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| Mumbai -
India |
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Society
June - 2007 |
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6 Stars
& 6 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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Mohit Nirula, the GM of the Oberoi Mumbai has a lot to
be thankful for these days. The Oberoi's flagship restaurant Vetro, has become
the toast of the town as an oasis of classical Italian cuisine in a fiery sea
of South Asian culture. The 56-seat restaurant is led by
Executive
Chef Emanuele Lattanzi of Rome, a passionate man, eyes burning with fresh
ideas always ready to take on the norm and go against the grain. This clash of
cultures results in a special culinary synthesis enabled by the unification of
global ideas, influences and reactions. After all, who would have thought you
could find 12 year old Balsamico de Modena in the heart of Mumbai.
The most
prominent feature of the restaurant is the Enoteca, which resembles a wine
'library' encased in a transparent glass box for the purpose of allowing
patrons to sample selected wines and cheeses before entering the restaurant to
dine. Restauarant Manager Rahul Korgaokar invited us into this visual magnet
hoping to showcase some of his favorite selections out of the 1,200 bottles in
the collection. From within the confines of the Enoteca, I focused on the wines
of Friuli, Piedmonte, Toscana and Veneto, all the while noticing curious
glances from other guests wondering perhaps what the next move would be of
these 'aquarium specimens'. |
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“The highly creative Italian provincial cuisine of
Chef
Emanuele focuses on regional diversity
and local Italian traditions
derived from ages old culinary developments and family recipes.” ~
TB |
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Italian restaurant in the heart of Mumbai is quite the experience, especially
in the competent hands of
Chef
Emanuele and his multinational team of specialists. Menus meant nothing to
us as we challenged the Chef to dig in and share some of his more memorable
culinary creations with us. Our server Pradeep became the conduit between the
kitchen and us as he brought out a continuous stream of Chef Emanuele's cuisine
concepts reflecting his deep understanding of taste and design. |
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In retrospect, the whole evening was a unique dining
experience although some of Chef Emanuele's selections deserve special praise.
Tuscan Goose Liver on Spinach with Black Truffle Gnocchi approached
perfection offering a perfect balance between the subtle richness of goose
liver and the addictive earthy quality of the black truffle gnocchi. Sommelier
Rahul recommended a jammy full-bodied Barbera d'Alba, Marchesi di
Barolo, a wine being produced dating back to the 12th century. It is deep
ruby red, lively and well-rounded reminding us of woodland berries with vanilla
overtones. We also loved the Spaghetti Chittara alla Vetro, featuring
artisan Rustichella pasta from the Abruzzo region of Italy. This house favorite
combines a rich marscapone sauce featuring Umbrian black truffles with the
clean taste of lemon zest. A bottle of Nozze d'Oro, Tasca d'Almerita, a
white wine from Sicily that combines equal parts of Inzolia and Varietà
Tasca producing a fresh full-bodied wine not unlike a crisp Sauvignon
Blanc.
At this point I could seriously imagine myself dining alfresco
somewhere on the Amalfi coast of Italy but a reality check proved that this was
India as our server Pradeep arrived with my personal favorite Thyme crusted
grilled Rack of Australian Lamb with Root Vegetables and Celery Sauce.
Don't let the 'Australian' lamb fool you into thinking something was amiss. The
highly creative Italian provincial cuisine of Chef Emanuele focuses on regional
diversity and local Italian traditions derived from ages old culinary
developments and family recipes. My wife Simone worked her way through the
delightful rendition of Fileto di Tono alla Siciliana whimsically
combining Yellowfin tuna encrusted with sesame seeds over a fire roasted tomato
and caper sauce and asparagus. Both entrées were paired with a robust
and velvety Barolo, Marchesi di Barolo. |
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Our culinary 'challenge' successfully completed
we decided to take an evening stroll on the ocean shore for a panoramic view of
the famed Mumbai necklace, as referred to by the locals. This night was
especially beautiful as we walked along the beach toward the lights of the city
strung out in front of us like a necklace as if it was our own private show.
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“Culinary excellence is essential but is not enough, it needs
fulfillment.
This
charismatic
team delivers the kind of service that sets them apart.” ~
TB |
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by
Thorsten & Simone Buehrmann
Editor: John
Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2007 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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