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Photos By:: Adil Arora
 Ask anyone in Delhi about Hotel Eros (forget about those living outside) and chances are you would find someone scratch the head to give a nod of recognition. But talk of Park Royale to any middle-aged adult and there is hardly anyone who knows the history of 5-star hotels in Delhi, who has not heard about it or does not have fond memories of it. For over a couple of decades it used to be one of the most favourite hotels known for its hospitality and services. It has been changing its avatar after divorcing the Park Royale chain, the last one being Hilton which did not last long enough to find a seat in people's mind. But then the management decided to name it after their group Eros and it lost a bit of its sheen.
Asking members of the Delhi Wine Club to come for a wine dinner at the hotel has been an arduous task despite a couple of outstanding events earlier. So when the new F& B Director Umesh Dalal showed his keenness to organise a dinner again at the Empress of China, I was reluctant at first but knowing that when the restaurant staff is bubbling with excitement for our event the performance is superlative, I agreed but not before Exec Chef Suprabhat  Roy Chowdhury promised it would be a special Menu, never served in the restaurant and that people would be pleased.
And the members were more than pleased. The event can be considered one of the best organised events thanks to the creativity displayed by Dalal and his F & B team and the Restaurant while Chef Suprabhat came good on his promise, of no conventional rice and noodles that one expects. I used to be a frequent visitor to the restaurant a couple of decades ago, because of its excellent food and had fond memories of toffee banana or toffee apple as my staple desserts-they used to be the best. It was good to see him acceding to my request to change the planned dessert and prepare the combo especially for the event. Suffice it to say, it was my most favourite dish of the evening.
The latent strength of the Private Dining Room at the Empress is the beautiful small garden into which it opens out. With a capacity of 22-26 people and the garden outside, it offers a dream venue for small, private events, especially for the corporates. As we stepped out into the garden for our aperitifs, those who had not been to the previous event here were totally floored by the beautiful ambience. Dalal and his team had created beautiful props and called them walls of wine. Bottles of all the four wines of the evening- Villa Maria  Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2014, Punto Niño Chardonnay Reserva, Casablanca Valley 2010, Matua Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008 and were displayed as a part of the overall theme. The 2-girl band was singing popular numbers but in an unobtrusive manner so that the members could soak in the newly created ambience and the delicious aperitifs with a couple of wine cocktails specially crafted by the team for the evening. Interestingly, only canapés had been planned as Umesh felt that Chinese snacks would be too heavy with many courses to follow. But when a few members showed long faces, he reacted immediately and various snacks started rolling in.
As we sat down the Amuse-Bouche was served followed by Pink Grapefruit Tartare
with soy glazed yellow fin tuna, chamomile seared sea scallop, micro greens, which was really refreshing on its own but matched well with Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2014 which was fresh, fruity and juicy with gooseberry and passion fruit flavours in the background. It turned out to be the most favourite wine of the evening.
Rakesh Awaghade, Sommelier of Oberoi Gurgaon was at hand to present the wines of the evening. Rakesh is a certified Sommelier from UK with years of experience in London, including working as Sommelier for Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill Restaurant. He presented all the four wines. The members also took advantage of his presence and discussed the wines of the evening with him and asked him several interactive questions, making it different.
 Next course was corn fed chicken rolls, aromatic roast duck, lotus stem chips and pink pepper corn eggplant served with Punto Niño 2011 Chardonnay Reserva, Casablanca Valley 2010 from Chile and Matua Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008 from New Zealand to give an opportunity to the members to try and see which wine went better with the dish that could really handle both with Chardonnay having a slight edge. The chicken was delicious with perfect texture but the Punto was disappointing. It tasted tired and with more oak than the fruit, not as fresh as one would like. To make things worse, a couple of bottles turned out to be oxidised. Fortunately, the Pinot Noir did its job beyond the call of duty. Not a great Pinot by any means, the food and wine match was excellent, giving lie to the assumption that better wines make the food taste better. It was light enough for the meat and fruity enough and yet the tannins did not interfere with the flavours of the dish.
Jasmine Haze, the sorbet tasting like Chinese Tea, was a welcome break for the palate and the whole system before the Stir Fried Quinoa was served with braised Australian prime lamb shank, baby pokchoy, and Szechuan green beans. We repeated the Pinot and added Chianti Rufino Reserve DOCG Castello Di Nipozzano 2010, a well-respected Chianti from the house of Frescobaldi. By this time, I think, many of the members used to chow-mein and fried rice, could not resist the temptation of  asking for some noodles or rice. As if semi-expecting the request, the needful was done in seconds. Since both the wines were an excellent match with the well-cooked lamb dish, the climax was perfect-even though the members were divided down the middle on which of the two was a better match, again making this part a bit of fun.
Apple & Banana Elements with sesame toffee, cremeux, macaroon and ice cream followed by a selection of Tea and Single Origin Coffee with Petit Fours, was a perfect ending to a perfect evening which ended with an encore. Thanks to the vision of the evening by Umesh and his excited team at the restaurant, it brought joy to the members, even though they were at Eros and not Park Royale in Nehru Place. In fact, it was a discovery in the sense that for a high ended dinner for 20-25 people, this venue offers a great ambience, matched by the dishes crafted by Chef Suprabhat. And if the staff is as motivated and enthused about an event as the whole serving and cooking staff this evening, it can be a great venue for such private events.
Subhash Arora
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