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SUNDAY ■ 30 MARCH-5 APRIL 2014 FOOD F or Mumbai’s seasoned gastronomes—read food snobs—it would be hard to imagine a serious fine din- ing restaurant, discreetly tucked away in a lane in the suburb of Lokhandwala. After all, this buzz- ing quarter—one of Mumbai’s culinary nerve centres—is home to a slew of casual restaurants, café-style diners and inexpensive buffet joints. Levo, however, with its unapologetically upscale avatar comes as a refreshing change to the island city’s oft cynical foodies. The restaurant borrows its name from the Latin word levo for elevate, and pitches itself as a fine dining restaurant with a strong French and Italian identity. It is not often in Mumbai that we get to sample untouched versions of classics like coq au vin and lamb navarin, so cherished in Europe but so regular- ly misinterpreted across the globe. What will instantly strike you as you enter the premises of Levo is its space. In a city where cramped res- taurants are a norm, Levo boasts 20,000sqft of a beautiful alfresco lounge bar area, which then leads to the plush indoor restaurant area. The décor features a chic, urban feel with soothing lighting, dark panelling, plush sofas, rich linen and refined lines. The idea is to enjoy an aperitif, standing at the bar before proceeding to dinner. The carefully curated menu has been conceptualised by charming and extroverted chef Rajeev Arora who “aims to deliver a fine dining experience like none other in the city.” He adds, “I have designed the menu to reflect a strong European essence, with convincing influ- ences from across the continent. And this is evident as you scour through the impeccably conceived menu and discover favourites like lobster bisque, duck confit and vi- chyssoise, a traditional soup from the central French town of Vichy.” The menu is divided into different sections like Palate Twisters (ap- petisers), From the Fields (Salad), Entrées, From the Ocean and Levo Classics, to name a few. For the more ‘conventional’ diners, the ex- haustive pizza and pasta sections are impressive. As we pore over the menu, almost as if to set the tone of an authentic European meal, a platter—not basket—of bread was placed before us (baked in-house) accompanied by delicious garlic butter and black olive tapenade. We started off our meal on an absolutely decadent note with a Goat Cheese Flat Bread served with Caramelised Onion, Cherry Toma- to, Reduced Balsamic and Arugula. This was accompanied by a por- tion of garlic prawns, which were wonderfully creamy and infused with the heady notes of Sambuca. Needless to say it had us raving. This was followed by a simple and very flavourful Lemon and Garlic Chicken, which was served with basil and a green olive purée. Moving onto the mains, we or- dered three different meats to see how they panned out. And we were far from disappointed. The first main was a Chicken Cordon Bleu —a chicken breast roulade, stuffed with ham and cheese. The tender- ness of the chicken, the comfort- ing chewiness of the ham and the creamy texture of the cheese came together brilliantly. The Coq au Vin — a traditional French speciality of chicken cooked in red wine, baby onions and mushrooms, served with parsley potatoes—was decent. This dish, albeit tasty, lacked the distinctive wine taste that one as- sociates with Coq au Vin. The chef impressed us yet again with a co- pious portion of Pulled Pork—dry, spice marinated and braised pork loin with mashed potatoes and a caramelised onion jus. Before proceeding to talk about the desserts, it must be said that Chef Arora’s forte is his presenta- tion skills. While I do see a lot of modern restaurants attempting to plate meals elegantly, they don’t necessarily get it right. The presen- tation either results in too meagre a portion or too pretentious a sight. Levo’s hors d’oeuvres and mains were plated artistically, truly in keeping with codes of modern Eu- ropean dining, with innovative use of platters, interestingly shaped plates, stone tiles, coloured sauces, herbs and chopped olives as deco- ration. The result is a consistent string of artistically plated dishes, which invite the diner to examine and experience every ingredient. The desserts were a worthy end to a great meal. We sampled a se- lection of the day’s desserts, which included a perfectly done creme brûlée, a chocolate decadence pas- try and the chef’s very own selec- tion: chilli flavoured ice cream. Levo’s culinary virtues have been relatively unsung in the firmament of Mumbai’s restaurants, which, as regulars claim, is a good thing. Expect a purely European meal here — nothing more, nothing less. Those expecting Asian influences and European classics tweaked to favour the Indian