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| Welcome to Olive |
2003 it all started in this hidden Mughlo ke Zamane kee haveli owned by a friend Sanjeev Batra , Sanjeev sure had some vision to get hold of this heritage property years ago when there was no development around the Qutub Area ; he partnered with the Olive group headed by none other than Mr A D Singh and others to create history opposite the historical Qutab Minar - Olive immediately got recognized by every travel magazine for the most amazing restaurant in this heritage setting, in India . Olive today is one of the most Iconic restaurants in the country . The ambiance was the number one seller when they started off - at that time it was more like a Med Lounge they served more Mediterranean food and now the focus is Food Food and More Food . They have had some amazing Chefs work with them in the past , to name a few Chef Manu Chandra - the whiz kid in the industry Chef Manu is a Stephenian a total Delhi boy from malcha marg , studied at the culinary institute in New York - He mastered and ran the olive at Bangalore which got featured as one of the top restaurant of India - btw i sponsored a Nida mahmood Fashion Show at Olive Bangalore , just hehehehe. From Chef Manu Chandra he became Manu to me as a friend - and how - OLD Monk is the connect between us . He launched Monkey Bar Bangalore and Delhi , now has a new baby called Fatty Bao in Bangalore - he amazes me with not only his Skills as chef but his inter personal skills , which i have witnessed at many conferences . Chef Sabyasachi Gorai - Executive Chef Olive , as far as i remember i met Chef Saby for the first time at Ai the Japanese place by Ad Singh at MGF mall Saket - a killer of a restaurant , can never forget the Black Cod on the stone mind blowing , from there he moved onto other olive branches etc - he was awarded as the Chef of the Year by the President of India , Olive Opened the Olive Culinary Academy under Chef Saby's banner - both won laurels for their creations
Gorgeous is the setting Romantic is the mood u r at the right place in town the Olive Bar and Kitchen- very Mediterranean, white walls , White cane furniture, white pebbles, beautiful candles at night ... and the iconic peepal ka tree which everyone loves sitting under .A favorite for the expats m they love the openness , the heritage feeling and of ciurse a to die for Wine Menu . " Dappled sunlight on soft arm chairs. A white pebbled courtyard
punctuated by bougainvillea. Worlds collide and time stops in this Mogul
mansion turned alfresco Mediterranean restaurant; home to warm and casual
elegance, with its beautiful white walls, the white pebbled courtyard with a
vast canopy of the Banyan tree, and the stunning star-lit tree-top terrace bar
under the shadow of the Qutub Minar" . - Stolen words but beautifully described. Vaise the indoors is as beautiful with huge windows lovely white curtains , great air conditioning , u still get the feeling of openness not to worry .My choice - Winters outdoors , summers indoors .
Besides the out door and indoor setting they have a beautiful Green House on the side which essentially is being used for The Chefs Table and soem amazing pop ups organised by Mohit Balachandran - the last one i attended was a Persian Food cook out - Fantastic.
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| The Inreriors |
The Current Chef De Cuisine - Chef Sujan Sarkar. -
Dada a simple Bengali man , determined, passionate , loaded with too much creativity and fire to learn more - i was lucky to spend a afternoon with him over a simple pizza and nimboo pani - he has done what a successful chef does - travel and work under gurus of the industry to understand their culinary art and implement the same in your own style . Traveled to many countries to understand the fusion of culture and food and how it si received by the locals . Chef belongs to Kalyani - area of Kolkata - remember Kalyani beer yes that the place - family is into agriculture , two brothers , a simple Bengali family .
Was certainly scary for Sujan to come back to India and work ... the money , the environment , the people , the traffic , the ingredients, the work culture , the kee hazoori - but but he took it as a challenge and grabbed the opportunity with Olive .
Loved what the chef said to me summarize his concept of cooking the The Fish , the Veggies have to look fresh when they are served to the customer and we make all efforts to deliver the same . This had a connect with Jamie Oliver style of cooking - Sujan worked at fifteen in uk with Jamie . Chef Sujan has fed celebrtites in the UK - wonder how he feels feeing the Tigers , today hehehehehehehehehe.
