The Elephant’s found its pair at Flying Elephant, Park Hyatt Chennai..

Breads with hummus & dips

Negroni [said to go well with the Paccheri]

Nick's pizza

Achari Broccoli 

Asian Bowl- Tofu

Sangria served with Broccoli

Ricotta cake with strawberry compote

Paccheri with Lentils & Lobster

Hazel butter, choco lava, vanilla caramel fudge ice cream

Desi Tres leche

Churros

The Elephant’s found its pair

Yes, thats what they are calling this new menu that is being rolled out at Flying Elephant. I have heard of food being paired with drinks [ alcoholic/non alcoholic], seen it on TV cookery shows, but this was the 1st time I was experiencing the same. 

All kinds of questions were running through my mind- how do you pick a drink for a dish, veg/non veg, alcoholic/non alcoholic, mains and desserts.. the questions were endless... I did ask some of this to the staff, but still need more insights into the world of pairing! I wonder if it is as complicated as human beings, when we look for a partner... :-) 

Anyways, coming back to the evening, it was all about amazing flavours and textures. The evening began with the spicy Achari Broccoli that was served with a glass of Sangria [ was told this was one of the popular pairing] and well, I enjoyed them both.. 

Then came the Nick's pizza, quite a twist to the regular pizza- it had thin crust, palm sugar and cheese topped wit a handful of arugula.. Oh boy oh boy, we loved it..  Apparently it was a pizza put together thanks to a regular guest at the Hotel, Nick~ Thank you Nick, we loved it... 

There was also a version of the Asian bowl [I opted for one with Tofu], served with Thai green curry that was good, but it got cold by the time we dug into it. Along came a pasta dish, Paccheri- a big tube shaped pasta served on a bed of lentils cooked with tomatoes [ it also had a lobster sitting pretty on top], the veg alternative would be mushrooms & water chestnut... Oooh then came the yummilicious warm Ricotta cake with strawberry compote- surprisingly it is listed in the savories section and not dessert. [maybe cos it had a few romaine lettuce leaves on the side and salty notes]. I dint care, it was warm, comforting and yummm.. 

For desserts, we got to sample both the new items- Desi Tres leches  [ a take on our humble rasamalai] and Hazel butter, Choco lava, vanilla caramel fudge ice cream[ the ice cream was sinful, the lava cake was molten & gooey] ... We also requested for their signature Churros that comes with three dipping sauces-  the best of them being the apple puree.. Hubba hubba... 

This new paired menu seems quite interesting and while some from the old menu would remain, these new dishes sure had us grinning away.... 

Disclaimer:

The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)

Revamped Bar menu at The Flying Elephant, Park Hyatt

Beetroot Ravioli

A cocktail with Gin base... 

Panner e Hasan

Steam Edamame & Truffle Dimsum

Taouk Shish- Char Grilled Chicken, Onion Dumac salad with Turkish Bread

Three Cheese Jalapeno and Pesto Mushroom Tikka

Pumpkin Ravioli

Garlic Naan, Plain Naan, Dal Makhani & Butter Chicken

  

2 Veg Pizzas

Churros with three dips- Salted caramel, dark chocolate and apple cinnamon sauce.. 

Dessert Platter- included Dark Chocolate Cake & Blueberry Cheese Cake

The highlight apart from the delectable food was meeting their new Executive Chef Michele Dal Cero [Mikela Daal Cherro is how it is pronounced] who is from Verona in Italy, but was working in Korea for the past 7years before which he did a stint at Shangri-La in Mangolia for a year. It was fascinating listening to his stories and experiences across regions and people. He was all praise for the team at Flying Elephant, saying they were quite smart, quick to learn new recipes and replicate them unlike some of the people he has worked with earlier. We also spoke in length about food from his hometown, his family and the region around. I love hearing stories, it infact adds to the whole experience and tells you so much about a person and their heritage. 

