Nueva, the newly opened fine-dining restaurant at Sangam Courtyard, serves some pleasant trade route surprises, says Unnati Joshi
Pairing the food with art and philosophy, Nueva takes you on a journey of nature. As we entered the restaurant, a plush lounge-cum-bar caught our attention. We wanted to down the chillers on a hot summer evening. But it is not functional yet. So we took the stairs to the upscale and nifty upper floors.
The menu was fashioned like a journey of nature with sections like garden, mountains, plains and sea on it, each section highlighting the dish of origin, be they fruits, meats or fish. An interesting twist to let you know where your food comes from and build a connect even before you have sampled the dish. “Food is not just about laying back and enjoying its taste. It is a journey of flavours teasing the senses, a journey that takes you to places you never knew existed. Sit down, close your eyes and let every bite take you to the history and natural wonders of South America,” read the menu.
Keeping in mind the weather which, unlike the restaurant, was not at all cool, we ordered Puré Verde, a concoction of kiwi, cucumber, mint leaves and jalapenos. While kiwi gave it a sweet tang, the jalapenos lent it a spicy kick. Perfect for summer afternoons.
“Most of our dishes are from South America. All our dishes are connected with something on the planet. Rather than calling them meat, vegetable and something else, I have connected it to its earth elements. And that’s why it’s called land, garden and sea,” chef Michael Swamy told us.
Nueva’s winning stroke is its Tierra salad (Earth salad). Following the concept of a planet on a plate, the ingredients and dips are laid out like the sun, the moon and the earth in the centre. The salad was fruity and creamy but it’s the presentation that had us shovelling up the crunchy bits.
Following it was Albondigas de cordero (lamb meat balls with chimichuri). “Chimichuri is esentially a South American blend of corriander, mint, tomatoes and chillies. It’s a traditional accompaniment to a lot of dishes,” the chef said. The lamb was incredibly tender and succulent. Cooked in a cazuela (cooking pot) as the Spanish call it, the juicy meat balls had garlic and herb flavours of chimichuri.
No matter how good other things on the menu sound, resisting fish is always a challenge (for us at least). Sésamo incrustada atún estilo nigiri (Nigiri-style sesame-encrusted tuna) was our favourite. lightly grilled fish with sesame giving it nutty flavours and drizzled with “chef’s secret” Asian sauce and wasabi foam, it was to die for. And about that secret sauce, we still have no idea.
For the desserts we had Yogur coco panacotta (yoghurt coconut panacotta). Sublime is the word for it. The smooth coastal flavours of coconut coupled quite well with honey and blueberries. Sweet, fruity and wholesome, it made our evening memorable.
With a limited menu, infused with different flavours and techniques, Nueva is a reflection of regional cuisine from Chile, Peru, Argentina and its evolution through French, Portuguese and Dutch trade routes through South East Asia.
“The influence of Spanish cuisine is very strong in South America and it was the Spanish who took the humble chilli and many fruits across the world. The Spanish influence is seen across many places of the far east too. Many natives of China and Japan went to South America to build the railways and work on tea and sugar plantations, which were taken there by the Dutch and Portuguese. They created their own style of cuisine called Chifa and Tiradito. The Portuguese and Dutch influences are there on the Nueva menu as the Portuguese and Dutch had a strong presence in South America for a very long time. So the influences of these two countries are present even today in the regional specialities,” Swamy explained.