|
Photos By:: Adil Arora
 Neung Roi is a Thai word, meaning 100. One needs to practice for about 100 times to pronounce and remember it right. It also justifiably signifies the Neung Roi Restaurant to be neung roi -100/100 in that the evening was perfect in all aspects.
The tone of the evening was set by the flutes of Bellavista Prosecco NV served with a barrage of starters. Vegetarians had to be content only with Porpia Sod (Vegetable Spring Rolls a la Phuket),Had Yang (Grilled Mushroom skewers with the delightful roasted chilli sauce and the crunchy Corn Fritters with sweet chilli sauce (Tod Man Khao Pod). The majority was happier with the wider choice of Gai Yang (Grilled Chicken with the roasted chilli sauce) and Thod man Pla-the fish cake that was dry in the mouth but the cucumber relish gave tanginess and added another dimension to the flavour.
Goong Pan Takrai (prawn and lemongrass skewer with chilli lemon sauce and tomato dip) was decidedly the most delicious snack with the slightly crunchy exterior that melted in your mouth with the lemongrass flavour making music on the palate with each sip of Bellavista bubbly from Franciacorta.
Franciacorta is one of the smallest wine producing areas of Italy but known as the Mecca of sparkling wines, comparable to Champagne in terms of quality, finesse, elegance and quality-price ratio. It’s known for its excellent sparkling wines made generally with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (though Pinot Bianco is also allowed), the signature grapes of Champagne and uses the traditional Champagne method for second fermentation in the bottle, known as Metodo Franciacorta here. Located in Lombardy region, in the province of Brescia it covers a small area of only about 10 * 25 kms. Although the first Franciacorta bubbly came out in 1961, the two top wineries of the day, Ca del Bosco and Bella Vista came on the scene almost a decade later. Bella Vista was created in 1977 by Vittorio Moretti, a big real estate developer with a passion for wines and is imported by Brindco, the largest importer.
 This pale colour sparkler with lively, persistent mousse and ample, engaging bouquet of rich floral and ripe fruits leaves a tangy, satisfying after-taste. The elegance and balance wine went down smoothly until I informed the members wishing to drink it later that it retailed for over Rs.4500 and available generally for over Rs.9000 a bottle in 5-star hotels with a tag of $50 at the Delhi Duty Free Shop.
The soft and gentle music played by the ‘Leap in Faith’ the 3-men band from Darjeeling, added to the ambiance in the bar where the members had met for the aperitifs. This is also where we welcomed the Minister and Acting Chief of the Royal Thai Embassy, Khun Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum and his wife, Khun Runjuan Tongrut, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Khun Karakot Chatasingha, GM-Indian for Thai Airways (Khun is the prefix for males and females in Thailand used as a mark of respect).
Moving to Neung Roi Restaurant past the lobby towards the newly refurbished banquet halls, one felt privileged that the otherwise busy restaurant was reserved exclusively for us and the regular customers were being turned away disappointed. Although it has a seating capacity of about 55 including the excluding the PDR, Sumit Bansal, Director F& B had requested the number to be capped at 35 since pre-plated food was to be served individually simultaneously.
 If we thought the food-wine crescendo had already reached at the bar, we were mistaken. The salad combo of Yam Som-O (Pomelo salad),Yam Mamuang (Raw mango salad)and Yam Hua Pree (Banana Blossom salad) presented in individual serving in a beautifully decorated platter accompanied by the crispy, fresh, dry and elegantly balanced Chablis from Louis Jadot kept up the high notes. Many second helpings of salad and wine flying to several members did indicate the match was highly appetizing. After having the double helping of Yam Som-O I asked the Chef if she had changed the recipe because when I had come for tasting I had not been very impressed and had told them so. She said although she used the best ingredients from Thailand including Pomelo, it had turned out that on the earlier occasion it had been sourced from North-East and the basic taste was not to her satisfaction.
This is where the restaurant excels. What you get on the plate is not only authentic Thai but the best ingredients are flown in regularly from Thailand. ‘When I was invited to work in the Neung Roi kitchen, I had laid two conditions-one that the cuisine would be authentic Thai and not tweaked to the Indian palate and secondly the ingredients including vegetables must be fresh and imported from Thailand to give the original flavours. This is perhaps the reason that every dish that followed in the main course after the Soups (many members chose to have both the versions to see if the vegetarians had a more delicious choice) had flavours perhaps not experienced before.
