Trilogi, Crowne Plaza, Kochi

Trilogi, Crowne Plaza, Kochi

Review & Photographs By Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)

Kerala Cuisine At Its Creative Best!

"Trilogi" at the Crowne Plaza, Kochi in its new avatar, is an exclusive restaurant that celebrates a historic culinary re-unification of the three erstwhile princely states of Travancore in the south, Kochi in the centre and Malabar to the north, which were merged to make the geographic entity which we all recognise today as Kerala. What I found most unique about my experience of Malayali cooking at Trilogi was this innovative interpretation given to age old classics by the immensely talented and creative team of Executive Chef Rajeev Menon and South Indian Master Chef Rejimon.

In my casual chat with Chef Rejimon I learnt that he had invested the better part of the past year criss-crossing Kerala, visiting and learning from various households, street-side stalls, hotels and individuals who were renowned for recipes that rank among the best in whatever food they choose to specialise in. After that eye-opening journey of gastronomic discovery, Chef Rejimon is now unlocking those priceless secrets into his adaptations of Malayali staples at Trilogi. 

We were privileged to sample a few of his innovative interpretations. For starters we had our perennial favourite the Travancore- Beef Dry Fry or BDF as it is popularly called. Those deep fried tenderloin cubes were tender and succulent rich in a hot marinade of traditional spices. The magic kick to the taste was impacted by the subtle flavours oozing from those few unpeeled whole cloves of garlic that were added to the frying. That smart addition took this dish to a whole different level altogether.

The crunchy Malabar- Seafood Vada Masala is an innovative and fishy twist given to the popular Kerala teatime snack Parippu Vada. Fish, prawns and squid are ground and mixed with fresh masala then deep fried and served with a spicy Kokum topping. Chef Rejimon has also invented a wonderful inter-continental fusion of European cheese on Vietnamese fish marinated in Kerala spices called Travancore- Meen Chuttathu. This is a Basa filet which is marinated in a secret spice-mix and grilled in an oven topped with an assortment of finely chopped vegetables, grated coconut and mozzarella cheese, it tasted simply sublime.

The aromatic Malabar- Seafood Thengapal Soup is a delicately spiced coconut milk soup with tender morsels of finely chopped seafood. Here again the Chef added his flair with some finely grated tender coconut shavings that made this already flavourful soup even more delectable and creamy.

In the mains we thoroughly enjoyed the Chef’s signature dish Malabar- Idiappam Chemmeen Biryani. You would love to know that this dish had also won him an award recently for its originality in an all Kerala Chef’s Rice-Dish Competition. Its laborious and complex construct involves sandwiching a base and top layer of string-hoppers or Idiappam made from roasted white rice flour mixed in hot water and a pinch of salt kneaded into smooth dough with a dollop of ghee which is then finally pushed through a presser which shapes it into multiple curly noodles of damp rice strings that one can shape as desired, with that complex mid layer, which will make or break the Biryani. This crucial layer is a wholesome mix of flavours that envelop the biryani-masala spiced medium-sized shrimps. The secret of getting this dish to explode in one’s mouth with flavours is the expertise of Chef Rejimon in ensuring that the Chemmeen remains crunchy when it is served.  Over umpteen experiments he has mastered the timing of exposing the delicate shrimp to a mix of in-pan sautéing and steam-cooking. The presentation on a egg-shaped smooth round-edged triangular serving plate with that unique round bird’s nest of intertwined thin Pappadam strips was visually immaculate and tasted divine.

Finally, the dessert which capped off a memorable dinner was the Kochi- Vazhapoo Ilaneer Payasam, which involves slow-cooking banana flower with the fluffiest part of the tender coconut in a reduction of coconut milk and jaggery. This perfectly complements the grated coconut and jaggery stuffed steamed rice pancake called Kochi- Ela Ada.

Where a majority of chefs are guilty of taking cooking very literally and overcooking all the ingredients without any method to the madness, the gifted chefs like Rejimon stand out for their understanding of abstruse nuances of food especially spices. How it behaves and how much is enough? He has understood the intricate art of letting each ingredient bloom and be there for a reason to add texture to the complexity of the flavours he is trying to create. When one imbibes food from such a creative master-craftsman, in a setting of warm ambience served by the fabled faultless waiting team of Crowne Plaza, one tastes bliss. 

Trilogi is slowly and steadily climbing the popularity charts, as the word is spreading like wildfire and since this is a dinner service only restaurant, I understand it gets very busy over the weekends, so one is best advised to make a reservation to avoid a wait and also block a suitable table for your numbers in the more intimate inner Kochi section of the restaurant. Thank you Culinary Team-Crowne Plaza for this delicious and enchanting Kerala Food experience. We are already looking forward to our next visit to indulge in the many untried delicacies awaiting discovery.

Trilogi

Crowne Plaza,

Kundanoor Junction,

NH 47 Bypass,

Maradu,

Kochi

Reservations Call - 0484-2865000

               

Roma, Holiday Inn, Cochin

Roma, Holiday Inn Cochin

 

By Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)

“Roma” the Italian fine dining restaurant at the Holiday Inn, Kochi, with its graciously cordial ambience, is a great place to dine in, primarily for the imaginative and creative cuisine Executive Chef Joji Joshua, Executive Sous Chef Michael Saju and their inspired team showcase with aplomb, these days. I am writing this blog to share a recent memorable experience at this elegant eatery.

The guests are ushered into a tastefully created space with comfortable seating, bathed in a muted warm lighting that primarily cascades from those beautiful six pronged overhead lampshade clusters, which hang delicately from the ceiling.  On seating, one is greeted with a welcome platter of assorted fresh breads, hot from the oven. 

