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| Michelin Upstairs |
| By Rajiv Singhal |
| Chef Manish Mehrotra’s Indian Accent recently moved to a new address – The Lodhi New Delhi – and the reservations continue to be sought after. “Upstairs at Indian Accent” is on the upper level, in a show-kitchen dominated space for about 30. As part of a plan to host star chefs from around the world, the 2 Michelin star Chef Claude Bosi was invited to present his menu at a month long pop-up. |
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| Claude Bosi grew up in Lyon France, where his parents ran a bistro, Chez Yolande. He worked with the legendary Alains – Ducasse and Passard before he moved to England to open his own 2 Michelin star restaurant Hibiscus at the age of 27 (in Ludlow Shropshire which he moved to Mayfair – to be closer to the city). He recently launched Claude Bosi at Bibendum in the famous Michelin House in South Ken. Its website boldly claims that the restaurant, which has 2 Michelin stars, is “unashamedly fine dining”. |
| One is never sure if “we are sold out” is testimony to a very successful promotional campaign or a ploy to build demand at the cost of losing a few covers! By the time the reservation could be secured after a few weeks, Claude Bosi had left, and the tasting menu had been standardised to one 7 course menu for both lunch and dinner. |
| "The promotional campaign for Upstairs at Indian Accent announced that “Claude Bosi's creative flourishes to classic French cooking have earned him his place among the greatest chefs”. The tasting menus planned were 7 courses for lunch and 9 courses for dinner at different prices. And each course had been paired with wines from the La Cave by Brindco cellars. |
| With due apologies to the La Cave team that must have poured over the “pairings” diligently, we chose to be more daring. Thankfully, the staff were obliging and put up with our requests to change (read massacre) the service sequence yet stick to our pouring portions. Michelin starred menus demand Champagne, and we ordered Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin to complete the line-up. |
| The take-away food and wine pairings from the meal |
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Mushroom Custard, Coconut and Curry completely overpowered the citrusy Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin. Controlling the scoop from the bowl to capture a smaller portion of mushrooms, the very aromatic Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc was a better option. And, not surprisingly, the Champagne tamed the mushrooms for a very pleasant and balanced pairing. |
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| Warm Beetroot Terrine, Feta Cheese and Passion Fruit with Domaine Schlumberger Riesling ‘Les Princes Abbés’. The layered pastry with rich beetroot puree and feta cheese was served with celeriac onions which had a sourish crispiness and a passion fruit paste. Well balanced and harmonious with a nice aftertaste. The lean Domaine Laroche Chablis failed to leave an impression. |
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Kanyakumari Crab, Apple and Nimbu lemon with the Villa Maria ‘Private Bin’ Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough. The very tender crab was articulated by the tart granny smith apple jelly and nimbu zest. The well rounded Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay was a better option but the natural companion was Champagne. |
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River Sole a la Grenobloise with Leeuwin Estate ‘Prelude Vineyards’ Chardonnay.
A heavy lemon caper sauce in generous dollops of butter with a fish stock foam. The more structured Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin was a nice pairing. |
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Kashmiri Morels and Kaffir Lime with Principesco Merlot Delle Venezie. Moving away from whole morel pods to chopped, the earthy morels of Kashmiri origin were peppered with another Indian speciality ‘chholiya’ and a kaffir lime foam that left all charmed. The wine did not bring any value to the dish. The Champagne complemented with its citrus and minerality. |
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| Goat, Black Lentils, Coconut and Coriander with Château Ste Michelle Syrah Columbia. The deboned saddle was prepared sous vide for 72 hours and served with reduced coconut and coriander sauce on swishes of the very traditional ‘daal makhani’ to show a very exciting Indo-french fusion. The wine contrasted and almost conflicted. The Allegrini Valpolicella Classico DOC, which dropped off the original offer over the few weeks, was missed. |
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| The master molecular gastronomist had worked his charm, and more so on the vegetarians. The infusion of Indian touches in creative French cuisine was wonderful. Overall, the dinner could’ve been more than “an interesting opportunity” – but wasn’t. |
| Rajiv Singhal experienced this experience as any other guest – waited for a reservation, was not overly looked after, just about met the chef and paid for his meal. |
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