Harsh Sonthalia, the man behind outlets like Jalsa, Please Don’t Talk and the new Soba Sassy, is always on a hunt to do something different and offer the food industry some unique experiences. Harsh’s travels across different food stops in the country made him come across chef Meha Kumar who has worked at various Michelin-star kitchens in Spain. Harsh was mesmerised while indulging in an experience that had dishes made with one main ingredient each. That instantly made him want to get the foodies in Calcutta to experience it. ‘As I Am’, a three-day pop-up at Please Don’t Talk, was helmed by chef Meha Kumar and The Hedonist Team and left Calcuttans overwhelmed.
“As I Am by Chef Meha Kumar is the first of many such curated gourmet events which we will be bringing to Calcutta this year. The city has several connoisseurs who are well travelled and looking for a taste of the good things in life. The event was sold out three days before it started and is a testimony to this. We have collaborated with The Hedonist and are their Eastern region partners. It is a step towards further consolidating our position in serving top-notch food and creating bespoke experiences,” said Harsh of Belvedere Foodworks LLP.
The Telegraph dropped by for an exclusive preview of the 10-course sit-down meal, each focusing on and carved out of one ingredient that completely blew our mind.
This surprise (pink) course was made with hibiscus! Cranberry hibiscus granita, caviar, molasses had to be mixed up and eaten together. It had a garnish of a crystallised leaf that was edible too!
Refreshing yet simple summed up this cantaloupe dish. Caramelised cantaloupe was paired with various forms of the sweet melon — leather, spheres, yolk, seeds and slivers made it nothing but a work of intricate art on a plate. We loved!
Made with a mix of carrots, this course had a bed of carrot carpaccio, black carrot foam, honeyglazed carrots, charred carrot cream that had a certain smoky essence. The different textures of the carrots were definitely a highlight of the dish.
The poultry dish was totally Instaworthy with a beautiful mosaic on top made with chicken skin! An aromatic and concentrated chicken jus, sausage and super crisps made of chicken gizzard completed the dish.
The radish course was as delish surprise with a thick and satin-smooth radish puree base, topped with a dehydrated radish sheet, radish leaf that was crisp, topped with radish seeds. The highlight of the dish was the black radish that is procured from a Delhi farmhouse. The dish retained the innate bitter taste of the radish but the base was warm and gooey.
