Culinary Extravagance

Exquisite tastes come at a cost. HI LIVING presents the 10 most expensive dishes created by top chefs at Mumbai’s most elegant restaurants. These cuisines extraordinaire prepared with the finest of ingredients are an epicurean’s fantasy

WASABI
When it comes to expensive restaurants in India, Wasabi, at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai, is in a league by itself. Wasabi by Morimoto, as the restaurant is properly called, is unquestionably the most expensive restaurant in the country, with its only competitor being Wasabi by Morimoto at the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. Like most Japanese restaurants in the city, Wasabi uses imported ingredients; but unlike the others, it spares no expense in working with ingredients of only the highest quality. A diner can easily differentiate between the fish used for the sushi and sashimi at Wasabi and at any other restaurant. The fish is unquestionably more flavourful and delicately textured than anywhere else and the wasabi is made from freshly grated horseradish and not a commercial paste.
The Sashimi Platter consisting of six nigiri sushi, six sashimi and one tuna roll is priced at Rs 3,945, plus taxes. A Sushi Platter comprising eight nigiri sushi and one sushi roll will set you back by Rs 2,050, plus taxes.
However, the most expensive dish on their menu, and one which leaves all its competitors far behind, is the Wagyu Beef priced at Rs 10,500, plus taxes. Wagyu, a breed of cattle famously reared in Kobe and therefore often called Kobe beef, is the most expensive beef in the world and considered to be the ‘caviar of beef ’. Experts and gourmets consider Wagyu meat to be the most tender, most succulent and tastiest meat in the world. No wonder then that in India it is only available at Wasabi.

I
Sushi Platter Large
Spices, JW Marriott
Price: Rs 2,900
The platter of nigiri sushi, made with imported sushi rice, nori (seaweed) and wasabi (horseradish paste) and topped with a variety of the freshest local and imported seafood, includes crab meat, Norwegian salmon, fatty tuna, eel, octopus, sardines, Japanese sweet omelette and asparagus. The sushi is served along with the traditional accompaniments: wasabi, soy sauce and gari.

II
Sashimi Platter Large
Spices, JW Marriott
Price: Rs 2,500
One of the first restaurants to start a sushi and sashimi bar, Spices offers a varied sashimi platter. It includes raw cuttlefish, big eye tuna, sweet prawns, mackerel, Norwegian salmon and flying fish eggs and tuna lightly seared on the teppanyaki so the outside is cooked but the inside remains pink. The sashimi is
accompanied with gari and soy sauce.

III
Black Angus Beef Tenderloin with crispy potato cuts, cherry tomatoes, rosemary and jus
Stella, The Leela Kempinski
Price: Rs 1,900
Prized by connoisseurs for its beautifully marbled meat that produces the most tender and juiciest steaks, Black Angus Beef is also amongst the most expensive
grades of beef available. At Stella, the tenderloin, imported from the US, is
cooked first on the grill and then briefly in the oven to the desired doneness. The seasoned steak is then quartered and served with potato wedges and candied tomatoes, along with a sauce made from the steak juices flavoured with rosemary, garlic and cherry tomatoes.

Singaporean King Crab or Black Pepper Crab
Spices, JW Marriott
Price: Rs 1,900
Though the restaurant specialises in black pepper sauce, the Singaporean king crab can be cooked in any sauce the guest prefers. The meat is removed from the shelled crab and steamed till it is tender and juicy. It is then filled back into the empty shell which is arranged on a large plate and floated in black pepper sauce. Along with the crab, Chinese steamed Mantao buns are served.

Wok Fried Scallops And Prawns With Asparagus In X.O.
Spices, JW Marriott
Price: Rs 1,900
An elegant, unpretentious Cantonese preparation made from Canadian scallops and three king tiger prawns from Scotland cut into half. The scallops and prawns are simply tossed in X.O. sauce in a hot wok along with juliennes of asparagus till just done and served immediately.

IV
Grilled Lamb Chops – Grilled with garlic and onion juice, originally from Athens
Souk, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
Price: Rs 1,825, plus taxes
In this very simple dish, typical of Greek cuisine, imported lamb chops are lightly seasoned, marinated with garlic and onion juice and grilled as per order.

Zafrani Lobster – Spit-roasted saffron and cream steeped lobster
Soma, Grand Hyatt
Price: Rs 1,800
Fresh lobster flown in from Kerala is marinated with soft cheese, fresh cream and saffron stigmas for about three to four hours. A very subtle blend of flavours, the marinade which is quickly absorbed by the fresh lobster ensures that the sweetness of the lobster flesh remains intact while imparting the right flavours. The lobster is then skewered and cooked on a charcoal tandoor, which imparts the right amount of smoky flavours. Once the lobster turns golden brown and the juices start to ooze out slowly, it is removed and served with a mint chutney, tossed Indian salad and yogurt chutney.

VI
Jhinga Dum Nisha
Dum Pukht, ITC Maratha
Price: 1,750
Loosely translated: Night-caught cooked prawns. The shellfish are cleaned with the tails left on. They are then marinated with salt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, yellow chilli powder and whole ajwain for about an hour. After this, a mixture of rubbed cheddar cheese blended with fresh cream mixed with chopped coriander stalks, white pepper powder, green cardamom powder and mace powder is applied, and the prawns are left overnight to absorb the flavours. The prawns are finally grilled in a tandoor, and just before they are ready they are glazed with saffron-infused fish stock, grilled once again and served.

