|
 One
of the side benefits of being a member of the Delhi
Wine Club is that one gets to dine at some of the Capital's
newest and most happening restaurants in Delhi. And
so as part of the 5 th year celebrations of the Wine
Club, some two dozen of us members met at Ivy in Friends
Colony for (I just cant wait to let the cat of the bag!!)
one of the more memorable wine evenings since I became
a member some three years and probably fifty plus wine
meetings ago.
Now, hosting a sit down wine dinner for
our Club is not every restaurant's cup of tea, mind
you. Apart from having the glassware to support a multi
course wine menu and a kitchen geared to supply a simultaneously
delivered sit down multi choice menu to our members,
the key make- or- break factor is the service team that
marries the wines and food courses seamlessly. Based
on my experience and the comments I picked up from our
members, Ivy came thru with flying colours.
As usual, the extensive wine and food
menus were mailed by Subhash the day before so it was
with a thirsty palate and a ravenous appetite that I
arrived at Ivy – a modern venue with all white
minimalist furniture not detracting at all from the
long and very inviting bar.
 The
7 wines for the evening were all Spanish and were in
keeping with the Wine Club's philosophy of expanding
our wine horizons – all were being served to us
for the first time. The presence of our special guests,
Mr. Gonzalo Ortiz, the Deputy Chief de Mission and Mr.
Jose Antonio Bretones, the Commercial Counselor of the
Spanish Embassy underscored their support for the Club.
To start with, we had the Pucela Sauvignon
Blanc 2006, a young wine with a hint of apple, and a
Tempranillo Rose as aperitif wines. I have always felt
that a Rose wine is ideal as an aperitif during Delhi's
hot weather and thankfully this was the second consecutive
meeting to feature a Rose. This offering showed how
versatile the Tempranillo grape is; for this cherry
pink Rose was medium bodied, easy on the palate and
simply delicious.
The tapas -finger food was well presented
and tasty and just kept coming and coming around –but
soon it was time to move upstairs to the PDR-our dinner
location-one of the factors that contributed to making
it an enjoyable evening as we (with the exception of
a couple of members) were able to sit in a compact exclusive
location where the music from the main bar was not intrusive
so one could hear Subhash and the wine importer guide
us through the wines.
To get the ball rolling with the Crab
cakes was the Abillo 2006 – a young not too fruity
white wine meant for easy drinking. Next up was our
first Red of the evening – the Valduero Tintafina
from Toro–a young robust character which was unfortunately
put into the shade by the outstanding Lobster Bisque
.We had been primed earlier that their Bisque was great.
But after the excellent one at Orient Express last month
where we had celebrated the first of the 5 events of
'Celebrating 5-years of Delhi Wine Club', I was a bit
skeptical – only to be pleasantly surprised. The
bisque was flavourful and had tons of succulent and
crisp lobster morsels unlik the Express where the emphasis
had been to make it creamier.
Next up with the Salads was a Rioja 2003
– an elegant and fruity wine in line with the
promise of its Crianza label of a three year old wine
with at least a year in oak casks. A good offset to
the dressing of the Caesar's salad.
 The
wines just kept getting better and better with a Pucella
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon / Tempranillo blend accompanying
the main course. Good concentration of flavours with
light tannins and a hint of oak, this blend turned out
to be especially a good match for those who ordered
the Pepper steaks. I ordered the Sole cutlets as I was
intrigued by the accompanying "Sourish herb sauce"
and wondered if the foodie reputation of our genial
fellow member Sourish Bhattacharya had preceded him!
.Two of my dining partners had ordered the steak and
though I did keep an eagle eye out for any signs of
struggle between knife and tenderloin, there were none
–so looks like Ivy's got a good supplier and a
great Chef who clarified that he had indeed taken the
receipe and the name from a haute cuisine restaurant
in Paris.
Saving the best for last as usual was
the Calderena Reserva 2001 – a dark ruby coloured
smooth Tempranillo, well balanced with soft and juicy
tannins. Those I spoke to after they had demolished
the Molten chocolate cake, rated the Reserva as probably
the outstanding wine of the evening.
I would rate this restaurant excellent
for food quality, service and ambiance. It really belongs
to the Ivy League of restaurants in the city. A full
house on a Wednesday indicated that the Delhiites have
already noticed!
So once again the Wine club scored a hit
– evidenced as much by a well planned and matched
food / wine menu as by the team at Ivy rising to the
occasion to deliver a high quality evening. I know a
lot of our members are away for their vacations but
seeing the Club maintaining its high standards in terms
of the overall experience delivered to its members for
a evening , I would urge you all to come and support
the Club in much larger numbers for future dinners–you
will not be disappointed! Salud!!
Arun Batra is a management consultant,
foodie and a commentator on food and wine. As he has
mentioned, he has been a regular member of the Delhi
Wine Club for the last three years-editor.
Click
Here For Menu
|
