It is not just what you eat, it is where, how and of course who creates the dish that makes a difference.. And this is something I firmly believe in..
Saying that, I can firmly state there are very few restaurants that get me excited, and one of them is Pan Asian in ITC Grand Chola.. Each visit has been simply heavenly and memorable. And so, last Sunday when I walked up the majestic steps towards the restaurant, I was already looking forward to the ambiance, the conversations and not to mention, the divine food that was bound to be served up!
I met Chef Ashish Singh, who has taken over the reigns a year or so ago, and through the next four hours we were there, he floored us with the dishes – each one tingling my taste buds, some with a burst of flavour and others subtle yet delicious… Here is a round up of all that I had during the relaxed Sunday Brunch [This was a sit down brunch and quite an elaborate one at that, nearly 7-8 courses]
Soya Sauce being poured into the little plates
Fresh Wasabi being grated..
Glass of Red wine!
Tokyo Iced tea- Kiwi concentrate with lemon tea served chill
Now onwards for the food….
Zensai (salad)
Tofu wasabi Zuke(pickled wasabi)
Tamago yaki(grilled omelette)
shimeji(mushroom) Goma ae(sesame
paste)
Garnish:Shisho leaf(ooba)
Hanaho(purple flower)
Loved the Mushroom and egg omelette the most in this platter. Oh and the big surprise were the herbs/flowers which had quite a strong distinct flavour..
Stir fried water chestnut & lotus stem
Garlic, Chilli pepper
Absolutely loved this dish, the crunch, the subtle spice and the presentation had me going WOW with every bite!
Green tea Cappuccino
This was an interesting drink, blended with ice cream, it was something new..
Dim sum
Edamame with shaved Truffle
Shishitou Sauce
Absolutely loved this one, the truffle flavour was fabulous and the dimsum outer skin was perfect, wasn’t chewy,wasn’t too soft that it broke before I could pop it in my mouth. And the dramatics of dry ice was magical 🙂
Bellini – Peach syrup with soda
Robatayaki
Grilled
Californian Avocado
Soy and Yuzu Lime
Poached Pears
Kuramame
I love love avocado but had never had grilled avocado and could have eaten just this and been happy. The poached pears were sweet while the sliver of lime was the zing that brought the dish together.
Cranberry based drink..
Beijing Rolls
Sliced Inari(Fried and Mirin soaked soy
with Sweet Bean,wrapped in Nama Uba(fresh soy) sheet blessed with dehydrated
soy crumb
The wrap was thin and the filling was light and airy. It also had a slight sweetness to it.
From The Grill
Boletus
mushroom
Vanilla puffed roll with chili mango
Garnish: Hanaho leaf
Oh this was fun to eat, the puff roll was soft and when had with the mushroom made perfect sense. The chef made sure we noticed him telling us not to eat the leaves. There was a mini debate amidst the group about what the leaves looked like, while I said Marijuana, another said Papaya…
Sushi
Asparagus
with cheese wrapped mame nori(soy sheet)
This was the first time I was having Sushi wrapped in something other than the Dark Noori sheet. It was light and very different.
Mains
Wok
tossed Monkey head mushroom, Black pepper
Spinach
in Thai yellow curry,
Jasmine
Rice
Stir
fried Udon Noodles
This Bento box of sorts was heavenly, but quite heavy, especially all those courses we had been through. The spinach thai green curry and jasmine rice with the monkey head mushrooms were a delight to have. Not to forget the crunchy vegetables, including the lotus stem.
Desserts
Chocolate rasberry with yuzu curd
Rasberry
macarons with passion fruit ice cream [few others got Lemon macarons]
We got the opportunity to meet the young Deepti who takes care of Nutmeg, where you get quite an array of pastries and desserts. This trio was presented by her- My favourite was the tangy passion fruit ice cream. But the other two were a hit and miss of sorts..
This sit down elaborate Sunday brunch would cost around Rs 3300/- per head.It is an experience that must be savoured and relished bite after bite.. Was in the company of good friends and so the four hours we were there seemed to fly by. We were a happy bunch by the time we left the restaurant. If you are keen on giving your taste buds a new kind of experience, combined with a few pleasant surprises make sure to visit this restaurant. Vegetarian /non vegetarian doesn’t matter!!
Address:
ITC Grand Chola
No., 63, Anna Salai, Guindy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600032
Phone:044 2220 0000
Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit 🙂