Thursday, January 20, 2011

Vetro with Michelin Star Chef Igor Macchia

Rest - Vetro
Meal - Lunch
Loc - Oberoi, Nariman Point,

So i am back on main street after my little exile. The film did okay and is set to premiere on this Sunday at noon on Cartoon Network. That bit out of the way, what a return it is turning out to be.

First the bloggers meet in conjunction with UB & Four Seasons Wines last night at Olive (coming later) and my cooking masterclass and lunch with Michelin Star Chef Igor Macchia at Vetro.

I have to thank Rushina Munshaw of A Perfect Bite for setting up the opportunity and our gracious and gorgeous hosts Richa Thakur and Gauri Kitchlu of the Oberoi. Vetro has never been a top choice for me, i find the food underwhelming as well as i find the abundance of truffle in their dishes a little unseemly.

However, they have a strong focus on authencity, also, the Oberoi seems to be for now at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of the Indian palate. First Ziya and now bringing in someone like Chef Macchia. It was an opportunity to good to pass up.


Chef Macchia is a well known name in Italy and his restaurant Ristorante La Credenza in Piedmont is rated as the best. I will not dwell further on his accomplishments but i will say he is quite a cool, calm and personable chap. A great ambassador for his cuisine and country.

I have had the odd Michelin star meal, some have been good some average. However, never really had an opportunity to watch a master chef work at his craft so closely and then have him answer questions.

One of the first dishes that came was a ravioli on pesto with milk foam. An awesome dish, the ravioli was prepared right in front of us and the merits of different shapes was discussed (shapes dictate the taste and cooking time) The pesto was with pecorino and hazelnuts. Chef Macchia also mentioned the importance of starch with regards to pasta (starchier the better)

The demo over we were treated to a delightful array of courses.

The red pepper risotto was excellent. Light, tasty with no heavy handed flavours or tastes. Vetro is known for its authentic leanings (you wont get your regular arrabiata or pizza here) which i appreciate. Anyone that finds the dishes at Vetro bland will not have that issue with a dish like this one.

Another dish on the table that i happened to taste was a bread ravioli with pea sauce. The sauce was thick and pea heavy (what else would it be..) not bad at all, quite heavy but i liked my risotto better.

Next up was a salad of cress, asparagus on a bed of mashed potato and a carrot sauce. Light, fresh taste, a nice salad although i would have liked more asparagus and less cress !

The dessert was a chocolate mousse with an orange creme brulee center. Need i say more? excellent.

Overall, it was a great afternoon of good food, good wine and good company. I hope its one of my many rewards now that the film is done. Chef Maccia is at Vetro till the 23rd, drop by if you can.

It would be a little unethical to rate quality of food and service as i was invited to the event but it was fantastic nonetheless.

1 comment:

Sassy Fork said...

Gaurav,the dishes look delectable!

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