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361 Degrees Hospitality, chef veena arora, coastal cuisine, food bloggers, Food Critics in India, Hospitality Blog, iconic chefs of india, Spice Route, spice route cuisine, Spice route decor, thai cuisine in delhi
Spice route is the most celebrated restaurant at the Imperial hotel, New Delhi. It would be tough to decide which is a bigger masterpiece and more iconic with its architecture & design; if it’s the colonial styled, beautifully landscaped and the conserved heritage of the Imperial Hotel or the temple-like depth and the spiritual exuberance of Spice Route’s walls, pillars, ceilings and each of its other elements that brings itself to life through experiences which can be individually distinct, yet provide a similar level of warmth and excellence of hospitality, including its culinary art.
Yes, the most distinct part of Spice Route is its décor and design, and it is so intrinsic to the culture of the cuisines pursued by the concept of spice route, that it often introduces the cuisine and the concept itself.
The Restaurant that was seven years in the making is completely hand painted with vegetable and flower dyes by mural painters brought in especially from a temple in Guruvayur in Kerala with a tradition dating 3000 years back. Designed on the principles of Feng Shui, The Spice Route – a treasure trove of antiques – is divided into nine different sections, each a part of the journey of life.
The meaning of each of these sections is of vital information and an experience of spiritual delight; you can click here for the detailed meaning.
The Spice Route has been designed to reflect the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam, and thus, cuisines of these coastal countries is mastered by one of the most iconic chefs, Chef Veena Arora, at the Spice Route, Imperial Hotel.
Chef Veena has been associated with Spice Route since its inception. She was brought in as a consultant to develop the menu pursuing cuisines as per the concept. Chef Veena, who was born and bought up in southern Thailand, had previously worked with a hotel, which is now called The Lalit’s.
Chef Veena fondly remembers the piles of menus kept on her desk, as she did various trial menus before finally launching the culinary masterpiece like Spice Route.
It wasn’t surprising when ‘conde naste’ mentioned it in the Top 10 restaurants of the world, as there definitely was a lot more to Spice Route than its beautiful décor & cuisine, it was the depiction of art, culture, spirituality and an important aspect of the world’s food history, which in practical terms effected the political, cultural and culinary scenario of the world. Thus, The Spice route has more meanings to it, than what may come up to you at the first look and understanding.
I was looking forward to dine along Chef Veena and discuss the nuances of the cuisine & everything else that we eventually did, which definitely enhanced my knowledge and understanding of few cultures and her own style of culinary art which as I learned, is simplistic, fresh, oozing with love & care, and had a motherly touch which is seen in her quest to provide tasty and healthy food.
We started our meal with coconut water, served organically in the coconut itself. Coconut is widely present in all the countries on the spice route and thus holds its indispensible place in their cuisine as well.
The raw mango salad is one of spice route’s specialty, and rightly so, it packs a punch with the bags of flavours & freshness.
The Mango rasam is another masterpiece, where the southern spices of rasam marries the sweetness of the riped mangoes and leaves a pleasant after-taste on your palate.
Kerala style prawns, Thai rolls, Vietnamese stir-fried chicken, fried fish with Thai flavours, appams cooked with mangoes, Sri Lankan lentil curry and a delicately cooked Kerala lamb curry cooked in its summer variant totally enthralled the taste buds and took me on a sail through the spice route, with added anecdotes and knowledge shared by chef Veena at each coast.
Chef Veena is very particular about using the right and the freshest ingredients for her menu: one of the reasons why Spice Route sees new innovations and menus, time and again.
It was Mr Harvinder Sekhon, the General Manager of the Imperial hotel, who insisted chef Veena to stay with Imperial Hotel and head the Spice Route for a longer term than just being a culinary consultant. Fortunately for them, Chef Veena has been the focal point of culinary developments at Spice Route for more than 2 decades now. Most of the Iconic restaurants which go on to gain great success over a long period of time have seen their main chefs as the pillar to their success, and this has been proven by The Spice Route too.
Spice Route offers great variety to diners, and the flavour canvas of the cuisines is vast and varied. From spicy Kerala and Sri Lankan dishes, to the traditional delicacies of the South-east Asian countries, Spice Route’s focus has been to bring forth cuisines in their traditional form and in an environment which is akin to all the countries that the spice route covers in more ways than one.
Food Talk
Interesting Experiences:
‘Dragon Boat Festival’ at
Yauatcha, Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
The auspicious Dragon Boat Festival is a unique celebration to ward off evil, disease and promote good health and well-being, dating back 2000 years. Yauatcha is celebrating this festival with an exclusive menu of varieties of sticky rice and wine from 20th to 30th June.
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