Sampling a Michelin star dinner

When the master of modern Indian cooking Michelin starred Chef Vineet Bhatia invites you for an intimate evening to sample his signature bites and desserts, you mark the date on the calendar and count the days. His restaurant Indego by Vineet, Grosvenor House, Dubai Marina, is a muststop for those craving Indian cuisine with a contemporary twist. The evening also marked the official launch of his book —

My Sweet Kitchen, a collection of recipes that remain true to the essence of Indian desserts, but can be adapted with varied ingredients. That is what a selected (lucky) few of us got to try. The punch line of the evening was ‘Sweets touch your lips and goes straight to your hips.’

Be it the pav bhaji served in small cones or chicken tikka chat (see pic) served with sev — everybody kept asking for more. While veg tikkis are known to be irresistible, what made the dish special here was the coating of almond flakes, giving it the right crispiness. It was served with coriander chutney, which contributed to the riot of flavours. In the meat start- ers, black amritsari machli (fish) and malvani jhinga (prawn) were the showstoppers. If you have ever been on a road trip in North of India, you will be reminded of fish cooked the highway ‘dhabba’ style — it was succulent with a coating of squid ink, giving it a deep black colour.

Next, it was time to devour the desserts. Ever tried black chum chum? The modern version of the Bengali sweet was prepared with cream, pistachios, figs and fresh coconut. After that, we sampled the rose cheesecake, with a gulab jamun filling. Yes, this was the ultimate fusion of the evening. And the best takeaway was the black sesame kulfi – miniature kulfis prepared with sesame paste, cardamom, and cream.

All the recipes are part of Vineet’s book and you will be particularly surprised to read the list of ingredients for the desserts. Each dish promises to leave a lovely lingering taste in your mouth.