palate might be disappointed. Levo delivers on all counts—elegant ambience, great ingredients, refined presentation and service with finesse. I n 2010, Pooja Dhingra returned to Mumbai after training at Paris’s prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school with a dream to set up her own patisserie. Soon, the city was talking about macarons, cupcakes and other delights served at Le 15 Patisserie. In a short period, the 27-year-old, known as Mum- bai’s macaron lady, turned Le 15 into a name to reckon with. Apart from classic macaron flavours, Le 15 also famously launched more in- novative ones such as paan, chai, chilli and Bailey’s. Her impressive client list com- prises the who’s who of tinsel town, the corporate world as well as the political arena, from Salman Khan to Sonia Gandhi. The young chef also conducts baking and cook- ing classes at Studio Fifteen Culinary Centre for everyone who “wants to learn how to cook or bake.” So when Dhingra writes a recipe book touted as “the ul- timate guide to baking”, one cannot help but have enor- mous expectations. And she doesn’t disappoint. Her ap- proach to the book isn’t that of a renowned pastry chef deigning to share her gems, but rather that of a passion- ate baker who holds your hand and walks you through the exciting world of baking. Dhingra started baking at 16. She remembers wish- ing for a book that suited Indian kitchens. This is that book. As she simplifies tech- niques, explains the purpose of different ingredients, where to source the best and substitutes for the hard-to- get-in-India ones, her ob- jective remains simple—to share the love. So along with recipes for cookies, brown- ies, tarts, cakes, cupcakes, truffles, frostings and maca- rons, there are notes on tech- niques, equipment, ingredi- ents and tips and tricks. The book, however, is woefully devoid of pictures with many being made to share space on a single sheet and most carried far far away from the recipe (in case of the chocolate mousse even before it). With entire pages devoted to tiny recipes and several sacrificed to fuschia pink section dividers, one does wish space was utilized wisely. Macaron pictures are placed next to mousse reci- pes while those for mousse are next to frostings. For someone who puts having fun as a must in her list of baking tips, this ham-handed treatment of pictures makes one wonder much like Alice Liddell, “What is the use of a book without pictures?” I used to think that I am odd for my eating habits. If I were to go by what the famous gastronome Brillat-Savarin suggested (tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are) then I am, for most parts, an OCD-rid- den social outlaw with a lacking imagination for all things culinary. For my problem, as others would label it, is that I eat in cravings. I get carried away with one cuisine, dish, style of cooking, and will indulge in it to the point of ex- haustion. It was butter chicken once, then sushi (which was quite an expensive phase), and then, more recently, it was granola. At each point in my life, I would chomp through tonnes of the stuff, be it breakfast, lunch or din- ner. Nothing mattered as long as my craving was met. But, now I find, the world eats like that too. What I call a craving the economists call a trend. The restaurateurs are too busy copying it swiftly to call it anything at all. After the sun has set on the wood-fired pizza, it is now time for the ubiquitous burger to stand up and take a bow. I am not talking the fast food kind, the one that has no semblance to the real thing and even lesser by way of taste, even as I admit to trying one (especially if they have a locally inspired version) every time I come across a McDs in a new country. India too had a local burger; it wasn’t anything au- thentic for when it comes to embracing something alien, nobody better than Indians; so tight our communal hug that very soon the entity loses its foreign qualities and assimilates into our fabric. The burger, too, was victim- ised such: chicken filets and aloo-tikkis stuffed between two crumbly pieces of a bun with a splattering of sliced fresh garden greens, all doused in ketchup—that was the burger then. But this new wave, the latest ‘trend’, sug- gests that the juicy, succulent and shamelessly-meaty burgers with a choice of sauces and the choicest of fill- ings and sides have finally landed. No more do we have to have the austere atrocities that stared up us from cardboard boxes; instead step out and step into a fancy dining establishment that lauds itself on its burger-ous achievements; a feat that no chefs would have thought of featuring on their CVs even a decade ago. But back here in the capital, which places serve up a mean one: Hard Rock Café remains a