“It's like mom's food,” gushes the business traveller from Greece, while breezing out of Estia, the Mediterranean restaurant at Aloft. And, the hotel's assistant F&B manager looks pleased.
To whip up a menu that represents the rich diversity of palates from 23 countries around the deep blue sea demands rare skill, energy and team work. Two executive chefs, two F&B managers, and a corporate director brainstormed and brewed ideas. With this menu, Estia, in Sholinganallur, woos international business travellers and yuppie Indians working on the IT Highway. In this sense, the restaurant blends effortlessly into the rest of Aloft, a concept-hotel for the urbane and the technology-driven.
With its small dimensions, Estia (name of the Greek goddess ruling over the hearth) can accommodate only 24 diners. Together with the interiors, which include a hearth lit by electricity, this compactness fosters an atmosphere of intimacy. The wall with the hearth is studded with roughly-cut stones. With visible spaces between these uneven stones, the wall is like the warm, gap-toothed smile of an elderly man.
This sets the right mood for food. With heart-friendly olive oil ruling the ingredients, I am also free of the fear and guilt that haunt me whenever I step into a restaurant. And, I'm treated to multiples of everything — from starters to desserts.
With the olive oil scrubbing away my dread, I go for deep-fried non-vegetarian food. But, I also occasionally nibble at herb-rich vegetarian preparations. To communicate that Estia has a piece of every Mediterranean country, culinary chef Jagan uses only his ladle!
Fine dining
I try calamari fritters (deep-fried squid rings served with aioli), Mediterranean chicken tapas (garlic and lemon-scented grilled chicken bites), Dukkah crusted basa (basa fillet coated with a nutty Egyptian spice mixture and grilled), seafood and herb broth (flavoured with fresh herbs), Shorba Das (Egyptian soup made with yellow and green lentils and spices) and Risotto Alla Funghi (made with Arborio rice, white wine, garlic and a mélange of sautéed mushrooms). And to top all that, three desserts. The taste of Mohalabia — a Moroccan delicacy made with milk, sugar, ground rice, almonds, rose petals and rose water — lingers. W XYZ, the bar at Aloft slakes diners' thirst for alcoholic beverages, including wine.
For bookings at Estia, open for lunch and dinner, call 4592-5500.
