You always looks forward to promotions of international cuisines at hotels and restaurants curated by expat chefs simply because you know you are most likely to have authentic fare on your plate. So this time round, when I was invited by Hyatt Regency at New Delhi to taste food cooked by guest chef Z. Bukshester from Israel for its week-long Israeli food promotion, I was bubbling with hope. As I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines which have highly influenced Israeli cuisine, I looked forward to taste some real good food.
Chef Bukshester, the brain behind the spread, turned out to be very friendly, greeted me warmly at the Café and took me through the buffet. I expected it to be a lavish one but the menu was restricted.
I started with a roasted tomato and pepper soup, the only option available in soups. The soup turned out to be tasty, the mashed tomatoes gave a good texture to the hot brew. The chef pointed out that Israelis use a lot of fresh vegetables in their food, so their salads are a must have. So my next course naturally became a couple of salads. He put together a rather tasty beetroot salad with parsley roots. I I loved the walnuts in it which gave the salad a crunchy feature.
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Hummus was made a bit spicy, too good. It tasted even better with its natural combination, the pita bread. The chef said since there is a lot of influence of religion on their cuisine, they don’t use pork at all in their food. Though chicken and lamb are very much a part of their main course. The buffet had a lamb neck stew made with lemon, bochemel and egg yolk, it was yummy. You should have it with cous cous. Even the braised leek and spinach broccoli and fish tahini were worth trying. In fact, you have to appreciate how Israelis use tahini so much in their food preparations. The chef even rolled out a dessert made of tahini for the buffet. Since the menu rotated, the dessert that landed on one’s plate was the halva parfait with chocolate sauce though. It however made up for the loss.
(The food promotion ends this Sunday (April 21)
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Time: lunch & dinner buffet
Venue: Café, all-day dining restaurant at Hyatt Regency
Price: Rs. 1735 plus taxes per person
(On Sunday, you can have a free flowing Champagne Brunch at Rs.3850 plus taxes per person)