Unconventional preparations with a fruity twist define the new summer menu at Fire, The Park. Iknoor Kaur sampled the fare
How often have you tried asparagus as a filling to your chillaIJ And did you ever experiment with karela to churn out a savoury chaatIJ Most of us tend to stick with usual preparation methods when it comes to desi vegetables. But the Sous Chef at Fire, The Park, has created a new summer menu that introduces a new side to Indian dishes. This is experimental fare with innovative plating that is as much a delight to the eyes ,as it is to the palate.
Frozen sugarcane, bel and mint was the welcome drink. A mix of sugarcane slush with the pulp of bel gives this sorbet a peculiar taste and sets the tone for the rest of the meal.
Curry leaf scallops and karela chaat were two of their top dishes, with scallops served on a shell inside a cane box and the chaat placed inside a papad, shaped like a bowl.
Keeping in mind that karela is not something which every one would readily have, the chef added strong, tangy flavours that will make you forget the bitterness of the vegetable. The scallops have the flavour of mustard cress.
Our pick from the mocktail section was ‘fire and ice’. It’s perfect for summer. With a mix of green chilli in sweet mint water, a swig is enough to give you a sugary, yet itchy aftertaste.
Chef Tarun had paid a special attention to starters.He said the preparation goes hand-in-hand with the presentation of the dish. The beans trilogy is an example to that.
It is served in an earthen plate, with three small depressions, rajma shammis, green beans poriyal and edammame masala. Though the rajma shammis was dry, the other two were definitely worth a taste.
Adding variety to the menu was their tender coconut pearl. It is a feast for all those who love coconuts, as they get to indulge in rich vanilla ice-cream with coco chunks. Surprisingly this sweet treat forms a part of the starter menu. Chef Tarun commented,
“The presence of ice cold things in the starter menu served as a neutraliser, to cleanse your tongue for a main course.”
Unusual names and quirky descriptions listed in the main-course menu could make any one inquisitive. We discover this menu does not lie. Every odd dish does justice to its explanation.
“There are a lot of places that serve modern Indian food. But we wanted to be different. There is an unusual angle to every dish on the menu, which gives you the opportunity to explore the cuisine,” said Chef Tarun.
Narangi black cod, asparagus chilla, dal tomato pappu, amrud kairi ki subzi and sabz kalongi are a few of their dishes. While I bit into a few, I found that narangi flavour in the black cod didn’t enhance the aroma much. However, the chilla was a nice blend of sweet and salty.
The highlight of the cuisine was their dessert platter. With a duet of pan ki rasmalai and filter coffee mousse cake, the meal ended in good taste. Deserving the title of their signature dessert, the sweet and smooth rasmalai melted in your mouth to give way to the fresh peppery supari stuffed in it. The filter coffee mousse cake with bittersweet filter coffee grains was distinctive of its not too sweet flavour and interesting texture. This new fare did take you around the country with it’s unusual combinations.