VII
Costolette Di Agnello Australiano,Puree Di Melanzane, Lenticchie Di Castelluccio – Grilled Australian lamb cutlets with morel mushroom risotto and eggplant purée
Stax, Hyatt Regency
Price: Rs 1,680, plus taxes
Before being grilled, the Australian lamb chops are marinated for three hours in extra virgin olive oil, Sicilian sea salt and freshly plucked oregano. Once the flavours have been completely absorbed, three lamb chops are grilled as per order and served on a bed of risotto prepared from Carnaroli super fine rice braised with sliced Kashmiri morels and Col Di Sasso (an Italian dry white wine) and garnished with chervil,chives and parsley. Accompanying the lamb chops are grilled tender courgettes that have been infused in Tuscan olive oil and marjoram for 12 hours. The accompanying smoked eggplant sauce offers a refreshing contrast to the delicate flavours of the risotto.

VIII
Fugu – Lightly grilled globe fish with San-Qi, Four Seasons
Price: Rs 1,600
Fugu, a Japanese delicacy prepared from puffer fish – which, if prepared incorrectly, can be lethal – is prized for its texture and refined flavours. Because of the risks associated with it, fugu chefs have to undergo years of intensive training before they are licensed to prepare the fish. At San-Qi, currently the only restaurant in India serving fugu, Japanese chef Toshikazu Kato is a skilled practitioner licensed to serve it. According to Chef Kato, fugu has a “chewy texture with a sweet flavour that gets sweeter as you chew.” At San-Qi, thin slices of the fish are piled up on a perilla leaf, topped with sprigs of perilla flower and accompanied by spicy grated radish garnished with chopped spring onion greens.

IX
Aragosta Di Kerala Alla Griglia Poi Gratinata Servita Con Puree Di Patate Alla Rucola, Asparagi E Salsa Di Aragosta – Grilled Kerala lobster with rocket mashed potatoes, green asparagus and lobster sauce
Stax, Hyatt Regency
Price: Rs 1,590, plus taxes
Sourced from the Malabar Coast, the lobsters are split in the centre and sprinkled with freshly bruised tarragon leaves. Once the flavours have been infused, the lobster is seasoned and cooked in its own shell on a hot grill. Just before serving, it is glazed with a thin coating of a sauce made from crushed lobster head, carrots, celery, leeks, ripe tomatoes, dry white wine and seafood stock that is strained, thickened with butter and flambéed with cognac. The grilled lobster is placed on a bed of seasoned mashed potatoes blended with a fine paste of Italian wild rocket and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Tender Chinese asparagus tossed with extra virgin olive oil is served as an accompaniment and finally a balsamic reduction is drizzled on the side of the dish before serving.

X
Rosemary Flavoured Lamb Chops Wrapped In Parma Ham With Farm And Mint Stuffed Tomato Celini, Grand Hyatt
Price: Rs 1,500
Lamb chops imported from New Zealand are first seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary and a little bit of olive oil for about three to four hours to bring out the flavours of the meat,delicately tenderising it as well. The lamb chops are then wrapped with Italian Parma ham and pan-seared till golden brown. After they have been seared well on both the sides, the chops are roasted in the oven on low heat to the desired doneness. Once perfectly cooked, they are removed onto a serving plate and each piece is topped with a slice of Fontina cheese immediately which melts over the chops. The chops are accompanied with blanched spinach sautéed with garlic and a mint-stuffed,oven-roasted tomato.

Steamed Sea Bass In Superior Soya Sauce
The Great Wall, The Leela Kempinski
Price: Rs 1,500
Thinly cut filets of Chilean sea bass are seasoned with only shredded ginger, salt and pepper arranged around the sides of a plate and then gently steamed for just about two minutes. Boiled bean sprouts are piled onto the centre of the plate, and both the fish and sprouts are coated with a sauce made from light and dark soy sauces cooked with Thai fish sauce, sugar, coriander stalks, Kikkoman, sesame oil and seasoning. This delicious Cantonese-style seafood dish is finally garnished with coriander, shredded spring onion and shredded red chillies.

PEKING DUCK
Peking Duck, or properly Peking Roast Duck, the national dish of China is an ancient and traditional Chinese delicacy. The dish is prized for its thin, crispy skin for which the bird undergoes a lengthy cooking process that takes up to three days. The specially imported Peking Duck is first flavoured with a hot water and sugar bath for over two days. It is then stuffed with a traditional mixture of Chinese spices, wine and stock and sealed with a cork from one end. The duck is cooked inside a special Peking Duck oven, where it is constantly rotated to get an even amount of roasting from the outside, making the skin crisp and evenly brown on all sides. There is no specific cooking time since each individual duck is unique and holds an amount of fat that differs from each individual portion. Finally, the bird is carved at the table by a chef and can be served in a variety of ways.

Beijing Capital Roast Duck
Pan Asian, ITC Maratha
Price: Rs 2,450
The duck is roasted in a gas-fired oven and served, by the chef at the table, rolled up in pancakes with juliennes of cucumber and scallion, with hoisin, chilli or any other sauce the guest desires.

Peking Duck
Ming Yang, Taj Lands End
Price: Rs 1,875, plus taxes
Roasted in a gas oven, the duck is normally served in the classical three-course format. First, the crispy skin and meat are served with pancakes, topped with scallion along with hoisin and plum sauce. This is followed by the duck soup made by cooking pak choi greens, Chinese mushrooms, hand-shredded white and brown duck meat, and a drop of soy sauce in duck stock. Finally, the meat is served cooked in the guest’s choice of sauce, with steamed rice. Guests also have the option of having the duck only with pancakes and need not follow the classical course.

Old-fashioned Peking Duck
China House, Grand Hyatt
Price: Rs 1,690
The duck is roasted in a wood-fired oven with apricot wood and served with crepes, sugar, garlic and some cucumber. The duck is carved at the table starting with the skin which is crispy and best savoured with some sugar and garlic paste.

Published Hi! LIVING DECEMBER 2009-JANUARY 2010