There are very few people recognised as revolutionaries in India’s food space, and Chef Rahul Akerkar is one of them. Akerkar is considered the one who introduced European cuisine to Mumbai in 1999 with his restaurant Indigo (which closed in 2018). His latest restaurant, Ode in Mumbai’s Worli, is an ode to the power of food. And when I knew that a slice of that was arriving in Delhi as a part of a three-day pop-up menu, I couldn’t help but head straight to Sorrento.
The menu was running between August 7 and August 9 and was everything comforting, flavourful, familiar yet experimental. I got the chance to speak with Akerkar moments before he headed into the kitchen, and he said, “You have caught me at my most nervous moments.” We shared a laugh, and soon after, plates flew out of the kitchen carrying a burst of flavour and great skill.
What All Arrived On The Table?
As the amuse bouche arrived, a burnt cucumber salad. Featured kiwi salsa and topped with peanut thecha, the dish was where the freshness of the vegetable, the tang of kiwi, and the texture of the thecha all came together to give me a version of the cucumber I had never experienced before. It was served cold and was refreshingly delicious, making for a banger start.
Since I was opting for the vegetarian section of the menu, the anti pasti for me was Roman artichoke. Like jackfruit, I believe artichoke is among the most underrated vegetables of all time. I enjoy it to bits like I enjoyed the preparation. Imagine: a hearty chunk of artichoke placed in a pool of cauliflower almond puree, sprinkled with almond brown butter, and pickled grapes. Ofcourse the artichoke, my favourite part of the prep were the almond slivers. Like many children pluck out tomatoes from their meals to get rid of them, I plucked the slivers and popped them in my mouth. When chef saw me do that he said, “I like that… eating food the wrong way.” We shared another laugh. I left the plate clean. The non vegetarians at this stage were enjoying their charred prawns.
The pasta was to arrive next. The menu said, Spinach and goat cheese agnolotti. Straightforward. It was what it read. What stood out was the parmesan cracker that came along. I wrapped that up before I finished up my agnolotti.
It was main course time for the table but the tummy was already calling it a night. But foodies go on. The Roast Butternut Squash was one of the few instances in life when I have enjoyed myself some kaddu (that’s what my household calls it). Smoked-chilli marinated and then roasted, the butternut squash was topped with granola and paired with pickled raddish. The meat eaters enjoyed their lamb chops which I heard great praise about. They looked like any other lamb chops to me, but you have to blame my eyes and my inexperience with lamb chops for that.
Finally, the course I regret missing was the last one, ofcourse. I had no room for anything to go in so I had to let go off the Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake and Ode’s Salted Caramel Tiramisu. Can’t tell you how I resisted but you should not in case you get a chance to try Ode’s tiramisu. Reportedly, it ticked all boxes required for a tiramisu to be called yumm…