There are individual dipping bowls, to prepare the virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar smear, if you so desire. The starters were the usual suspects, the kids made their own Pizza and the adults had their customary Tris di Bruschetta, which included one slice each of toasted garlic bread with cheese, olives and tomato-garlic topping. The children enjoyed the bonus experience of watching the whole process of the Pizza preparation in that flaming oven on view, in the open kitchen.

Chef Michael suggested Beef Carpaccio as an appetizer and we all just loved it, I shall just delve in a little more detail about this excellent beef discovery, which apparently is very simple in its conception, but extremely complex in its construct.

Carpaccio (pronounced "car- pah-chee-yoh") is a typical raw pounded meat, Italian appetizer which was christened as such, in Venice at the Harry's Bar by the owner Giuseppe Cipriani, in the early 1930s, after the Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio, famous for his signature red and white tones.

This simple delicacy, though having a striking resemblance with some cold cuts, is actually very thinly sliced frozen beef tenderloin, which has its edges seared to bind it. Mind you only the freshest of the meats are used in preparing this dish. Stripped of all peripheral fat, it is first seasoned with salt; pepper to drain out excess moisture, then a bit of balsamic vinegar is added before it is banished into a freezer, to be removed for slicing just before plating. The slicing requires exceptional knife skills and that freezing helps in the precision cutting. The slices are cut ideally 1/8th of an inch in thickness. These slices are then carefully pounded with meat mallets to flatten them paper thin, any carelessness on the part of the pounder, will reduce the meat to tatters.

Master Chef Michael had plated the exquisite ensemble alongside a Cherry huddle, with a mound of Greens in vinaigrette, in an aesthetic eye-catching platter of three raw meat crosses, of two rolled Carpaccio slices one daintily sleeping on the other. 

The fine grain of the pink muscle fiber interspersed with an intricate network of white ingrained frozen fat, makes the slices look very attractive. Cold on the tongue, one just feels the meat melt in one's warm mouth the moment it is brought in contact with the saliva. My children loved it and it is on the choice list already, for our next Roma visit.

For the mains, we had three mouthwatering creations of Chef Michael and Chef Siyad Abdul. They were Fettuccine Pasta Con Costelleta di Vitello al Brasato (Braised Veal Chops with Fettuccine Pasta),  Lasagne Bolognese and my personal favorite Filetto De Manzo. The braised veal chops were a standout and that is the one I would like to talk about today, only to apprise everyone about that peerless grip on the flavours and the exquisite culinary skills, these expert chefs are endowed with, at Holiday Inn, Cochin.

Veal chops are expensive, temperamental meats, which need very careful cooking. They also have an alluring visual appeal; with those little riblets sticking out of that soft meat bunches. They are heart-warmingly tender and succulent when cooked perfectly. For me medium is perfect, so after checking the individual preference, Chef Siyad disappeared into the kitchen to attempt a perfect braise of the chops. 

Braising is not as simple as it seems. It is a very subtle kind of cooking, bordering on being a fine art, as it involves many processes, like seasoning, searing, browning, sautéing, simmering, thickening and finally plating with the right amount of sauce. All this patient effort, to yield those fork-tender short ribs, which have a seared exterior and a pink-along-the-bone interior. The potent sauce that was building in a simmer all day is the perfect accompaniment to elevate the experience. This magic on the plate is born on a skillet, where the chops get seared to a rich brown in olive oil, before being set aside. Then the mirepoix having the holy trinity of onion, celery and bell peppers are sautéed without scorching, before adding the herbs, and deglazing with some wine and stock. This loose liquid mix is then slow cooked to a sluggish density. The browned bits that stick along the inner walls are constantly scraped off the saucepan for re-dissolving it into the reducing sauce, to further intensify the flavors. Finally those browned chops that were set aside after searing are laid half exposed in the sauce, one side at a time for slow braising. They are not fully submerged, but only two thirds in the sauce and left to simmer and absorb all those piquant flavors. The talented Chef Siyad had in fact put together an absolutely delectable and near perfect interpretation of the braised veal chops, which each one of us relished and shall remember for a long time. The accompanying fettuccine pasta with a mushroom and spinach pesto completed the hearty meal.

We rounded off the remarkable dinner with some splendid desserts that included a Tiramisu, Chocolate Cheese Sandwich and an unusual herb spiced fruit Sorbetto which combined diverse ingredients like basil, orange, ginger, kiwi & the surprise element green chilly. This account has already gained epic proportions; hence I really think it would be a good idea to blog about each of the other dishes in separate posts, as they all deserve to be talked about in detail.

Personally, if I am in Kochi, I love revisiting Holiday Inn, as I know the current F & B team have an unrivaled mastery over their craft and would spoil you with their creative interpretations and variations in gastronomy. Great job and a big thank you to the fabulous Team Holiday Inn!!

Keep it up!!

Tele Numbers :-

Reception/Reservations -                       +91484-3319000/4199000

Fax -                                                   +91484-4199111

F & B Manager Ganesh Chalangodan -    +918129497435

Restaurant Manager Manish Pillai -         +918129497460

Executive Sous-Chef Michael Saju -        +918129497451

Facebook Link  :-

 https://www.facebook.com/holidayinncochin/

Website  :-

http://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/cochin/coker/hoteldetail

Address :-

Holiday Inn, Cochin

33/1739 A Chakkaraparambu Junction, National Highway Bypass,

Vennala, Cochin – 682028

Kerala, India