Two good friends — K. Mohanchandran, area director Hyderabad and general manager of Taj Krishna, and sommelier and educator Keith Edgar — have been working tirelessly over the past year putting together a dinner at the incredible 101 Dining Table at Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad (101 is for the number of guests the table can seat at the longest dining table in the world). The room itself oozes traditional opulence, history and grandeur and it is a table that is not just fit for but was made for a king!
The majority of the guests at the dinner have paid Rs 150,000 per person for the weekend spent at Taj Falaknuma, which includes the dinner but being the lovely chappie I am and just so coincidentally in Hyderabad for work, have been invited and have paid zilch /freemans/ nothing at all for the pleasure other than the Ola cab from Jubilee Hills and back.
Friday evening is somewhat of an introduction to the weekend and with an inaugural speech from Mohan and Keith to toast the Taj International Vine and Food Experience open. All of the Indian wine makers are here to showcase their wines to guests on the lawns of the Taj Falaknuma Palace with a celebration of Mughal food and Sufi music.
The 101 dinner itself sees Michel Drappier, the seventh generation of the Drappier champagne legacy, opening a Jeroboam of Drappier Champagne Brut Grande Sendree 2008. This is fabulously light with a fruity and fine foam on the palate, which pairs well with the pre-dinner nibbles created for the evening when the bell rings to suggest to the guests to take their seats as dinner is served.
There is a cacophony as guests at the table from Fiona Beckett (wine and food writer for The Guardian and Decanter magazine), Vir Sanghvi and Seema Goswami, and food critic Rashmi Uday Singh to start with and the rest I will mention as we move through the dinner.
Mohan and Keith say a few words about the evening to come and introduce Elyse Lambert, one of only 244 Master Sommeliers in the world, who has orchestrated putting together the wines for the evening. The dinner itself has two Michelin-starred Indian chef Srijith Gopinathan flown in from the Taj Campton Place, San Francisco, who has put together the menu for tonight’s dinner so the scene is now set for the evening to begin.
The first two courses are served with a Domaine Louis Moreau, Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2013. We start with a Chilled Green Apple, Avocado and Arugala, which was in fact a puree made into an espuma or foam and if I’m honest, not the best way to start the dinner, but next came the Porcini and Truffle, an assorted mushroom ragu, flooded with an intense porcini veloute, sprinkled with a little walnut and topped off with truffle-scented caviar pearls, and absolutely delicious.
Phase Two of the dinner is served with an Astrolabe Taihoa Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2013, introduced by Liam Steevenson MW (the youngest person to be given the title of Master of Wine) and a stunning choice, which leaves me with a mouthful of elderflower and that too for someone that isn’t particularly fond of Sauvignon Blanc.
A California “Spice Pot” follows. This is a take on an aloo chaat, served in a golgappa, topped with curd and olive soil in a plant pot which was quirky and the smoke from the dry ice lapped its way up the sides of the rocks. The final course in this segment is Scallop, Raita Salad and Turmeric Whey. The scallop is cooked perfectly although I did miss the roe which seems to be the norm these days, which was served with a thick raita piped into a cucumber ribbon, topped off with a turmeric espuma.
The main course is served with Tenuta Di Valgiano, Rosso, Lucchesi 2012 from a bio-dynamic vineyard in Tuscany which I have actually visited and introduced by Count John Salvi MW. A true count who is probably one of the oldest Masters of Wine in the fraternity. Quail, Green Pea Variations, Napa Morels, Pea Tendril follows, which is stuffed quail served over sauteed morel mushrooms and a concentrated meal reduction, which to be honest was sadly let down by simply being over-salted. Interestingly a waiter comes around offering mini naan breads with this suggesting that however inspired an Indian dinner is, guests will still always want some rice and roti!
The cheese course is a Frontal and Gruyere, Blueberry Compote and for me is reminiscent of the cheese and jam sandwiches I ate as a child and was a lovely pairing with High Dive, Red Blend Nappa Valley 2014 and the international launch of this particular wine and was introduced by Yoav Gilat, the owner of the winery.
And then finally to the two dessert courses paired beautifully with Ziraldo, Vidalicewine, Niagra Peninsula 2014. Ice wine for me is probably the most delicious wine money can buy and the concentration of frozen grapes on the vine gives a sweet density in the fragrance and aroma which is unsurpassed and accompanies beautifully the Citrus, Mango, Ice and Lime “Veloute”, which is just how it is written — citrus and mango sorbet, topped with a line veloute but for me the Rhubarb, Shrikhand Crystals and Pistachio, which is a strawberry and raspberry ice with liquid nitrogen frozen shrikhand snow and the rhubarb compote, is a great way to end the dinner.
The final word before a late night of after-dinner drinking is from Jancis Robinson. Jancis is probably the world’s most influential wine writer and sums up the weekend with: “Great to get to understand Indian wine a little more. We still have another couple of days to go but loved the vineyard visits. It’s been an incredible experience so far on this fantastic trip to India and I’m looking forward to coming back for more incredible Indian experiences”.
What is the largest dining table that you have sat at? Tell t2@abp.in