The Food & Drinks

The first thing I read on the new Bar menu was Three Cheese Jalapeno & Pesto Mushroom Tikka.. Few items down was the Steam Edamame & Truffle Dimsum. Now with dishes like that on the menu, the curiosity to try the dishes was quite high and I was literally holding my breath waiting for these dishes to arrive at the table. The evening though began with the beautiful Beetroot Ravioli, which I have had before and with every bite it plays on your senses.. The beetroot has been cooked in so many different ways that you take a few minutes to wrap your head around it. And you can imagine how the rest of the evening must have been..

As for the food and drinks, the evening sailed along quite smoothly. I had three different cocktails, all with gin as the main base, one had curry leaves, other two were far more subtle.. cant remember the names, I just let the staff decide and surprise me :D [ya I take risks like that] 

The dimsum melted in our mouth, the truffle flavour singing a song till it reached the tummy... The Middle Eastern flavours of the Taouk Shish was quite good, I tasted the bread with pickled onions and the vegetables from the skewers... The Mushroom tikka was heavenly, I love Mushrooms and this one was stuffed with pesto, crumb coated and cooked on the grill..  The pumpkin ravioli was again one that I have had before, and loved it this time as well- the sweetness of the ravioli, the crunch of the paper thin wafer and the sweet sauce... What is good about the menu is all the dishes are almost like finger food, no mess no need for fancy cutlery, pick it up, pop in your mouth [maximum 2 bites] and enjoy the flavours...

To wrap up the meal we got two desserts, one was a platter and the other well we got served cos we are sweet people, if you ask nicely they might get it for you as well.. Am talking about the Churros.. Mamma mia, it was heavenly... I loved it on its own and with the various sauces, esp the apple cinnamon... Dying to try my hand at making it at home~!! 

Well, after a meal like that, all one needs is a good book and some sweet company to snuggle with..You would end up dreaming about the various flavours of India .... spices singing sweet melodies...  ;o) 

A meal for two should work out to Rs2500 ++ and this is available for dinner from 7pm at Flying Elephant...

Address:

Park Hyatt 

39, Velachery Main Rd, Guindy,

Call 044 7177 1234 for reservation


Disclaimer:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkHyattChennai

The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)

All new menu at The Flying Elephant, Park Hyatt, Chennai

Restaurants go through ups and downs, and it is then time to reinvent the wheel, look for new festivals, new venues to crank things up a bit. Here too at Flying Elephant in Park Hyatt they are shaking things up with a whole new menu. Yes, some of the familiar popular dishes continue to remain but there are quite a few new additions crafted by Chef Jyotisankar...

Flying Elephant is not really just a restaurant, it is more of an experience. From the minute you walk, to finding a table and enjoying the meal....

Here is what we got to try,

Paneer e Hasan- the Chef who created this was Hasan and so he named it so...cheeky right?!:-) Each paneer disk had a different stuffing- spinach, saffron and one more...

Kamal kakdi ki Shammi -Pan fried lotus stem patties with brown onion & medley of spices. It was literally melting in our mouth..

The signature in-house bread with tomato dip..

Burrata al forno con salsa di pomodoro e olio di tartufo - Baked burrata inside a thin wrap sitting on a puddle of delicious tomato sauce that had truffle oil in it and was covered in fried vermicelli with a side of Rocket leaves... We loved digging into this bowl and trying to get a piece of everything in one forkful.. 

Insalata con rababaro e cuori palma, caprino, pistachio, salsa al miele- This salad had my attention, it had roasted rhubarb, heart of palm, some goat's cheese that had been shallow fried sitting in the middle.. The dressing was a pistachio in a spiced honey vinaigrette... Rhubarb is something I had seen only on TV and so was very curious to try and taste..

Mains:

              

Ravioli di zucca e confit di cipolla, mascarpone fresco, salvia e noci- Roasted pumpkin chestnuts and walnuts packed ravioli sitting on a butter sage sauce with sweet crisp biscuits made with vanilla beans & caramalised onions. The ravioli had saffron in the pasta sheets... It was heavenly and we couldnt stop eating it.. 

