiance of this place and you've got a nice evening to look forward whatever be your taste.