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| Chef Sujan Sarkar |
Sujan
started his career with JW Marriott Mumbai, after graduating from IHM and then
moved to Hilton hotels, UK in 2004. After spending some time in Jamie Oliver's
Fifteen restaurant, chef Sujan S. started working under Peter
Tempelhoff (Relais & Châteaux Grand chef) and then
the Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows under Andre Garret and chef Cris
Galvin. By the end of 2008, he took over Automat restaurant (American steak
house and brasserie) in Mayfair as the Head Chef and the following year opened
Almada restaurant in Berkley Street which used to be the celebrity hot spot of
London with regulars like Madonna, Jude Law, George Clooney, Jay Z, Leonardo di
Caprio, Sir Elton John, Cindy Crawford, Mickey Rourke to name some. Here, he
served a modern European inspired menu.He
also developed a degustation menu for the Whistling Shop (voted best cocktail
bar in London). His last assignment was with Cipriani
Group of Restaurants, famous for Italian fine dining experience before he came
to India after almost 10 years and has joined as Chef de Cuisine for the Olive
bar and kitchen, New Delhi and Mumbai.
Chef Sujan S. specializes in: Modern European, Mediterranean, American,
Italian, Cutting edge modern cooking, Modern and molecular gastronomy and
Chocolate.
Lifted of chefs personal website www.sujans.com
The World Famous Olive Pizzza , please dont ask me to describe what al went on it - Chef Sujan went in to do the magic and this what came ... the more i think about it the more i drool so enuf is enuf - just see the pics and be happy .
Now this was another day - was invited for a bloggers table .
The
new summer menu at Olive Qutub is crafted using fresh seasonal produce and oh-so-
light ingredients. Chef Sujan S. creates
a visually stunning showcase that is vibrant and colorful with robust flavors sourced from local farms.
As per me a Summer Menu should be - Cool to look at , Refreshing to bite into, Easy to Digest and interesting to keep coming back.
Reflecting new world Mediterranean and European cooking trends, summer menu at
Olive Qutub combines a variety of ingredients to create distinct flavours.
Light and some rare found ingredients like soft goat cheese, salsify, melon,
green apple, sweet heirloom tomatoes, broad beans, baby gem lettuce, endive,
micro lettuce, local rhubarb, baby artichoke, white and green asparagus, pink
lemon and avocado are paired with succulent meats of deep sea lobster, crab,
Chilean sea bass, clams, duck and lamb rump amongst others.
New items on the menu include tempting delights of water vinaigrette,
caramelized white chocolate, dark chocolate soil, ox tail ragout, chicken and
tea consommé, fresh burratta sorbet, gazpacho granita, avocado and green apple
sorbet, salt baked beetroot, confit chicken leg pave, savory granola, smoked
goat curd, hazelnut puree and cauliflower mousse. I had not even heard of half these things - i had to record all this come home and do a google about them to understand what the hell were these funny ingredients hahahahaha
With
a focus on purity in cooking techniques, Chef Sujan S. uses an array of vegetables,
different cuts of meats and experiments with desserts and homemade sorbets in
unusual flavors. He must have done so much research combined it with his experience across the globe to come up with these dishes .
Besides the above i think the man has made art on the plate - perfect ingredients , a lively combination of colours , a great fusion of flavors , excellent plating for the visual orgasm and trust me each bite is a new story being told to your rusty palate . The summer menu for me was Fresh , interesting ,educating, discovery and a eye opener, the menu had a lot of summer refreshers merged with light flavored sauces and syrups .. too good chef.
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| Amuse Bouche |
Amuse
bouche- a pumpkin cracker, with soft goat’s cheese, semi dried tomatoes and
sorrel - wonderful dish the pumpkin crackers were the surprise element for me a bit sweet but topped with goat cheese for the acidity it was a brilliant dish.
Char Grilled Baby Gem
and Vegetable Salad served with smoked goat curd and homemade
savoury granola - this i think is Jamies style ... fresh garden veggies. A nice comforting healthy salad . What i loved in the dish was the combination of the smoked slightly burnt veggies with the cheese - outstanding combo .