favourite: a bit too standardised but always good even if a tad expensive. Another popular one is at the Smokehouse Deli in Hauz Khas which, with its endless fillings, is the equivalent of a pimped up burger. Smokeys meanwhile does a lamb and bacon burger which could win over the usual beef-doting types. If one were to go a bit more upscale, the Qube at The Leela Chanakyapuri used to have the most über-class burger ever: brioche bun, pure beef patty, home-made onion relish, and hand-cut fries—it doesn’t get any more handcrafted than this. But you had to shell out consider- ably for it as also for most others I have mentioned here and the most well-priced value-for-money burger would have to be one at the Monkey Bar. I remember that a small outlet called two-2-Tango used to have burger nights every Wednesday and it was packed for both seatings with most people pre-booking the Baconator (yeah, love that name!) and more recently the SHG Deli organised a burger fest. For a country that is largely vegetarian, burger love could amount to a dis- graceful fetish. And yet, it thrives on. For a dish whose origins are not known let alone a formal recipe, the burg- er has managed to establish quite a legacy for itself. No matter how many interpretations it undergoes, the gen- eral sense of this comfort dish don’t change. [email protected] The Obsession: Not Just Bun and Meat EPICURIOSITY MAGANDEEP SINGH GOOD NIGHT DRINKS Something soothing, something warm for that night of perfect zzzzzz EATIQUETTE How to Eat Caviar When served caviar as an hors d’oeuvre, no matter how tempted you are by its luscious flavour, remember it is considered bad taste to eat more than an ample serving of about two ounces, or about two spoonfuls. T he U ltimate B aking G uide LEMON CUPCAKES (makes approximately 24 mini cupcakes) INGREDIENTS ■ 110g butter ■ 200g castor sugar ■ 1tsp lemon zest ■ 1 tsp lemon juice ■ 2 eggs ■ 1 tsp baking powder ■ 150g flour ■ 80ml milk ■ In a bowl, beat the butter, cas- tor sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice till light and fluffy ■ Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until mixed well ■ Sift together the flour and baking powder ■ Add the milk and mix with a spatula. Then fold in the flour ■ Line a cupcake mould with liners and pipe the batter into cupcake liners till ¾ full. ■ Bake at 175 C for 15 min- utes or till a skewer when in- serted in the centre of the cake comes clean. Lemon cream cheese frosting ■ 125g cream cheese, cold ■ 50g butter, at room temperature ■ 2 tsp lemon zest ■ 300g icing sugar, sifted 1 tsp light yellow food colour ■ In a large bowl, whisk the cream cheese and butter till smooth. Add the lemon zest and beat well. ■ Gradually add the icing sugar, whisking continuously till smooth and creamy ■ Add the light yellow food col- our and mix till the colour is even ■ If not using right away, cover it with cling wrap to prevent it from drying Pastry Chef Pooja Dhingra’s The Big Book of Treats is storehouse of recipes, tips and tricks By SUPRIYA SHARMA 13 THE SUNDAY STANDARD ■ MAGAZINE E levate to a New Culinary Realm MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE Try a mug of steaming, orangey hot chocolate with whipped cream and some grated dark chocolate. Ingredients Milk: 470ml Dark chocolate: 2-4 pieces (grated) Dark brown sugar, to taste Ground cinnamon, to taste Cointreau To serve Fresh cream, lightly whipped A pinch of chilli powder 1 cinnamon stick Method 1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan, add chocolate, sugar (to taste) and cin- namon. When piping hot pour into small mugs and add a dash of Cointreau. 2. Top with a dollop of lightly whipped cream, some more chocolate and chilli and stir with a stick of cinnamon if you like. CARAMEL MILK A dreamy bedtime drink Ingredients Sugar: 50g Water: 2 tbsp Milk: 400ml Whisky, brandy or rum to taste Method 1. Put sugar and water in a pan and stir to dissolve sugar. Place pan over low heat, stir- ring all the time. In a separate pan, warm the milk. 2. When sugar and water have turned into a golden caramel, stir in a small amount of milk. Be careful as the mixture may spit. Con- tinue stirring in the milk until fully combined. 3 Pour in a shot of whiskey/ brandy/rum. Fresh on Mumbai’s food scene, Levo is steadily making a mark with its interpretations of European classics. By RIAAN J GEORGE STAR OF THE MENU The Chicken Cordon Bleu COCKTAIL DU JOUR Levo does a great Long Island Ice Tea WHAT WE LOVED Chic ambience, great food and friendly service WHAT’S MISSING No decaf coffee on the menu. Unusual for a fine dine restaurant Levo, Mukti Business Park, Ground Floor, 141 Model Town, Andheri (W), Mumbai. Chef Rajeev Arora’s (top right) menu reflects a strong European essence
