Some people will complain that splurging 10,000 big ones on an entire meal is a tad indulgent, but we wonder what they’ll say to knocking back a 30ml drink and noshing on something as plebeian as a pizza for roughly the same amount. Each!
With the virtue of frugality being the last thing on their minds, India’s hedonistic savants are making a beeline for a range of ultra-decadent offerings that take palate pleasing to dizzying new heights. We’re talking about some of the most over-the-top and outrageously priced nibbles and tipples reigning on menus across the country, where the heft in the price tag is proportionate only to the bragging rights that come with them.
Peking duck with Ossetra caviar
Hakkasan, Mumbai | Rs. 9,000++
A favourite with the blue bloods of Bollywood and others with suchlike deep pockets, this pricey poultry dish is composed of a whole duck imported from Hong Kong and roasted with traditional spices and herbs over lava stones. It is served with shredded scallions, cucumber, hoisin sauce and mantou bread. And anointing the bird with a flourish is a 30 g tin of Ossetra caviar, one of the most prized and expensive caviars, second only to Beluga. ‘Nuff said!
Louis XIII Cognac (30ml)
Shiro, Bengaluru | Rs. 13,492++
With its price coming to almost Rs. 4,000 per sip, this super-expensive cognac is manufactured with wine grapes from the Grande Champagne territory of Cognac, France. Blended from 40- to 100-year-old 1200 Eaux de Vie alcohol, the cognac is aged in tierçons (oak barrels that are several hundred years old) in its own cellar. While a 700ml bottle of Louis XIII may be priced as high as $3,400; the average price range is $2,100 to $3,100. And with each decanter taking four generations of cellar masters over 100 years to craft, it’s no wonder that the tagline for the cognac is ‘One Century In A Bottle’!
Beyond butter chicken
Anaarkali, Hyderabad | Rs. 6,000
While it may claim to be just a food delivery service, Anaarkali has an ace up its sleeve in the form of an almost scandalously priced container of humble butter chicken. Made using Evian natural spring water, Hunt’s tomato paste, Filippo Berio olive oil, Godrej chicken and a whole pack of Lurpak, the Danish unsalted butter, the dish is finished off with a flourish of black olives and coriander and sent off in a Borosil container, so that the fragrance of the dish reeks of every single one of those six thousand rupees.
Truffle extravaganza pizza
Radio Bar, Mumbai | Rs. 4,500
Garnering zero brownie points here for its humongous carbon footprint, what with most of its ingredients being flown in (and hence the hefty premium attached to it), this thin-crust truffle pizza trumps all other specimens in the fragrance department. The heady aroma of shaved truffle perfectly complements the crispness of the white asparagus, artichoke and wild mushrooms, while the sprinkling of goat cheese on a bed of 100 per cent San Marzano tomato sauce makes this all-vegetarian pizza the hedonistic herbivore’s ultimate fantasy.
Bistecca ‘alla Fiorentina steak
Le Cirque, New Delhi | Rs. 8,000++
As one of India’s most expensive ‘temples of fine dining’, the hallowed Le Cirque is The Leela Palace’s shining jewel, with the average price of a meal easily touching six figures for a party of 10. The 950 g T-bone steak-for-two is a wet-aged USDA-certified Prime Black Angus all the way from Texas, accompanied by ‘guest stars’ like the fiendishly good pont neuf potatoes, creamed spinach and black pepper jus. And yes, asking for it to be cooked anything more than medium will earn you the unbridled ire of Chef de Cuisine Mickey Bhoite!
Grey Goose Golden Delight
Asilo, Mumbai | Rs. 5,000++
This elegant martini cocktail boasts the blend of one of the world’s best vodkas, cinnamon and Drambuie. But what makes it more special is the edible gold dust that swirls inside the drink. Served in a glittering Swarovski crystal glass, it was the inspiration for Krishna Mehta when she was designing one of the signature cabanas at Asilo, the St Regis’s rooftop hot spot, during the second edition of ‘Couture Cabanas at Asilo’ last year. Drinkable muse, anyone?
Raul Dias is a Mumbai-based food and travel writer who is an ardent devotee of the peripatetic way of life.
