Addictive Love

THEGOODLIFE 140 JUNE 2014 It’s not a confused multi-cuisine eatery and definitely does not go all out to please every palette. Baby of the Amour Patio Restaurant in Hauz Khas Village, Amour Bistro serves up a specialised modern European menu, while retaining a few specials from Amour Patio, like their delectable wood-fired pizzas and desserts. AMBIENCE As I walked in through the rustic façade of the bistro that resembles a European country-style café, I was reminded of the quaint bistros by the French Riviera—simple, charming and dripping with tranquility. Glass-paned windows let in plenty of light, and rows of flowering planters extend a cheerful welcome. The earthy-toned decor with rough-hewn wooden furniture has a warm, calming vibe and the interiors are pretty and comforting. A wall done up with empty wine bottles adds a fun, quirky touch to the otherwise quiet feel. And the sculptures of three street musicians and antique chandeliers sprinkle a whiff of romance in the air. In fact, each element of the Amour Bistro, be it the interiors, innovative cocktails, classic tableware, music, or the prompt yet non-intrusive relaxed service, transports you to the heart of Europe in a jiffy. FOOD AND DRINKS If you love experimenting with food, you will love Chef Jiten Singh’s creative reinterpretations of modern European cuisine, presented equally artfully. The menu has visible Mediterranean leanings, which mostly makes for some delicious add-ons. That explains shawarmas listed amongst a careful selection of sandwiches, burgers, quiches, steaks, risottos, mains and pastas.

For starters, we ordered a Three Cheese Soufflé, a melt-in-the-mouth Soufflé made of blue, ementhal and grana padano, and nuts nougart. My three-year-old loved it, too. Our second choice of appetizers— Gamberi Al Ajillo, butter-roasted prawns spiked with white wine, served with sour bread loaf—was rather disappointing. Beautifully served in a covered glass jar, but rather pedestrian and low on flavours. However, the thin and perfectly wood-fired marinara sauce based Esotiche oven pizza made up for it. And the palette-pleasing Pear Salad, which combined sweet chilli roast pears with watercress, carrot spaghetti, pea shoots and candied walnut, pulled together in a pungent blue cheese dressing, totally sealed the deal. Amour prides itself on its salads and I highly recommend you try one of their vegetarian specialties, like this one. The delicately balanced flavours of the cheese and the candied walnuts wooed my taste buds. However, it was our sumptuous main course and the dessert that drew up a distinct character certificate for the food here. The Tenderloin Steak is a musttry. It comes with a delicious wild mushroom confit, aged balsamic meat glaze and tomato herb farcis. And also the star of the evening— Pancetta Wrapped Quails, served with ash roast potato douche, wilted greens and an innovative Kashundi orange glaze. We have served up its recipe for you to try at home—by courtesy of Chef Jiten.

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We chose Micro Minute Amaretto Cake with Runny Irish Custard to conclude our meal. And we did finish with a sweet flourish. Like its name suggests, this twin almond liqueur cake is cooked in the microwave for a minute, and served with runny Irish custard, garnished with a cherry.

Whether mains or desserts, the portions here are generous. And most mains come with an abundant helping of greens, helping you keep your palette light and cleansed. The bistro also boasts of an exhaustive wine list and has interesting, edgy cocktails alongside the classics. I ordered French 75, a breezy cocktail of sparkling wine, gin and sweet & sour. But what I really flipped on was my second cocktail, a Smoked Martini. Perfect for celebrating summer with. And so, you will find here the drink deconstructed, especially for you.

SERVICE The staff is polite and prompt and the service is efficient. The bartenders are enthusiastic and are more than willing to concoct something special for you. The chef and the owner of the place go around and indulge in friendly banter with guests and that lends this place that authentic, warm bistro feel.

JUNE 2014 141 SMOKED MARTINI A rinse of single malt lends this martini a smoky flavor while the orange slice plugs in a pleasing tangy punch.

INGREDIENTS 40 ml vodka 10 ml triple sec 10 ml single malt, preferably Laphroaig or Talisker 5 ml lime juice A orange slice for garnish METHOD Take a chilled cocktail glass. Pour in the single malt and then swirl it. Keep it aside. In a cocktail shaker, add vodka, triple sec and lime juice. Fill up the shaker with ice and give it a nice shake. Now strain into the cocktail glass and garnish with an orange slice. THEGOODLIFE 142 JUNE 2014 PANCETTA WRAPPED QUAIL This version of roast quail, served with ash roast potato douche, wilted greens, and Kashundi-orange glaze, is one of those sinful mains that is a perfectly accompanied by endless glasses of wine. Juicy, tender and bursting with flavours! INGREDIENTS 2 farmed Japanese quails 2 pieces of chicken supreme 6 strips of pancetta 4 sundried prunes 2 pinches freshly chopped thyme 2 pinches freshly chopped parsley 1 tsp chopped garlic 2 tbsp refined oil 2 pinches salt 2 pinches crushed black pepper 200 ml preserved orange juice 2 tbsp Kashundi mustard 500 gm large wafer potato 100 gm fresh dairy cream 50 gm salted butter 10-15 fresh washed spinach leaves METHOD For quail marination: 1. Take a mixing bowl and prepare a marinade for the quails by mixing half teaspoon garlic, two pinches of salt, two pinches of crushed black peppercorn, thyme, parsley and 1 tbsp oil. 2. Now take two quails and slit them into half, lengthwise. Marinate it with the prepared marinade and keep it aside for half an hour, letting it absorb the seasoning.

For ash roast potato douche: 1. Take the potatoes and partially cook them in boiling water. Take them out once they are half done. 2. Now take silver foil and individually wrap the potatoes in it, adding some salt. Cover them up in extremely hot ash.

3. Take the potatoes out once they are soft and properly cooked. Uncover them. 4. Now peel the potatoes, mash and pass through a sieve so that there are no lumps in the potatoes. 5. In a hot frying pan, pour one tablespoon oil and add salted butter. Add garlic and cook until translucent. 6. Once the garlic is translucent, add fresh dairy cream in the pan. Cook for thirty seconds and adjust the seasoning with salt and a pinch of black peppercorn. Then add the mashed potatoes in the pan and give it a nice stir, so that everything gets evenly mixed. 7. Take a piping bag and stuff the potato mixture in it. Pipe it out on a baking sheet and slide it under the salamander and gratinate until it begins to get colour. For kashundi-orange glaze:1. Reduce orange juice to half in a pan, by heating it. 2. Once the orange juice is reduced to half, add Kashundi mustard. Stir well and then take it off the heat. To roast quail and assemble the dish:1. Take the quails out of the bowl and place it on the grill plate and grill for two to three minutes. 2. Now make a mixture by combining roughly-chopped prunes and roughly-cut chicken supreme. Divide this mixture evenly into three batches. 3. Take the quails off the heat and stuff in the prepared mixture inside the cavity of the quails. 4. Lay down pancetta strips in the batch of two and put the quails on each batch lengthwise and wrap it around the quail. Once the pancetta is neatly wrapped around the quail, slide it inside the 220°c preheated oven and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately. JUNE 2014 143