Curate 2.0 by Chef Adhira at On The Rocks, Crowne Plaza

Nothing will ever give me immense pleasure as a food critic/writer than introducing a very promising Chef and his/her creations to you all. The bloggers table that I was a part of was possibly one of the best that I’ve attended. Of course, I don’t attend too many because I don’t believe in bloggers table. I believe in a Chef’s table where the Chef and their creations take center stage. Fresh ideas and execution of those ideas on a plate, is not as easy as it sounds. Chef Adhira carried the whole 8 Course on her (young) shoulders with so much ease and a bright smile on her face. The Pop-up has a Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian option as well as a 5 course or 8 course option. If you are a wine drinker, I suggest you blindly go for the wine pairing option. Vegetarians, please don’t think this might not be for you. The Chef has made sure extra care has been taken to make sure Vegetarians have the same gastronomic experience as the Non-Vegetarians. Kudos to the Chef and she is someone to watch out for in the industry, for sure.The Chef’s table started off with OTR’s signature Focaccia and Chef Adhira’s signature Everything but the Bagel Butter. The liquid consistency of the Gazpacho might raise your eyebrows but I must add that the execution was brilliant that you may never want to go back to a Gazpacho with a thicker consistency. Bruschetta with Anchovies wasn’t as overpowering as I expected it to be. It was mild. The Miso Medjool which is a Blue Cheese Stuffed in a Medjool Date with a hint of Miso Butter was a master piece.The Autumn Salad is the Chef’s idea of trying to bring all 4 seasons in a plate. The warm Glazed Duck was perfect in texture. The Chef has played around with textures and temperatures with this one. So much of attention to detail has gone into this one. The next course Reduced Onion Tart is sure to convince you even before the food touches your palate. The smell of onions simmered in Uthukuli Butter will tempt you and leave you with a very pleasing after taste even after you consume it. Every spoonful of the Fish Tartare was a riot of flavours when I scooped everything together and had it. There was a lot happening in my brain cells. The heat from Red Pepper & Walnut Purée got balanced very well with the Black Pepper & Sour Cream Mousse. Gnocchi Rustico was Hungarian style baked dumplings in a slow cooked beef short rib ragout. The parmesan crumb crust added the necessary texture change.For the mains you get to choose between Leg of Lamb, Roast Chicken or Grilled Pork Belly but I decided to choose the Vegetarian counterpart Leek and Preseved Lemon Risotto. The explanation given by the Chef as well as the thought process behind this dish had made me curious. And, my curiosity was well fed. As my mind was processing how the slightly bitter taste from the preseved lemon was going to taste, I got totally taken back by the freshness of flavours every mouthful gave. The kale crisps were addictive.Perks of sitting in a Chef’s table is that I got to taste all the 3 dessert in the menu. It would be very difficult to chose anyone out of the 3 but the Milk and Honey seemed to be the crowd’s favorite. So, maybe you should order that. Why I would suggest to order that particular dessert is because of the usage of Burnt Honey for their Mousse, it certainly gives a different depth to the flavours. Ahh! I shouldn’t forget to mention that honey comb is one of the elements in that dessert. The other 2 desserts were Deconstructed S’mores and La Pêche – I loved them too.Après Dessert – the Cheese Plate was very carefully curated. Master stroke has to be the addition of Kashmiri Honey in the Cheese Platter. Pro tip from the Chef was to dip the cheese in honey and consume it if you find it to be overpowering. It’s a life hack for sure. The Liver Pâté is a must try if you are a Non-Vegetarian.The price for a 5 course Vegetarian menu is ₹2950+tax and the Non-Vegetarian menu is ₹3450+tax. The 8 course Vegetarian menu is priced at ₹3750+tax and Non-Vegetarian au 4250+tax. The wine pairing is for an additional cost of ₹950+tax. These prices are per person.Adding link to my Instagram Story Highlight here for those who may be interested to see more pictorial details:https://www.instagram.com/…/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3ODg1MTgzNDU…