The Home Cured
Salmon with pickled cucumber, salsify (root vegetable), caviar, wood
sorrel, cucumber and green apple water is a must try which showcases flavour textures and how a simple cured salmon dish can be elevated to the next
level with the apple flavors . the chef patiently comes and pours the apple water for you to relish the entree. Not many may like this dish and pass it off as bland but i loved the cured salmon .
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| Compressed Melon Terrine |
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| Olive Picture |
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| olive Picture |
The Compressed Melon Terrine is made with soft feta cheese, fresh
avocado sorbet, poached kalamata olive and crispy ham. Chef Sujan patiently
uses elaborate techniques to prepare the terrine which is a construct of three
different types of melon stuck together with fruit pectin(Muskmelon,
Watermelon and Canary melon stuck together by fruit pectin) and compressed to create this delicious starter. You can
taste the sweet, the salty and the sour all in one dish. The best or the worst part of these kind of dishes is that you need to first sit and absorb the dish , understand each element of it , then slowly start rating iot to enjoy each flavor. Very challenging dish .
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| Foie Gras and Chicken Liver Parfait |
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| Olive Picture |
After Bacon this is my second love chicken Parfait and Foie Gras - the salty , creamy , buttery or rather utterly butterly delicious - dabbed on top of some table bread was the killer dish of the evening for me . Nice ambitious yet simple combination
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| Chicken and Mushroom consomme |
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| Zucchini Wrapped Reef Cod |
Zucchini Wrapped Reef Cod Almost the Same dish with two colors of the Zucchini .. reminded me much of a ceviche , but no the Cod was beautiful cooked and wrapped in the zucchini which not only protect the fish but also added a mystical flavor to the whole experience - on the side were fritters and potato spaghetti. This is the signature dish of the Summer menu.
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| Corn Fed Chicken Breast |
Corn Fed Chicken
Breast served
with pave of confit chicken leg, sweet corn puree and hazel nut jus is a piece
of art in both presentation and taste. The
Corn fed Chicken Breast was cooked in its own juice making it tender and
succulent. The Hazelnut sauce which was poured over it, greatly contrasted the
salty taste of the chicken. Tigers number one rule of eating meats - if cooked in its own Jus - the dish has to be a killer .
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| Lavender Scented Australian Lamb Rump |
Rump of Lamb which is first sous
vide with lavender and then roasted and served with white onion puree, confit solo
garlic, baby roasted vegetables, semi dried tomato and broad beans is a perfect
summer dish for meat lovers. The Rump is the most tastiest part of the Lamb - true meat eaters would agree with me - very little fat thats why . Beautifuly cured and marinated - perfect pink color , perfect falvor none over powering the other - each flavor distinct.
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| Sirloin Steak |
Sirloin Steak Beautiful medium rare Oxtail Ragout - first time got my hands on a oxtail steak - Brilliant dish with Black Garlic Puree and potato fondant - OUTSTANDING first time experience . Tired each item on their own - the meat with the black garlic was a perfect combo the potato and the garlic was even better . Overall an amazing experience.
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| Tiramisu |
The All time favorite Tiramisu .Check out the modern art .. beautiful - trust me Sujan is a Artist , Im so confused - how the hell do chefs make it happen and the consistency , only chefs of this caliber can do this - how much experimenting they must doing to get it right and create a visual delight ... Fantastic . Served with a coffee sorbet .. wonderful.
Tigers Overall Experience : i would rate Olive as one of the most romantic places in delhi - with the change in gear to food - Olive yes is the culinary mecca . Olive caters to every age group , every audience of people dinning out or hanging out - they have a freaked out bar called the dirty martini .. lively on every Saturdays . Great experience to be at Olive , The best experience to be with chef Sujan one on one ... Can Never complain about this brand come what may . Olive is a classy place to show off , to entertain clients , go romantic , to pig out , to sip wine to chat up with the chef and have a fun meal .
Food : regular food is outstanding , chef Sujans new menu is progressive modern and challenging - a must to go eat and admire the mans capability . new ingredients , new flavors new engagement - so educative and experimentive - excellent and am thankful for this food experience .
Service - Always smiling staff , slowly learning the construct of the dishes , very helpful .
Ambiance - Not saying a word more LOL . SUPER .
