The easy idea in the back of the global food restaurant ‘Together at 12th’ at Le Meridien Gurgaon is to acquire flavors in unison from the kitchen to the bar. To similarly enlarge this colorful concept, co-owners Nitin Tewari and chef Vanshika Bhatia have curated the ‘Chef’s World Tour’ where former interns of the pathbreaking Danish restaurant ‘Noma’ have come together to cook dinner up a storm. Along with Bhatia, these former interns have grown up and run their successful kitchens. At ‘Together at Twelfth,’ chefs from ‘Masque’ (Mumbai), ‘Rooh’
(Chicago), ‘District Winery’ (Washington), ‘Wilderness Guide’ (Finland), and ‘Pollevie’ (Netherlands), among others, have prepared a nine-course menu till July 25, infusing cooking techniques from Finland to Washington DC via using as a minimum one local component from India. Think of a melange of red meat stomach, celery, celeriac puree, farm greens, and grey goose nuts French dressing or a legend from a Danish delicacy hotspot served with carrots and potatoes. But the most heartwarming, gladsome composition comes at the end of the meal. Bhatia’s alchemy with beetroot, which is her preferred factor, is pure poetry. She creates a shifting symphony of candy and tangy dessert with a cake of compact ‘kheer,’ beetroot kombucha, a rectangular button of berry ice cream, and Bombay Sapphire gel. She talks to THE WEEK about Chef’s World Tour and kitchen hacks she picked up at ‘Noma.’
What cooking strategies have you picked up at ‘Noma’ that you have carried out at ‘Together at Twelfth.’
‘Noma’ taught me a variety of important and progressive strategies for cooking. The most non-public classes I have imbibed in my cooking are respecting the produce and not peer it practically but trying to use all viable techniques to get the proper practice. Emphasis on zero wastage is the need of the hour, particularly as we look toward sustainable living techniques in each area of our lives.
I learned about kombucha making, Lacto-fermentation, and diverse types of dough. What are some of the exciting flavors, textures, and strategies you can still look forward to at the Chef’s World Tour?
The chefs are preparing dishes from their own countries: Netherlands, USA, Chicago, Finland, to call some. You will find a few traditional strategies from the Netherlands, some antique college traditional American strategies of making flatbread, and, of the route, Indian cooking strategies. The chef from the Netherlands has made fake meat by taking the gluten out of the flour and then steaming it. Is there any exciting eating trend in India that you are excited about? Otherwise, your experience is lacking in India? India’s eating fashion is on par with other international. I understand a lot of chefs who want to paint in India. We have become famous internationally for our revolutionary questioning and connection to the farmers. India is simply a farm-to-fork cuisine panorama, instead of quite a few nations wherein the disconnect between farmers and the end client is too high.
However, something this is, in a way, missing is a greater emphasis on collaborations. There is a new technology of chefs at the block, new-age brands, ingenious bartenders, and a demographic equipped to test. This is a golden time to work on collaborations, and the company equipment needs to recognize and adapt for this reason. ‘Noma’ redefined new Nordic delicacies. How do you want to reimagine present-day Indian food?
Indian food is very close to my coronary heart. I wouldn’t say I like to mess with the classics. What I do is play with indigenous Indian substances and conventional Indian cooking techniques and blend them with what I have learned from my seven years of paintings, enjoy
Which ingredients are you most fond of working with and why?
My favorite is beetroot because it’s very versatile. It may be utilized in desserts, savory delicacies, and many distinct textures. What’s the only signature dish of Together at Twelfth’ that can not be replicated everywhere? I am very open to sharing my recipes and strategies because humans need to be extra relaxed and not pull away from learning from each other. Our bamboo fowl is certainly one of our signature dishes, without a doubt.
The upcycled tortellini is a dish I don’t assume many are doing because the filling is made up of all the peels and parts, which might be generally thrown away. We also use Blackbird (Kedarnath), which is hyper-local but consistent with Finland’s strategies.
