Indian cuisine has charmed its way into the hearts and onto the palates of foodies across the globe. Every love affair, however, needs constant change and excitement to remain endearing, to remain passionate. That’s what Grand Master Chef Hemant Oberoi had in mind when he cooked up the new menu at The Bombay Brasserie – keeping London’s relationship with Indian food fresh and exciting.
Unusual creations and pairings partner with classical favourites, and exotic international ingredients are prepared with traditional techniques. The result is a menu that is a rich accumulation of Indian recipes evolved to a modern art form, and painted with a variety of flavours.
This reinvention of Indian cuisine was an idea that first took root in Chef Oberoi’s mind more than a decade ago. But it was a daunting challenge. The joy in Indian food was all about sinful temptation, voluptuous gravies, wicked spiciness. How was he going to pull off the makeover he had in mind without losing the free spiritedness of the cuisine that had so bewitched the world?
So it was that Chef and his team set off to scour the length and breadth of India, in search of lost, forgotten or hidden culinary treasures. They returned with their arms full of the past – the culinary secrets of old farming communities, mother-to-daughter recipes, the meal traditions of colourful little communities – and their minds brimming with ideas for the future.
They set out to transform these ancient Indian traditions into modern variants using international techniques. Says Chef Oberoi, “And so we started working on it – how will olive oil work; how to present the new food; how to bring about the changes.....” He looks back, “It took us about a year to formalise the concept, research before we started making the dishes”.
And so you have it – The Bombay Brasserie menu ushers in a new era of Indian cuisine, as it were. Delectable twists on traditional flavours created using modern techniques.
Look forward to signature treats like Paperwali Machchi – fish fillets drizzled with freshly ground peppercorns enveloped in parchment paper, char grilled without oil in an open pit and served wrapped in a Bombay Brasserie newspaper. There’s the charming Bombay Tiffin – an echo of the city’s eccentric and colourful melange of communities which is made of an eclectic mix of Bori, Parsi, Maharashtrian and Goan cuisine. There’s the roasted corn soup where soup is poured over a platter of turmeric popcorn which floats charmingly to the top.
Come over and fall in love all over again.
