DSSC & Rakshay Dhariwal share a relationship that few in the industry can boast of. He & his team have displayed faith and banter with our faceless & anonymous team from the early days. So when RD invited us for the bistro summer menu trials, we skipped lunch and changed other meetings for the day. In a never-before display of celebration of #OurCity, Delhi’s most coveted restaurant is opening doors to non-members and welcoming patrons for a fresh bistro encounter. Á Ta Maison Bistro launches on 15th April with three chic menus by Chef Rahul Gomes Pereira for lunch, bar bites, and supper inspired by summer ingredients.
Landing back into our favourite dining room, we started off our night with a Beetroot Tartare With Filo. The earthiness of beetroot paired with the creaminess of goat’s cheese politely interjected by kombucha capers witnessed a full circle with the homemade flaky filo pastry. The filo was everything it should be and the antithesis of what is usually served in the city – light crunch and melt in the mouth. Next up was the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Roll plated with a vibrant green pea puree and refreshing truffle infused tomato brunoise (i.e, finely chopped). As we drove our forks through the pastry, the herby aroma captivated our senses and the familiar *crunch* had us smiling like fools (yes, we may be mildly obsessed with Chef Gomes’ filo-skills). The hero of this dish is the technique & skill shown in the filling that boasts of smoked chicken prepared with Rajasthani coal smoking technique. Smooth to a fault, Chef Gomes is the holy priest who marries the silken pea puree with truffle infused tomatoes, cutting through the creaminess resulting in a bite full that made us believe Christmas came early!
Mango & Quinoa Salad
Keeping the winning momentum up, we moved to the seasonal Mango And Quinoa Salad with soft red and white quinoa tossed with cooked mangoes that work together better than Detective Jake Peralta & Detective Charles (if you don’t understand this reference, click here). Lined with a raw mango salsa on the side and sprinkled with toasted quinoa, the tartness and crunch amplify the texture profile by a multifold. However, it was the saltiness of herb mirror potato crisps and smoothness of parmesan mousse that makes it to salad-list of #DSSCRecommends. Talking to us about his vision, Chef Gomes shares, “We are focussing on freshness. Everything is made in house and I personally check the produce sourced everyday. We want the flavours and colours of the fresh produce to show on the plate, with a little twist that makes them truly sing. Everything’s wholesome and the menu has larger portions, but nothing will make you feel heavy,” and just three dishes in we were ready to vouch for it with one hand on the Bible.
The Spinach Risotto topped with crispy bacon bits, herb mirror potato chips, cherry tomatoes, enoki, and shimeji mushrooms offered a beautiful melange of flavours. The creaminess of parmesan in this vibrant green spinach risotto is cut through in each spoonful with a distinct flavour, be it the burst of fresh tomatoes or rich bacon bits. Proclaiming himself as “mad” for using enoki and shimeji in a risotto, we believe Chef Gomes has curated a dish that works on the palate despite all flavour-logic going against it. Cooked to order, each grain stands out with a subtle spinach flavour which doesn’t overpower the palate.
Trio of Tortellini
Finishing off the meal was the pièce de résistance – Trio 0f Tortellini, with parmesan, bell peppers, and pumpkin. Creating a plate where everything is inverted, it is a mind boggling dish that celebrates summer glory & challenges the fundamentals of conventional cooking. Placed on a bed of beetroot puree, bell pepper sauce, and accompanied with parmesan filo shards, each mouthful created new experiences we cherished gleamingly.
No DSSC tasting is complete without a round of tipples and we were chuffed to know that the concept of celebrating summer ingredients seeped into their drinks menu. We whetted our appetite (read, potential drinking problem) with a rum-and-guava-based Pink Passion, PG13 safe cranberry-and-cumin based Summer Breeze, and eponymous Mango Fuse. Pairing them with Goan Sausage Sliders which Chef Gomes sources from Goa every few days, we were happy campers.
Launching bespoke suppers, Chef Gomes is spoiling the city with options for Goan nights and seafood extravaganzas, all at a notice of 3 to 24 hours. If we heard correctly (we were busy stuffing our faces) an in-house Gelato menu kicks off 21st April onwards.
Very rarely do we release a strong-stated review, so please excuse us. But in the interest of serving the city, it’s our moral duty to urge you to drop everything & make a reservation to discover this spanking ace menu.
Stevie’s Tip: When making your reservation, already place an order for the Baked Crabs or if on timeline, Scallops with potato espuma.
Head over to 21, First Floor, Sundar Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi – 110003.
