Food and Wine Pairing Dinner @ Punjabi By Nature, Koramangala

The Food and Wine Pairing dinner event held at Punjabi by Nature on March 25th 2016 was in a league of its own. I was not aware that it was a pairing event since the invitation mentioned the in-house brews tasting before the sit-down dinner.

My friends along with the FBAB team members were welcomed with the fresh and the in-house brewn fresh beer which were delectable to start with. Mention must be made of the decor of this lovely restaurant which has been around for quite a few years and is very popular in the neighbourhood. We were welcomed by Krish and Misha who were VP, Operations and the Wine Pairing Expert respectively. Misha made special effort to explain the history behind each and every wine and how and why they are chosen in the menu meticulously before making sure all of us tasted them in the right sequence with their gastronomic counterparts.

We started our dinner with an array of Vegetarian starters ranging from Dahi Ke kabab, Tandoori Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Phool (Cauliflower and Brocolli) and Veg Golti Kabab. The pairing wine for this section was the very exquisite and medium-bodied Moulin De Gassac Sauvignon Blanc. Its unique depth and subtle notes added to the strong yet delicate taste that so define northern frontiers of India. Mention must be made of the Mojito and the Oreo Milk shake which were non-alcoholic options that blended perfectly with the palate as well.

The next section was an absolute meat lover’s delight ranging from Amritsari Fish Tikka, Murgh Malai Kebab and my personal favourite Kasturi Kebab. The latter is marinated and grilled in tandoor oven after layering it with egg yolk and kastoori methi cooked over charcoal, a Punjabi by Nature original. The wine paired with this was the evergreen and popular Vina Edmara Chardonnay. Now we all know Chardonnay goes with all meats, but this one particularly added to the authenticity and boldness of the flavour, especially the Amritsari Fish Tikka. We were served the Moulin De Gassaac Syrah henceforth to prepare us for the main course which also bridged the palate between the strong flavours to the subtle north Indian aromatic herbs based curry about to be served.

The Paneer Makhani and the Baby Vegetable with Okhra went well with the vegetarians, whereas we the carnivores enjoyed our Meat Punjabi by Nature with Butter and Garlic Nan. The Meat Punjabi by Nature is so succulent, and the curry so aromatic that it reminded me of the foothills of Kashmir where saffron is used in abundance in its preparations. The creamy gravy was hard-core Punjabi but bore the essence of a true pahaari in its core. The Vina Edmara Pino Noir added to the strong yet delicate flavour and the Murgh Punjabi Masala was an icing on the cake. And who can ever forget the traditional Dal Makhani which was finger-licking delicious and perfect in its composition? It was time for the Fratelli Sauvignon Blanc to make its appearance, which was the first in the line of the Indian selection of wines from the house of Fratelli. Mention must be made of the House of Fratelli for being awarded for their Sangiovese which is the first of its kind to be produced in India. We experienced its unique taste first hand after that.

The final in the list of wines to follow was the Fratelli Shiraz which is medium-bodied and added to the subtle appeal of the aroma of the various dishes that encompassed our menu. We were served hot Jalebis with Rabri and Flaming Gulab Jamun to complete the dessert section. All of us enjoyed our desserts with our wine and felt the subtle buzz that it imparted to make this magical journey more mystic and delightful. The amazing staff and their prompt service supervised by Ashok deserves special mention along with Kris and Misha to have pulled such a wonderful event together with so much grace and grandeur. Heartfelt thanks to all members of FBAB, Bibhuti, Naveen and Nameesh for making my evening so special and gastronomically elegant.