Dirty Apron offers a duet of two cuisines, eclectic and quirky, with a menu that challenges your imagination, says Angela Paljor
looking for a cosy place to hang out on summer evenings and gobble down some soothing dishesIJ look no further. Dirty Apron with its welcoming and classic interiors, have come up with it’s new menu, an amalgamation of Asian and European cuisine.
Rather than serving the same old mocktails, Dirty Apron made my day with its cold soup. A white bowl beautifully decorated with spinach, cucumber, carrots and minced coconut held the delightful green apple and vermouth soup. A thin, green soup swept us down the bowl and we just couldn’t let go of it. The soup had a sweet yet tangy flavour, especially because of the artificial chaviers that had been used for garnish. Chef Manoj Kumar Pandey explained further, “We have two artificial chaviers we use to garnish, one is made from balsamic and the other one from bell peppers. It’s just a little basic gastronomy; we make a puree of the seasonings and drop them in cool oil. They come out as little berries.”
Next on the menu was the salad. For those who love raw mint leaves, it’s a must. But for me, I wasn’t really happy with their overload. A slice of watermelon beautifully decorated with raw mint and spinach leaves along with the delicious fete salad and caramelised onion sure made for a beautiful visual presentation. While we were just beginning to appreciate the coolness and sweetness of the water melon and the deep-fried onion soaked with caramel sauce, it was a little too crowded with the mint leaves which subdued the rest.
It was time for amuse boucle, the single, bite-sized appetisers. We were served stuffed artichokes with pesto chicken and shredded mozzarella cheese along with mint sauce and artificial chaviers. The artichokes were soft and the layers parted when my fork and knife dug in. The dish had a slightly nutty and savory taste along with a minty twist. The pesto chicken was perfectly cooked with the cheese enhancing the flavours with the right dollop.
Cajun chicken in crepe net with raw mango Balinese sauce was my second amuse boucle. Here is an interesting fact for those not familiar with Cajun cuisine. It’s a style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian people deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadian region of louisiana. It is also known as a rustic cuisine, predominately cooked with locally available ingredients while the preparation is kept simple. The lovely platter had a traditional stone grinder and the ingredients for the chutney. “We use Thai chicken which is marinated with traditional Indian ingredients. It’s placed in a crepe net with some grilled vegetables. The sauce has raw mango, chilli, onion, palm sugar and lemon sauce. We are trying to keep it as simple as we can and the sauce is made in front of you so that it can be as per your taste and preference,” shared Chef Pandey.
Then came the main course, Sous vide coriander chicken foam, rosemary scented hash potatoes, glazed baby carrots and coriander mint fraiche. The chicken was turgid and moist after being cooked in vacuum for four hours at 60-65 degrees. The coriander foam had soaked in the chicken flavours and the hash potatoes, with their mint sauce, made for a perfect accompaniment. But we were careful not to overeat as Honey balsamic lamb chops were on their way. They were accompanied with potato dauphinoise, arugula salad, olive powder and black sauce. The barbequed lamb was soft and crisp at the same time and the honey balsamic sauce just took it to another level. My mouth flooded with numerous flavours and the potato dauphioise, made from finely layered potatos and crème fraîche was the cleansing counterpoint.
Our stomachs were full, but who can say no to dessertsIJ This was no ordinary new flavour of ice cream or chocolate ball but a popsicle. This summer, you can choose raw mango and guava, lemonade and fresh fruit. There’s nutella for the chocolate lovers. We thoroughly enjoyed our raw mango and guava popsicle, a throwback to the simple pleasures of childhood. Churros, dusted cinnamon and sugar with dark chocolate sauce, was like a Christmas treat. But at the end of a filling summer day, who doesn’t want an extra dose of comfortIJ