The easy concept at the back of the worldwide meals restaurant ‘Together at Twelfth’ at Le Meridien Gurgaon is to gather flavors in unison from the kitchen to the bar. To further amplify this colorful concept, co-proprietors Nitin Tewari and chef Vanshika Bhatia have curated the ‘Chef’s World Tour’ in which former interns of the pathbreaking Danish eating place ‘Noma’ have come together to cook dinner up a storm. These former interns, including Bhatia, have grown up and run their successful kitchens.
At ‘Together at 12th’, cooks from ‘Masque’ (Mumbai), ‘Rooh’ (Chicago), ‘District Winery’ (Washington), ‘Wilderness Guide’ (Finland), ‘Pollevie’ (Netherlands), among others, have prepared a 9-direction menu till July 25, infusing cooking strategies from Finland to Washington DC with the aid of the use of at the least one neighborhood element from India. Think a melange of red meat belly, celery, celeriac puree, farm veggies, and gray goose nuts French dressing or a legend from Danish cuisine hotspot served with carrots and potatoes. But the maximum heartwarming, gladsome composition comes at the top of the meal. Bhatia’s alchemy with beetroot, which is her preferred aspect, is pure poetry. She creates a shifting symphony of candy and tangy dessert with a cake of compact ‘kheer,’ beetroot kombucha, a square button of berry ice cream, and Bombay Sapphire gel. She talks to THE WEEK about Chef’s World Tour and kitchen hacks she picked up at ‘Noma.’
What cooking strategies did you pick up at ‘Noma’ that you applied at ‘Together at 12th.’
‘Noma’ taught me numerous critical and innovative techniques of cooking. The most private classes I have imbibed in my cooking are respecting the produce and not peer it practically, but trying to use all viable methods to get the proper guidance. Emphasis on zero wastage is the need for the hour, especially as we look toward sustainable living forms in each area of our lives.
I ,learned about kombucha making,lacto-fermentation, and various kinds of dough.
What are some of the exciting flavors, textures, and techniques one can look forward to on the Chef’s World Tour?
The chefs are getting ready dishes from their nations: Netherlands, USA, Chicago, Finland, to name a few. You will discover a few traditional techniques from the Netherlands, old-faculty traditional American strategies of making flatbread, and route Indian cooking techniques. In truth, the chef from the Netherlands has made fake meat to take the gluten out of the flour, after which steaming it.
Is there any exciting dining trend in India that you are excited about? Otherwise, your experience is missing in India?
India’s eating trend is on par with other countries within the international. I, for my part, know a lot of chefs who need to work in India. We have become famous internationally for our revolutionary thinking and connection to the farmers. India is genuinely a farm-to-fork delicacies panorama, unlike numerous countries wherein the disconnect between farmers and the cease consumer is too excessive.
However, more emphasis on collaborations is, in a way, lacking. There is a brand new technology of cooks at the block, new-age manufacturers, imaginative bartenders, and a demographic ready to test. This is a golden time to work on collaborations, and the company machinery desires to realize and adapt.
‘Noma’ redefined new Nordic cuisine. How do you need to reimagine modern Indian food?
Indian food is something that may be very close to my coronary heart. I don’t want to mess with the classics. I play with indigenous Indian elements and conventional Indian cooking strategies and blend them with what I have learned from my seven years of painting experience.
Which ingredients are you most keen on operating with and why?
My favorite is beetroot because it is very versatile. It may be used in cakes, savory delicacies, and with many unique textures.
What’s the one signature dish of; Together at 12th’ that cannot be replicated anywhere?
I am very open to sharing my recipes and strategies because I need humans to be more open and no longer shrink from gaining knowledge of each other.
Our bamboo hen is one of our signature dishes. The upcycled tortellini is a dish I don’t suppose many are doing since the filling is made up of all of the peels and elements, which are typically thrown away. We also use blackbird (Kedarnath), which’s hyper-local, however, in Finland’s techniques.
