It had been months that i hadn't seen the face of South Bombay. Also had heard good things about this french dark horse at Kalaghoda which made for a perfect excuse to book my table for the special tasting menu that was designed for the #timescity #GourmetWeek2014
Next to the iconic Rhythm House, Walkway to Cheval is the same that leads to also the club 'Liv'. Cheval sprawls across quite a generous space. It's divided into various sections like the main hall with the bar counter and live DJ then the next door an equally sized fine dining space and also another more warm lounge space. Tables are spaced well so as to not intrude each other's conversations. The decor made up of elegant hanging lights and the roughly finished walls. Overall a very majestic yet glamorous touch.
Opting for the meaty side of the tasting, My menu was Amuse Bouche, Beetroot Salad, Spanish Prawns, Minute Steak and an ever so reliable Brûlée.
The meal started not so good looking. My Amuse Bouche (mini appetizers) was indeed just a single circular serving of a Machego Cheese chopped and mixed with a salsa on a mini tortilla base. To be honest, There should be have been at least 2 of them on the plate. That's not what i want to see on the first course of my menu - A med sized plate with just one mini appetizer on it. Moved to the next which was indeed a much better presentation - The Beetroot salad. The salad was serving with juicy beetroot (must be poached) along with Goat's Cheese, Walnut and Wild Arugula leaves. The combinations works quite well as you get different textures of the juicy beetroot versus the nutty walnut versus the crunchy leaves of Arugula.
Next up were two rounds of mains. First one was the Spanish Prawns. A serving of four soft & succulent tapas like prawns which were perfectly tender cooked and draped in thick sauce of Cherry Tomato and Rosemary. You can straight away gulp one portion down and that's perfectly alright but it's a different feeling altogether to cut through it and savour each bite.
So by now i was sure that the dishes were just elevating as we went from one course to the next. My server cleared my plate and bought in the next - Minute Steak. This was the dish i was really looking forward to. It's basically a medium rare fillet of a flattened Beef Tenderloin that is served on a bed of Roasted Paprika & Rosemary Potato Wedges. The meat itself is top grade but automatically translates to a great dish when cooked at the right heat. The Wedges are a good support to the dish. Would have preferred a tad bit less of Potatoes while adding a few bits of microgreens just to balance out the dish.
Until here i had almost forgotten the first course disaster. The Passion Fruit Crème brûlée arrived with the shortbread on one side and looked humble as ever. So if you know the test for a perfect Crème Brûlée is that it should have a hard glazed top which should crack open when hit with the spoon. And that's exactly happened, The top crackled giving way to an ambrosial passion fruit infused custard. This dish was pure perfections. Kudos to the chef. All i wanted at the end was more of that Passion Fruit Concentrate on the side.
All in all it was calm quite dinner at a great eatery that kept elevating the course one after the other. Still not happy about the Amuse Bouche but that's now forgiven. Mind you the dishes are priced quite steeply otherwise.
Unfortunately Gourmet Week is over but anyone reading this and wanting to explore these special menus can try the on-going#CitibankRestaurantWeek
