Each dish at The House of Celeste is centered around one core ingredient and is created to perfection with contrasting textures, colours and flavours, says Ayushi Sharma
How would you define good times? Rather, how would you describe that I am really “into” the food? For me, it’s when a dish lands at my table and ‘just one bite’ turns into five... The next thing I know is I am overeating just to hit that single moment of satisfaction over and over again. Doesn’t it happen with you too? Well, tucked away in Gurugram’s upmarket 32nd Milestone, THC — The House of Celeste is an Indian restaurant that triggered this feeling of contentment.
You know what they say, “The best chefs don’t merely prepare food, but they serve memories.” And it makes so much sense because once your belly is full, your sense of taste has been stimulated and your craving mitigated, what lives on are the memories. You may not remember all that you ate for a particular dinner but you will consistently recall the fulfillment you felt toward its end, perhaps, because of the freshness of the ingredients or the aroma of a specific dish. And that’s why I think my visit to The House of Celeste was worth it!
Walking past the exteriors, through a hallway, I made my way into the cafe, which was segregated into different parts. The interiors were done up with round mirrors. The ambience — replete with solid colours, peppered with floral upholstery — seemed to be tailor-made for experimentation. As I ran my eyes over the menu, I realised that the cafe’s USP was to offer a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. For instance, the very first dish corporate chef Valice Francis brought to the table was Puchka Pebbles. He asked me to have it in one go, which I did, and later to my surprise, I found out that they were a modern take on pani puris aka gol gappas. The ‘pebbles’ were made of white chocolate and had a chilly shell with a filling of tamarind chutney, mint and coriander water, and saffron tart. This sweet-salty, not so spicy treat was a great way to start the meal. “This idea actually came from a molten choco lava cake,” chef Francis shared.
The cafe presents ‘borderless cuisine with Indian elements’. The main endeavour was to provide rich and flavourful food made with local ingredients and vegetables, which have been sourced with highest safety standards in mind. It presented an innovative and contemporary menu offering small plates, large plates, sides and desserts with the season’s finest ingredients. Each dish was centered around one core ingredient and was created to perfection with contrasting textures, colours and flavours.
Next in line was the THC Papadi Chaat. It was prepared using crisp fried dough wafers known as papadi, along with boiled chickpeas, boiled potatoes, dahi (yogurt), tamarind chutney, and topped with chat masala and sev. The dish had sweet, sour, tangy and spicy flavours blended in one. I can still feel its creamy and crunchy texture in my mouth.
The next dish that caught my fancy was Calcutta Beat Balls. Yes, it very much resembles the non-vegetarian meat balls. It was an unique entirely vegetarian creation that imitates non-vegetarian flavours. The tiny red balls were made of beetroot with a filling of smoked goat cheese cream to give an illusion of the meat balls — both visually and in taste. The flavours were impeccable, but the way it was presented was what stole the show. The chef rightly said as he chuckled, “It’s an ideal option for a vegetarian who wishes to know what meat tastes like.”
Typically, people, especially the more gastronomically experienced ones, concur that being a vegetarian is “out of place” with being a foodie. However, I can proudly say that I am both — a vegetarian and a foodie. And the menu bore witness to it too as it had a delectable list of vegetarian dishes.
Just like the food, the specially-curated cocktails were nothing short of indulgent. The cocktail menu aimed to elevate pleasure to a celestial level, where the familiar takes on a new sparkle, where the comforting becomes playful, and where classics find a contemporary form. Mixologist Dhawan Singh Jeena shared that they had an absolute-zero-waste bar. “For instance, fruit peels, dry flowers, coffee powder, leftover mint stems, squeezed limes, orange shells or other freeze-dried items are usually used in syrups and concoctions,” said he. He believes that small steps can result in big changes.
To accompany the delectable food, the mixologist made a few cocktails like Coffee Colada, Bittle Blush, Celest Mule and more. Mixologist Dhawan shared that they haven’t finalised their cocktail menu yet as they are still testing and poking around in the bar to create something refreshing and new. They would continue to add drinks to the menu, which seemed like a bonus for me to return.
The cafe had an inviting, comforting and laidback atmosphere. As I was still sampling food, Paneer Khurchan made its way to my plate. Apparently, the idea of the dish was derived from the Hindi word ‘khurachna’ which means ‘to scrape’. So it was basically scraped paneer in a semi-dry gravy with some achar cream in it. The filling was stuffed in a steamed bun, which looked similar to a mini kulcha. I can bet one could eat this not so spicy and creamy delicacy even on a full stomach.
As I neared a saturation, the main course was in line, which included Paneer Pasanda, Soya Keema Chettinad, Dal Moradabadi along with Gobi-Matar Kulcha and traditional Jodhpuri Chur Chur Naan. The sous chef Ishan Ahluwalia’s approach towards Paneer Pasanda was a little European and hence, he engineered the dish in the form of Ravioli. The cherry on top was that the paneer was baked instead of fried. The chef explained, “The authentic one is usually shallow fried. The stuffing has a lot of variations, but people prefer adding khoya and chopped nuts to it.” It was served with parmesan crisp as garnish. Its gravy was a modification of Makhani gravy with the addition of onion paste. Well, full marks to the presentation as well as for setting my tongue on fire.
I am sure you would agree that Keema recipes are a popular element among all the meat lovers. THC’s Soya Keema, prepared in a very Chettinad way, is a bonus for vegetarians like me. It had South-inspired flavours. They garnished it with Malgapudi, a South Indian spice mix, traditionally served with idlis. When you have travelled approximately 45 kms on traffic-stifled streets that too on a weeknight with very little expectations from the food, but are welcomed with something marvelous, it is bound to win hearts.
With all this and more, what made my visit to THC priceless was the care and attention that chef Francis, sous chef Ishan and mixologist Dhawan put into every element, from the flavours, texture, presentation to the smell and the taste.