New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Cooking is about experimenting with spices and recipes and it is also about using advanced technology and modern cooking techniques to get the right flavour. If you are looking for different flavours in barbecue dishes, visit the Sevilla in the Claridges here.
Sevilla has a installed Josper Oven, a combination of a grill and an oven for preparing Indian and international barbecue dsihes as well as other mouth watering savouries. Chef Rajiv Sinha claimed that "a one of its kind oven, it is the first in India".
"We haven't heard of it here before, neither in Mumbai, Chennai or Bangalore. It's true that Mumbai is advanced when it comes to food technology and innovation, but Delhi is also not far behind," Sinha told IANS.
He said the hotel has a Josper Oven at its London property too.
"It's highly popular abroad. So, we decided to bring it here to offer food lovers a unique experience," he added.
The oven, which runs on charcoal, is placed at the open-casual dining lounge at Sevilla, which boasts of lavish setting.
Manufactured in Barcelona, the highlight of the is it ensures the natural flavour or moisture doesn't go out. From roasted meats, curries, breads and desserts - it allows you to simultaneously cook a variety of dishes.
Talking about the features of the oven, Sinha said: "Since it's closed, the dishes prepared in the oven absorb smoke and the flavour of the spices. The moderate temperature we set is 300 degree Celsius."
Asked if the flavours are kept authentic, the chef said: "We don't experiment with the flavours. We use classic recipes and offer authentic food."
Although the restaurant mostly offers flavours from Spain, one can also opt for Mediterranean specialties like wood fried pizzas and a wide range of Sangria wine punches, fine wines and cocktails.
Sinha said the menu boasts varieties like tapas, a light and crispy Spanish snacks.
"Many years back, people in Spain used to cover their drinks using varieties of breads like breadsticks, broa, ciabatta and crepe. Gradually, chefs started preparing breads with herbs and spices to make snacks out of it. Tapas go really well with wines and Sangria," he added.
We started our meal with tapas, which consisted of tangy-peppery chicken wings and prawns prepared with garlic and pepper. The aromatic and nicely flavoured meat was soft and melted in mouth.
Next in line was grilled asparagus with orange romesco sauce.
"The sauce originates from Tarragona, Catalonia in Spain. It is prepared with raw almonds, pine nuts, roasted garlic, sunflower oil, olive and pepper," said Sinha.
It was followed by grilled lamb chops with honey. It didn't really work well with me as the lamb chops were hard, overcooked and tasted bitter.
For vegetarians, fresh roasted vegetables served with goat cheese and spicy roasted mushrooms are appetising options.
However, I relished grilled Chilean sea bass prepared with beans, potatoes and spinach.
The chef said that they use "only fresh ingredients like asparagus, basil, rosemary, sauces, meats and import everything".
"We have our suppliers in England," he added.
For dessert, we wooed our taste buds with roasted pineapples served with vanilla ice-cream.
Nice place for the lovers of barbecue delicacies and also those who love to dine in the open.
Rating: 8/10
Meal for Two: Rs. 5,000, with alcohol (plus taxes)
Location: The Claridges, Aurangzeb Road
Timings: (Only for dinner)
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