The duo behind a gourmet catering service will drop in at a Continental restaurant in Khar to host a sit-down dinner inspired by the historic city of nawabs
From melt-in-the-mouth kebabs to fragrant dum biryani, Lucknow — the city of nawabs — is known for its decadent fare. It's not very often that you find chefs experimenting with this cuisine, with most preferring not to veer from traditional cooking methods. But, tomorrow, Out of the Blue will play host to a pop-up by Sunaeyaa Kapur and Shweta Menon who, under their new venture, will serve diners Awadh-inspired dishes with a twist.
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The three-course meal, cooked by Menon, will be carefully paired with wine and cocktails put together by Kapur. "We come from different industries. Shweta gave up law to go to culinary school in London, and I was a designer before I decided to train in mixology. We came together to start Pllatterati, a gourmet catering service, five years ago. Now, under Sunaeyaa & Shweta's Table, we will host sit-down dinners," says Kapur.
View of Asfi Masjid, situated within the Bara Imambara Complex in Lucknow
They picked Awadhi cuisine for the pop-up as Lucknow is Kapur's hometown. On the menu are intriguing dishes, all familiar and strange at the same time. Elaborating on these, Menon says, "We begin with the amuse bouche, which has traditional Mutton Shaami Kebabs for the non-vegetarians and, for vegetarians, a Three Bean Galawat Kebab, with Mexican influences. Both will be served with an Aperol Spritz, meant to open up your palate."
Shahenshaai Paneer
The first course is a chaat-inspired Arugula Pomegranate Bell Pepper Salad in a tangy feta coriander dressing, topped with crunchy papdi and a sweet sour chutney, and finished off with micro beans. This will be served with a classic white wine.
Malaai Firni
"The second course features Pyaaz ka Pulao, a caramelised onion rice preparation that we're serving in place of the typical peela chawal. This will be accompanied by Khatta Meetha Baigan and a side of Jalapeño Relish — a Mexican twist on the pyaaz kachumber," adds Menon.
The highlight of this course, however, is the Lamb Jhaal Farezi — a spicy, sweet and zingy version of the dish, made with slow-cooked lamb. Meanwhile, vegetarians can savour the Shahenshaai Paneer, a tempered cottage cheese simmered in whole spices with a dusting of dried fenugreek leaves. These will be paired with a red wine.
The aim, the duo says, is to keep the menu as authentic as possible while still experimenting with it. Kapur says, "Gimmicks such as molecular gastronomy have never appealed to us. Our method is more rustic and freestyle."
Dessert will be a creamy Malaai Firni, paired with what Kapur calls Ooh & Aah Of An Espresso, a digestif that brings together Kahlua, vodka and espresso. Menon, who hails from Kochi, shares that as of now, Keralan cuisine is off the table because "everyone seems to be doing it."
However, she reveals that in the near future, we can expect a pop-up that will feature their take on Parsi fare. "It will be very unlike traditional Parsi bhonu. I also want to experiment by combining meat with Gujarati cuisine. This will be tougher to crack, because I don't know how many people would be open to trying, for instance, an undhiyu chicken," she says, chuckling.
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