Last night Julie and I had the pleasure of attending a dinner in Ananda Restaurant for the South Asia Initiative ,hosted by Mr Maurice Hennessy who is over for the Hennessy Gold Cup on the weekend.
The goal of the Trinity South Asia Initiative is to make Trinity College the centre for South Asian Studies in Ireland, so we were in very good company.
What a delicious meal ! The menu was specially created by Sunil Ghai,Executive chef at Anada and Chef David Fransoret from Maison Hennessy.It was obvious from reading the menu that a lot of thought had gone into it, and the delivery of the actual concept was equally good.
I have rarely seen such apt food and drink pairings, which cannot have been easy ,with so many complex flavours involved.
The food quality was superb and the highlights for me were the tandoor smoked aubergine,the lovely fresh plump halibut, and the pink tender lamb.
What didn't I like I hear you ask? To be honest, it was all pretty damn good(understatement!).
See the menu and comments below.
Amuse Bouche
This was a little pastry bowl filled with chick peas sitting on top of a little glass of aromatic fresh mango and carrot juice...yum!
Starter
Trio of vegetables
Vegetables cooked three ways, 4 hour hand pounded Lentil and vegetable kebab, tandoor smoked aubergine crush (divine)and crispy rice cakes dusted with goan five spice.
Wine: Penfolds Autumn Reisling 2008(Lovely intensity and weight with a delicious limey backbone, which acted as a foil to some of the creamy textures on offer.)
Fish course
Halibut, fennel
Pan seared fillet(nicest I ever had!) with lime infused coconut sauce, with Asian greens ,tomato & fennel jelly.
Wine: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010(perfectly picked up on the vibrant Asian greens)
Sorbet
Blood orange Sorbet poured with V.S.O.P.
With Himalayan salt
(a tincture of the delicious VSOP was actually poured onto the sorbet! and I love the inky flavors in blood oranges)
Meat courses
Lamb, apricot
Spice crusted lamb cutlet(really good meat, cooked to perfection) with Hennessy glazed apricots; curry leaf and mustard mash with onion and tomato masala with kashmiri chilly.
Wine: Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 2008
(bold enough to match this dish without overpowering it.)
Chicken sandalwood
Stuffed free range chicken breast with peppers, courgette & pistachio, Sandalwood flavoured korma served with cardamom and saffron biriyani.
Wine: Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2007(rich ,creamy ,nutty and not overshadowed by the red before it ,which is saying something!)
Dessert
Nougat Glace
A classic French dessert with Hennessy and tutty fruity.
Hennessy Paradis(perfect with the crunchy nutty base and the nougat flavours.Paradis is a seriously good Cognac)
Tea/coffee(no way !)
Petit Fours
(ok, just a few)
Thank to the Trinity South Asia Initiative ,Hennessy Cognac and Ananda Restaurant for a really special event.
Evelyn & Julie
I had this Pinot Grigio-Torrontes blend last night and very tasty it was too.I have had this wine a couple of times before and I seem to choose it when I am looking for something with good definition of fruit and a full- bodied yet steely backbone.It reminds me of a fat Riesling with an intense lime backbone.Torrentes generally vinifies into a wine with a distinctively perfumed bouquet but this is not the case with this particular wine.Yes it has concentration, but it is not the intensely floral style that one expects, so the Pinot Grigio obviously tames it .On reflection this wine could be described as a Pinot Gris in the Alsace style as opposed to a Pinot Grigio in the Italian style.