 In fact, the dinner for which the Club had been working closely with the hotel for the last several months had been postponed several times since the supply of the imported ingredients had been disrupted due to sudden change in the government policies during the recent past.
E. Guigal is the wine king of Rhone valley and makes a Rosé from Grenache and Cinsault with a dash of Mourvedre and Shiraz. The colour is intentionally kept darker than most other counterparts. In fact, it is closer to red than pink and perhaps one would enjoy the flavours more if the temperature is on the warmer side, say 12-14˚C. The Guigal family believes their Rosés are not to drink before they are 5 years old (usually they are to be drunk within 1-3 years)! That luxury is neither possible in India nor workable since everyone believes it should be consumed young to enjoy the freshness. The 2012 might have been too young from their perspective but the members loved it-it went well with soup as well as the main course, especially Massaman Kea (Lamb curry) and Gaeng Oon (Jackfruit Curry) which most vegetarians found interesting and unique. The wine was medium bodied, well-structured, juicy and full of cherry and strawberry flavours.
The final wine, Villa Maria Pinot Noir turned out to be a heavenly match with Phad Phed Moo Krob (Southern style Pork) and even Goong Thod Ha Rod (Fried prawns in juicy and tangy sauce). The medium bodied wine was fruit forward with juicy tannins and full mouthfeel. Even the vegetarians clamoured for more wine-perhaps 6 more bottles would have been polished off-if we had arranged knowing that the match would be so perfect.
Thai desserts are not very exciting for the Indian palate generally but the Tub Tim Krob (water chestnut in coconut Jasmine Syrup with crushed ice and the novel presentation on a bed of ice charmed everyone with ice-cream being an add on.
The restaurant with a capacity of 35 for the pre-plated service might have been slightly nervous with 43 persons filling the restaurant. One thought she would have needed some training from the maestro Gordon Ramsay to whip her team to churn out each dish timely. But she seems to know how to keep her staff in the zone-the service was impeccable despite people asking for an extra soup here or an extra bowl of curry there. The smiling staff seemed to be geared up mentally to deliver and the service was smooth throughout.
The evening in a nutshell was described by a veteran member of the Delhi Wine Club, Chintamani Rao who is always forthright in giving his unbiased opinion. He says, ‘terrific evening at Neung Roi, yesterday, beginning, appropriately, with the wines,’ he says, adding, ‘the aperitif Bellavista Cuvee Franciacorta was a new experience. An Italian bubbly but not a Prosecco: in fact Champagne in all but designation, and an excellent one at that. The other new experience was the E. Guigal Tavel Rose 2012. I'm not a fan of Rose as a rule, because I find it characterless, but this is one I would want to have again. It has a good structure and body and is elegantly fruity, and went extremely well with the spicy Thai food. The other wines -- two Chablis and a Marlborough Pinot Noir were very good, too.’
 ‘Speaking of food, this was my first visit to Neung Roi, and no doubt the first of several. An absolutely excellent restaurant, and the extensive menu was served with great generosity. It was after a long time that I experienced the interplay of multiple flavours on the palate, which I so love about Thai food, instead of everything being killed by chillies. Even something like Tom Kha Gai was distinctive in its balance of flavours. I guess it is in these common dishes that you can tell the difference.’
He signs of by saying, ‘a vintage Delhi Wine Club evening, with the added pleasure of meeting some interesting new people who one looks forward to meeting again.’
The members were pleasantly surprised to receive a token gift given by the Thailand Tourism as they left the restaurant. That was Thai hospitality for you, all the way! Delhi Wine Club is now planning a tour to Thailand for a gourmet trail that will include a visit to a few of Thai vineyards since the instant support offered by the visiting Thai dignitaries was heartwarming.
For an overview of Franciacorta the ‘Champagne’ of Italy, please click Franciacorta- Italy's Answer to Champagne
For an article on the ‘Making of Neung Roi Dinner’, please click Star Chefs: Chef Yenjai Suthiwaja of Neung Roi
Subhash Arora
Gallery Menu |