Risotto alla primevera- Risotto made with spring vegetables, vialone and asparagus topped with crisp beans and microherbs..  [This is a gluten free dish].. The Risotto was creamy with a bite from the beans on top and the three kinds of cheese that had been blended it.. It was a tad too rich for my palate. 

From their Indian section came this trio- Soft butter naan, bowl of steamed rice and Shahi Hari Gobi Zaitooni - Broccoli and olives cooked in a saffron, onion and cashew gracy.. The olives gave it a sharp hit of saltiness.. But when eaten with rice/roti it was perfect.. 

Desserts:
We got to try two different desserts, one Indian and other Western...  The minute I saw the Apple crumble , I was ready with my fork and all set to dig in... :-) The other one was a salted caramel kulfi on a bed of soft vermicelli and few other sauces/flavours...

Oh and during the meal, we also witnessed the entire team lining up and putting on a small dance performance, not once but twice.. Was quite nice to see people across levels joining in and having fun! 

The Flying Elephant is open for dinner on all days with brunch on Sundays. 

Park Hyatt 

#39, Velachery Road, 

Guindy. 

For reservations call: (044) 71771234/ 044 7177 1655

Whisky Samba and Flying Elephant- Park Hyatt, Chennai

What was the evening all about? It was Whisky paired with food 

Where did this happen? At Flying Elephant in Park Hyatt, Velachery

What is Whisky Samba?- Oh its a cool place in Gurgaon...

Where was the food from? - It was from the kitchens of Flying Elephant , put together by Executive Chef -Akshay Bhardwaj from Whisky Samba,.. He brings experience of having worked at 2 star Michelin restaurant -Noma, under Chef René Redzepi. That apart, he has worked at restaurants 

across France and Brussels as well.

How long is this for? Just two days, it was a pop up! 

That evening had us cruising through not one or two but an 8 course menu that had been curated by the Chef for the pop up.. During the course of the conversation that evening, came to know that Chef was all about focussing on the ingredients and cooking dishes, unlike most places where it is Menu based. I was the only vegetarian in the group, but I got dishes that were quite wow with no compromise on flavour, texture or taste..  Among the dishes I had were ones with morrel mushrooms, & black carrot- things I havent had much of.. :-) 

We also had Devesh Kailash Dhall of Whisky Samba giving us insight, interesting trivia and walking us through the various Whisky that was served that evening. We had a few cocktails subsequent to which we moved to try the various Glenlivets [from the Speyside distilleries] 

At the end of the evening, we were all high- not just from the Whisky but from the amazing food and the overall experience... Quite a memorable evening... 

PS: pardon quality of images, forgot the camera and had to make do with phone camera

Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)

Flying Elephant at Park Hyatt Chennai rolls out new Menu

Out with the old, in with the New seems to be norm across restaurants now. I see quite a few of them going in for a revamp of their menu, or including a few new dishes into their existing menu. Joining this line is The Flying Elephant at Park Hyatt Chennai. 

Here is a sneak peek of what lies in store for your next visit here.  There is a Vegetarian Wanton soup that is light and simple, followed by the one dish that stood out for me- The Spinach Phyllo [ spinach and cheese tucked into phyllo pastry that was just wow]. Oh, the Mezze platter with the dip- Muhammara was yumm- it is made with roasted red peppers as the base.. I loved the crunchy texture and the spice factor in this one.

Apart from these, there was the Paneer starter followed by three delicious curries served with a wide range of rotis/naans. The side with the greens as the base was the best of the lot. What Chef has done is bring in the best of various cuisines to shake things up a bit. There are dishes from the Japanese, Indian, Turkish and few other cuisines as well.

The grand finale was this interesting dessert, take on Snicker bars, called the Snicker mess- there were pieces of chocolate, a peanut ice-cream sitting on a bed of crushed peanuts and little dollops of dark chocolate. I felt there was a bit of overdose of peanuts in this one and needed a coffee to clear my palate ... 

Address:
Park Hyatt
#39, Velachery Main Rd, 
Velachery, Chennai - 600032
Phone:044 7177 1234

Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)