Chef Neeraj Tyagi from The Claridges has come up with an interesting menu at the Pickwicks. The idea is to enhance classic dishes by adding a special twist to each preparation. By Divya Kaushik
It is an art to experiment and change something so perfectly that the best features of the old are retained and the new is introduced to make the platter more tempting. Chef Neeraj Tyagi, executive chef, The Claridges, has done the same with his new menu at Pickwicks.
The restaurant has been known for its sizzlers, Cobb salad, creme brûlée and other dishes that have remained a favourite with the regulars. So when chef Neeraj had to make some changes in the menu he kept in mind the all-time favourites and added interesting twists to them. For example, sizzlers are now served in a new style. They are served in a special bento box kind of tray, that gives the dish a complete makeover. The menu includes exciting additions of German sausages, Alaskan fish as well as traditional French desserts like an apple galette and a classic lemon tart. The iconic restaurant’s menu includes a little bit for everyone — pastas, burgers, salads, grills and entrees, regional Indian specialities, and Asian mains. “I realised that something from the coastal India was missing from the menu, so I added a Goan curry to it. If you will notice everything in the menu is such that the guests can relate to easily. Since we have guests who have been visiting the restaurant since years, it’s important for us to keep in mind their choices. The idea behind the new menu at Pickwicks was to enhance the classic dishes by adding a special twist to each preparation. Hence, every dish on the new menu has a surprise element or ingredient in it and is presented in a unique way. The new menu is also very versatile, offering world cuisine to guests and a great variety to choose from, such as Japanese, Indian, British, Mediterranean, Singaporean and so on,” informed the chef.
The new menu is a result of a lot of trials and the chef’s travels have always inspired him in many ways. “I try and eat a lot of street food wherever I travel. I recently went to Phuket and was bowled over by the variety of local dishes that they serve. Also I went to Singapore and picked up a few things from there for our menu. Nothing like small street cafés of london to try different sub sandwiches. So all these experiences inspire me in different ways but whenever I am introducing something new I keep in mind the comfort food factor. Being a coffee shop menu, we have to have a lot of variety from different regions,” he said.
The chef, in the past, have even picked up people from the steer side and invited them to the hotel to serve the guests something different. “For example, once while travelling to Moradabad, I came across a guy serving Moradabadi daal, which was something really delicious. I requested the guy to be here and it was such a big hit here. For our winter brunch, I got guys from my village to prepare jaggery live for my guests. It was a treat for people to witness something like that. So through everything we do, we attempt to offer a different experience to the guests,” he shared.