Varq has reinterpreted its menu to give a relish to superfoods, says Kritika Dua
Taj Mansingh’s iconic restaurant Varq is synonymous with reinventing Indian cuisine and providing guests a gourmet dining experience. Guests were once bowled over by their take on exotic fare like crabs and chickpea cappuccino. But now it is home comforts that make everyday exotic. There is the Panchdhaan khichada, a comfort bowl with multigrains, and crispy kalakand, which is a baked version of the traditional dessert. It was always a pleasure to not just satiate your hunger but all the five senses as its expansive interiors were done up by celebrated artist Anjolie Ela Menon. Traditional Indian themes and modern oil paintings, carvings, antiques and sculptures lent a classic touch to the ambience. But ten years down the line, the restaurant that launched with Chef Hemant Oberoi at the helm and made contemporary Indian a genre in itself, got tough competition, forcing it to up its game. And magic happened when it recently celebrated a decade of culinary excellence with an assortment of reinterpreted delicacies created by Chef Arun Sundararaj and his team. He breathed fresh air to the menu and told us how he experimented with various techniques, plating and focussed on organic produce and spices.
For the luncheon, the invitees savoured Dhungar patthar ke kebab, drumstick leaf soup, bamboo chicken, duck confit, panchdhaan khichada and desserts. Without much ado, we started with Galauti Three Ways — galauti kebabs of broccoli, kidney beans and beetroot. The kebabs were topped with chopped mangoes having a strong hint of vinegar which enhanced their overall taste. Beetroot, the vegetable which has reappeared in most restaurant menus these days, was made into a smooth, relish kebab with a distinct earthy taste, delicately flavoured with spices and a filling of soft cheese in the centre. It proved to be the best among the lot. The broccoli galauti kebab was smooth, melt-in-the-mouth, giving off the juiciness of greens and subtle flavour of the cheese. The kidney beans variant, however, was not so great. Broccoli has a porosity that is accepting of every flavour.
Drumsticks are now being hailed as the superfood across the world. In sync with the times, the Drumstick leaf Soup was a slowly-cooked broth with drumstick leaves and south Indian spices which exploded in a burst and opened up the palate. Soon came the palate cleanser in the form of raw mango sorbet in dry ice. Owing to my inclination towards sour food, I found it appetising.
The wooden platter of Panchdhaan khichada was served in the main course with its Rajasthani accompaniments — ghee, tempered curd, green chilli pickle and ker sangri. Chef Sundararaj conceived the idea of the platter during his visit to Chokhi Dhani where they serve the dish with sugar and ghee. He didn’t like the idea of sugar, so replaced it with other accompaniments. The five-grain (black rice, quinoa, bajra, millet and daal) porridge was not only healthy but surprisingly flavourful, largely because of its fresh hearth feel. The khichada can be relished with either the mellow sweet curd or the green chilli pickle, and was a complete meal in itself. The bread platter had a mélange of options — Naan sprinkled with lemon leaf powder, Amritsari kulcha and sheermal served with creamy daal makhani. The naan was not up to the mark as the lemony zest was missing. But the Amritsari kulcha was an interesting spinoff of kachdi due its crispiness and a filling of urad daal. Most importantly, it sat easily with the dal makhni. Sheermal is a saffron-flavoured flatbread made of maida, milk and ghee. The chef enhanced its rich flavour with orange essence.
The Bamboo Chicken had succulent pieces of chicken with herbs fired in bamboo stem served with jasmine-flavoured rice. The dish has its origin in Nagaland and its smokiness was envelopingly fulsome. The Trifala Masala Sea Bass had the Black Sea bass marinated with Goan pepper and was served with pea mash and mushroom. This added a whole new lift to the fish and a toasty crunch. Who would have thought that an ayurvedic digestive could be a palate enhancerIJ
The meal ended on a sweet note with an array of desserts, each outdoing the previous one. The baked crispy kalakand was more on the sweeter edge but the flakiness of the outer layer and the creaminess of the coffee neutralised it. There were three kulfi flavours — palm jaggery, filter coffee and saffron yogurt. We blindly went for the filter coffee kulfi with an outer layer of milk chocolate and sprinkled coffee. It became an instant favourite. The Quinoa Orange Kheer, though, was the highlight of the day. Who thought that the healthy and grainy staple could taste so good when fused with Mandarin orangesIJ Chef Sundararaj modestly gave credit to his team and told us that the new menu was a result of six months of sheer hard work. Varq is confident of its expertise; this time it is just heart-warming.