Them Leisurely Afternoons!

And so few we have... sigh! You would sigh too if you were there! And by there I mean, at Olive Bar and Kitchen, on a fairly pleasant Saturday with my group of food lovers. We were invited by Dalmia Continental to experience their Leonardo range of products, cooked by none other than the famed Chef Saby and hosted by none other than Ms. Himani Dalmia, who I am pleased to note is carrying the mantle of her family's legacy rather graciously. I personally love brands that connect with regular Joe's or Jane's (mostly) in our case. It reminds me of the good old days when our mums had 2 maybe 3 brands to choose from and they always knew which one they would pick. Today its a fight for space, fight for numbers and everyone wants to say they're awesome, yummy, healthy, pocket friendly and you know very well they all just can't be! For me this afternoon meant a bit more mainly because over the last 2 years or so we had been buying Leonardo EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) regularly. My father believes that business houses that bring in products do it in a more conscious manner rather than distributors and consumers like us are more likely to find a regular supply of the products we grow to patronize. So being there that afternoon in one sense meant meeting a brand I had stocked at home.

We spent some time discussing the virtues of Olive Oil, some I was familiar with and some not so much, I had heard a lot of about Omega 3 but Omega 6 in oil was new to me. Apparently, cooking oils should have high Omega 3 and low Omega 6, which Olive oil has. But to be honest, more than the chemical and the compositional virtues of the oil, for me its so much about the taste and flavour too. Olive oil makes certain foods taste good... period. The only thing new to me that day was Olive Pomace oil, apparently bastardized by word Olive and a lot of bad press. I have used Pomace but mainly for curries and stir fries, I have never deep fried in it but watching Chef Saby make the most fluffy fried fish ever made me think a little bit more about my choice of cooking mediums. I loved the way the oil thinned as it heated and the resultant dish didn't have an altered taste at all. The afternoon flowed into hearty food, happy conversations and a whole new level of interaction with the people who had created this experience for us. Besides the tranquil and airy ambiance of Olive Bar & Kitchen, I was so taken with the rustic and textured look to everything, little nuances like carnation centerpieces, antique curios, prompt and affable service staff, smiling, chirpy sous chefs, this was a happy place with happy people serving happy food!

Now to the menu. Here goes ....

Apple, feta, arugula salad

 Mixed greens, roasted sunflower seeds, extra virgin olive oil, red wine cumin dressing

Olive’s Fish and Chips

Lean fillet coated with nitrogen batter, tartar espuma

Pasta Marinara

 Cherry tomato, olives, pomodoro sauce,extra virgin olive oil

Sizzling Gambas

Tiger prawns, olives, garlic, pomace olive oil

Pass around snacks

Mezze platter

Falafel, vegetable croquettes, vegetable shaslik, three dips, Lebanese pickle, dressed salad, mint yoghurt dip

Pizza- Chef’s selection of toppings

Marinara pizza

Asparagus, smoked Scarmoza cheese, walnuts, Parmesan, truffle oil

Spinach, sundried tomato, olives, feta

Pepperoni jalapeno

Olive’s Signature Milano Paper pizza

Fresh, hand tossed 18’’

Parmesan, rocket, cherry tomatoes

Olive cart trolley

Selection of olives, pickled onions, gherkins

Anti pasti station

Apple relish, onion jam, chili jam

Roasted garlic, roasted onion, Oven dried tomato, marinated olives

Hummus with Baby Lavash

Exotic Mushroom Pate

Caprese salad with basil pesto

Cold Meat platter

Selection of Gourmet meats with assortment of olives

Cheese Platter

Selection of table Boutique Cheeses with nuts, apricots and prunes

 Bread station

To make your own dip, a mortar and pestle accompanies the unique handmade artisan skillet bread

Main course

Black truffle porcini risotto

White Alba truffle paste, summer black truffle, truffle oil

Classical lasagna Bolognaise

Rustic hand ground tenderloin Bolognaise.

Desserts

Apple and walnut crumble  

Warm toffee sauce, liquor soaked raisins

Olive’s signature tiramisu

Coffee ice, cappuccino cream, espresso foam

Praline mud cake

Chocolate truffle

 I am so tempted to do a Julie & Julia take on this and say, I am going to recreate every dish in this menu in the next 2 months, it may not look the way it did that day but it will be the food listed above! What say? It's totally doable, the only things I worry about are some of the ingredients but then I have always been adept at sourcing and substituting ...so am gonna do it! That's my personal challenge for the next month considering I am planning huge changes at a personal level, this is the perfect project to keep me happy and sane. Everything we ate that day stood out individually, had a personality and enough potential to have me go back and order it again. What I plan to have at my next Olive visit is the Mezze Platter, the Marinara Pizza, Sizzling Gambas, the Black Truffle Porcini Mushroom Risotto and all the desserts. I am going to attempt to recreate this menu in my home kitchen with Leonardo products and report back to you guys with my version of the recipes. This is by no means a way to take on Chef Saby's creations, I would rather say it is a tribute. I eat out at least twice a week and it is very rare for me to savour a meal over several hours and then be talking about it days later. Big and hearty Thank You to the folks at Olive Bar & Kitchen and at Dalmia Continental for introducing me to new products, an unforgettable experience and an afternoon I have written home about!

And here is the Goodie Basket that is going to make some of the above menu happen...gosh I am sooo excited! I don't have the fancy contraption Chef Saby used to infuse nitrogen into the batter for the fish but I do have a can of excellent non alcoholic beer which is going straight into my batter and into a wok full of hot Pomace oil ...wish me luck! 

I have already made the Penne over two meals, recipe coming soon. One was a tri bell pepper and pan fried chicken in a 3 cheese sauce (yes I am insanely inspired by Olive Bar) and the second was again Tri bell pepper in a cheddar sauce with ham an olives. I am now eying the wholewheat spaghetti, we are big on Bolognaise and meatballs too ...so there the journey has already begun!