 The glossy, well produced newsletter carries the message from the General Manger, Jay Rathore who ‘presents a variety of gastronomical delights with the ‘Threesixty’ presenting new dishes exploring citrus flavours while Travertino continues to celebrate Sicilian specials.’
But Envoy is totally silent about Enjoying wine.
Travertino is perhaps the best-in-class Italian restaurant in Delhi while Threesixty is a multi-cuisine 24 hour restaurant and Taipan dishes out primarily Chinese cuisine. ‘There are mouth watering dishes with citrus flavours at Threesixty, Flavours of Sicily at Travertino and steaming hot staples at Taipan spread over different periods during the current quarter.’
But Envoy keeps completely quiet about Enjoying wine.
Perhaps the management at Oberoi thinks it is too hot to drink wine in April- June? Perhaps they have not renewed their liquor license or maybe they feel that wine has already become a staple drink as coke and coffee and their customers would just order what the hotel has to offer. Intentionally or due to oversight, this super deluxe property completely ignores wine, so desirable for an excellent gastronomical experience.
Perhaps some new excise rules ban Envoy to mention wine.
Sicilian Gastronomy- Sicilian Way
Chef Filippo Giunta offers a special gastronomy experience at Travertino, says the newsletter, with five of the special dishes from 15-30 April. But without wine? Come on, Oberoi! Having visited Sicily twice, tasting hundreds of their wines with local grapes and spending a day exclusively earlier this month at Vinitaly with the Sicilian producers, I could recommend some excellent generic pairings for the specialty dishes mentioned- they may be outrageously priced in Oberoi but many of them can normally be value- for- money wines adding synergy to the food flavours. But the Chef could surely suggest some wines of his preference of choice.
1. Sicilian couscous salad
Any of the light bodied white, inexpensive Sicilian Grillo or Inzolia or even Catarratto would go well with this salad.
2. Seared tuna aubergine purée and Sicilian pesto
White wines may be a bit too light for this dish- Go for a medium-bodied Nero d’Avola and you might like it, especially because of aubergine. Frappato varietal might also make an interesting combination, only if it is available.
3. Chicken breast with Sicilian peperonata
There is a lot of Chardonnay used in Sicily used as a blend that might be a good match, but I would perhaps order a Carricante, as I love the complex minerality and length of this Mount Etna grape.
4. Sicilian vegetable ravioli and goat cheese in cherry tomato sauce
Again, I would go for Carricante white wine which would handle the goat cheese flavour well. But the classic match might be a Cerasuolo di Vittoria docg, a blend of Frappato and Nero d’Avola, which would delight the vegetarians.
5. Ricotta filled fried pastry served with blood orange juice
If you are adventurer and like sweet wine, this may be the dish to try with the drier version of Zibibbo. I would be happier with a crisp Catarratto though.
I have neither sampled the dishes nor the wines and hence I am only making a guess. But I do feel Oberoi should have some Sicilian wines for this special event and I know that Chef Giunta would be able to suggest a few to make the gastronomical experience really complete. Hotels seem to take a back seat and want only the 500% profits from whatever they sell. Perhaps they get enough custom from their clientele. But I would be thrilled to see each dish paired with some Sicilian wine, a glass of which would be compliments of the Hotel to those sifting through Envoy- then I would really enjoy the Envoy!
It is a pity that a hotel like Oberoi would completely ignore wine in its promotional literature but the Sicilian fare seems to be a Gourmet’s delight. Too bad the newsletter reached me when the event was about to be over. But Envoy di Oberoi (for some reason I get four copies!), gets a thumbs up for offering a special choice of Italian regional dishes in a very tasteful and inviting style…
…but a big thumbs down for completely ignoring the other half of gastronomy-wine!
Subhash Arora |