The next time you walk in to Hotel Heritage for lunch or dinner, do scan their à la carte menu for the fusion section. It has some unique recipes.
You may find it odd when you find your favourite Chettinad kuzhipaniyaram with dash of Italian flavour. The soft and fluffy paniyarams will arrive in a pasta bowl, slathered in creamy white sauce, accompanied with two pieces of garlic bread. As I take the first bite, I can taste the Karaikudi masalas used to create the mixed vegetable stuffing. The vegetarian filling can also be replaced with chicken, minced mutton or crab meat. The white sauce with a hint of sweet, neutralises the spice quotient. The fusion of the native and the exotic creates a gastronomic delight.
There’s a live demo with goli soda in spicy flavours and a hint of fresh fruits. The mixed fruit punch in which chunks of pineapple, orange, pomegranate, chopped ginger, mint leaves and a dash of lemon juice are mixed before adding a pinch of salt, sugar syrup and the local Mapillai Vinayagar soda is refreshing. The executive chef R Rajesh, who has curated the menu, says each of his dishes are distinct.
The betel leaf soup in a kulhar,for instance, is made with betel leaves, spinach, basil, coriander and mint leaves. Rajesh’s two decades experience abroad shows in his expertise.
The kathi roll has crispy Chinese noodles, soft and spicy vegetables (or chicken) and crunchy raw salad layered with sweet chilli sauce. The Quesadilla is interesting too — it consists of hariyali paneer tikka or malai chicken tikka infused with charcoal smoke and folded in flour tortilla.
Although the the starters are delicious, you can head straight to to the main course. It includes a dish called Lasagne Indiana which is done in three layers consisting of veg or non-veg (usually mutton) filling and topped with grated paneer, cashew and mozzarella sauce with slices of kadak garlic roti.
The two desserts are a killer. There is a netted crepe in strawberry flavour packed with kiwi, passion fruit, cherry, pineapple and rock salt caramel sauce as accompaniment. Then there’s jigarthanda blended with walnut brownie.
None of the dishes disappoint. Rajesh plans to experiment with even more unique combinations and keep changing the menu every four months.