With every hope that the pandemic is a thing of the past, and as we learn to live with the dreaded virus plaguing our lives for the past two years, living it up is the credo to go by. Be it travel or dining, going big is the trend worldwide.
The industry is responding to this demand with its own innovations, aiming to offer unique services and experiences and even revisiting old offerings. After all, nostalgia can be unbeatable at times. Just like reviving perhaps the country’s first fine-dining restaurant, the Zodiac Grill from the Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai, at various other Taj hotels across the country. The Zodiac Grill was known for the finest of European cuisine with ingredients like caviar, escargot, Vietnamese Mekong River Basa, Norwegian Pink Salmon, fine cheeses and more.
A special menu has been curated as part of the reincarnation of the restaurant, termed Zodiac Grill Nights, that includes signature dishes of the iconic restaurant, and is being served at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru in February and March. Think Camembert Dariole souffle, Chicken Zodiac and Kahlua mousse, which were part of the original menu. Paired with a sparkling wine list, the seven-course meal is an ode to the days of fine dining. Expect some new dishes too, like tiger prawn roulade, broccoli pine nut tian, wild mushroom croustillant and asparagus charlotte.
Opened in the late Eighties, the restaurant had many reasons to be etched in diners’ memory, including a pay-what-you-like introductory model, during its 25-year life. As chef Arun Sundararaj, director of culinary operations at Taj Mahal, New Delhi, says, “The Zodiac Grill isn’t merely a restaurant. It is a moment, a memory and a milestone. It has gazed at the celebrations of the celebrated and has been a mirror to their memories.” An apt call to diners to live it up.
