Masala Library
Masala Library had been on my bucket list from the time I heard, it's opened in the capital but just the sound of 19-course menu was enough to scare off my hubby & friends alike !! I finally managed to convince them all and last night we set off on an amazingly delightful gastronomical experience....
At the onset, we were welcomed by a statement bar and a wine wall boasting of an impressive selection from across the globe. Next thing our eyes travelled to, was the massive chandelier adorning the ceiling. Other than these two major design accents, the decor was neutral to the extent of being borderline-bland which is contrary to what you would expect of a fine-dining establishment.
We were escorted to our table by Hemant who was warm, attentive and quite knowledgeable, taking delight and pride in explaining each and every dish to the minutest detail. Special mention to Karan Dhingra, who made sure to turn our culinary journey into an amazing experience, our prime reason to opt for Masala Library.
We kick-started with the strongly recommended Chef's 19-dish tasting menu, embarking upon a visually 'attempt-to-fool' Amuse Bouche - a mango 'yolk' floating in tender coconut 'albumen' served in ceramic egg shells, resting in a nest.One gulp and the spheres bursted in our mouth, leaving a mild sweet taste ensuring a promising start to the meal.
One after the other, we were served a wide array of palate teasers, each one not less than piece d' art . Starting with the Medur Vada that sat atop a horizontal test tube with a glug-ful of mildly spiced rasam; we progressed to the Mango Pirada with Manchego Poee where the sweetness of the rambutan coupled with the saltiness of the manchego cheese, drizzled with acidic droplets of the mango vinegar helped realise our first “this is what we came for” moment. One of the key highlights of this meal was the Nadir Churma – A slice of a crispy lotus stem (sprinkled with kashmiri chilly and rock salt) and with a garlic-radish-walnut chutney. The creaminess of the chutney was nicely offset by the crunchy lotus stem crisp. A mid-meal softie was the Deconstructed Samosa where the pastry could have been flakier that ought to have melted in your mouth.
Ohh and not to forget the crispy Charcoal Bhajiya, made with onions & spinach imported from Australia, which was interestingly to be picked by a mini tong and dipped in an array of amazing chutneys; followed by a bite-sized Farmer's special bajre ki roti stuffed with caramelised onions served with a dollop of freshly made white butter that just melted in our mouth.
As part of a mid-meal tea-service ceremony, a scrumptious Mushroom Chai was served on the table. A cup of ‘water’ (mushroom consommé), a generous portion of ‘tea leaves’ (porcini mushrooms) and a sprinkling of the ‘powdered milk’ (dehydrated truffle oil) – possible the clear hero of this degustation.
chicken consommé for the non-vegetarians
Phew, their menu seems to be endless so without describing the dishes, will just go in for the names...Dahi kebab, some Sri Lankan delicacy made with Torai, Paneer Tikka injected with achaari mayo, Bihari delicacy litti chokha, Mushroom truffles, Pesto kebabs with tomato foam and parmesan wafer.
Sorbet was served to cleanse the palate, which was frozen sticks of chatpata pink coloured anardana and cranberry juice, before moving on to the mains.
the assorted chutneys and papad
In the vegetarian section, first on the list was delicate pair of gattas resting on a bed of saag made with spinach, bathua, kale and sarson leaves. Next arrived, Dhokla, corn and dil curry. There was kurkuri bhindi and jhaal-moori as well but we didn't find them particularly appealing.
Their Homage To India included four options, a tomato based curry, korma, white curry, or spinach based curry; and was accompanied by Ting Mo & Lachha Parantha. This dish along with the Kadhi Pakoda was quite a tease, leaving us expecting hidden flavours or magical textures, but disappointingly finding none. The Mushroom Soufflé with a Truffle Saffron Curry was another delight that smashed it outta the park. Their Dal Khichdi which was a Gujarati dish, was something, even we couldn't help gorging on inspite of our stomachs being absolutely full!
Ohh but you always make some room for the dessert no matter how tight you are. We were eagerly awaiting the finale of our Masala Library expedition. We were greeted by a trio of desserts- Bhappa Doi, Chhena Payesh and Ashen Kulfi. The gorgeous desserts turned us into all-time fans of the Chef’s plating skills. The Bhappa Doi was the table’s favourite with spot on balance in flavour, without the unnecessary overpowering sweetness that typically accompanies a Bhappa Doi. The Chhena Payesh was texturally beautiful with the crunch of the almond chikki and the soft balls of the Payesh, but we thought it was a tad bit over sweet. Ashen kulfi was a unique-looking dessert. A coarse texture that came from the use of banana stem. Yes, that's right- the banana stem has been burnt and the coarse texture you get is of the ashes. Surprisingly, there's no burnt flavour there.
The server was exceptionally proud to present their piece de resistance, Mumbai’s most favourite export, the Jalebi Caviar which was a play on the quintessential Delhi Jalebi Rabri.
The meal ended with the chef demonstrating levitation for the chocolates that were served. This was the dramatic part where the objects stayed in the air and small pieces of chocolates were served on them. Theatrics at its best but the chocolates tasted just fine.
The Orange Tree with its thin slivers of bitter-sweet candied orange, hit the spot and confirmed our belief in the formula ‘Science+Food=Brilliance’!
Masala Library promises an experience and it delivers- with interesting and detailed presentation of food from various parts of India, using a vast array of ingredients and definitely a couple of star dishes in their kitty !!
