Where : "Farzi Cafe" DLF"cyber hub Gurgaon
Chennai : I am from Chennai
Eats: Dal Chawal aranccini/ Lemon Air Prawn Tempura/vindaloo Pork Bun/Lamb chops maple soy/Phirnee Oxide/Spherefied Malai meeta/Hajmola Farzi candy
Darwin called cooking, probably the greatest discovery, excepting language, ever made by man. Yet cooking is not just cuisine; the job of a cook is always to change food physically; first to separate it from the natural environment; either himself or thru the agency of a forger or farmer or the like - to uproot it; to cut it; to pluck it; catch it slaughter it; then to shape it; peeling ; Cutting discarding then inedible and then comes the better definition of cooking;it's the base of changing its molecular structure, process like boiling; stewing; soaking, salting; air drying; smoking; curing, roasting, baking and that's just to name a few; Avant grade is a term which means being before time, and Farzi Cafe is one such place at least being before the Indian standard Time.
The "El bulli" was the pioneer for changing the very way chefs saw food, which was until 1984 working with what was called haute cuisine; Ferran Adria who is the catalyst behind it all started this revolution and was in his peak in the early 2000, but just this to reach the Indian shores it has taken all this while, almost after 3 decades is what it took to find the morsels of "molecular gastronomy" in the banks of India, Farzi cafe Gurgaon dose posses a tiny dose of it in the menu with affordable measurements.
I did some ground work before deciding on what I really wished to order,with information from my seniors who had visited this place;5 I had already jolted down my mind on what I exactly was gonna go in for, there were the usual buzz of the high selling melodramatic alibis which I choose to ignore, The menu dose pose a degree of confusion for the first time diners but the presence of knowledgable wait staff would make ends meet with ease, a friend of mine joined and she had already been there so it made it easy for me to locate the place and to be brutally honest it is quite easy to spot too,
Apple Foamattini: Arrived to the table with a bit of creamy espuma looking foam on a martini shackle sitting over misty emitting base which I presume contained liquid nitrogen just to show case the misty ambience on the arrival of the drink; which will eventually fizz away in a minute; So much for the eye; And just when I thought "looks are deceiving" the Foamattini was quite good the mellow Apple flavour was brushed off perfectly to which I would give a thumbs up.
Chuski Margarita : Am panna margarita is the translation had a mellow "Am Panna" feel to it; for once I was aching to taste what my company was drinking; it was scuttle and quite good a gola was immersed and served I found it could have been better if they had literally put on some effort in making the gola; it was just like a slab of ice off my freezer.
Dal Chawal Arancinni: A fusion between a classical Indian dish prepared in a Italian manner, the way it was presented was quite avant about it, the effort put in on rolling Pappads was commendable yet again the main ingredient the dal chawal Arancinni could have been better if the actual risotto was used along with the traditional apparel, all said and done it tasted good had a decent price tag, yet the originality is the question.
Tempura fried prawns lemon mirchi air: Kudos for the air the "soy lecithin" was perfect and the tempura was actually a mastered craft here its tossed on a spicy siracha Mayo; the trick of keeping it crispy won me over all hands down, The dish on the whole was exquisite perfect blend of textures and aromas.
Lamb Chops Maple soy glaze : caramelised sugar coating ain't maple; with a palate of mine which savours soy and maple every day I can go no wrong; we would definitely have a winner if a better quality of maple if it was actually maple; and tweaking of the amount of soy added. Although the accompanying sauce spread was quite a notable alibi.
Pork Bun vindaloo : A classic vindaloo pork pulled and served on the most delectable buns, instead of a dim sum steamer to serve think; otherwise, you guys have all the props to market it better, and dare not search for aloo in vindaloo cos it's authentic as it gets- thou the amount of NaCl(salt) can be suffocated over the audacity of churning the pulled pork on the contrary can definitely raise the acetic acid levels.
Phirnee Oxide : "De-Construction" is an art which has amazed me, I am a big fan of Chef Grant Achatz works of de construction, and to see an Indian dessert de-constructed by a knowledgeable waitstaff is quite pleasing. The Phirnee was just a chalker block cooked in liquid nitrogen then brought to the table with a bit of its supporting characters; one has got to see it to actually have the feel of this effort of culinary skills displayed .
There is also an element of "surprise and delight" the offering of the amuse bouchée, and the departing"Petit Fours",both are carefully chosen and since it's a give away its got to be the nail on the coffin, and they nailed it in both ways;
Spherefied mithai malai : it's a reverse spherification of flavoured condensed milk which has the most adorable texture which melts instantly as it hits the tongue a perfect amuse bouche to say the least.
Farzi Hajmola Candy : it was the most exquisite lollipop and the serve ware even "Aliena" Chicago would be proud of, the shocking of liquid nitrogen gave it the extra aura.
Verdict : A fascinating portrait that every one in India who cares about the evolution of food should experience.
VFM : Experience can't be quantified; when the aura is oblivion.
