Have you ever thought about what ratatouille from the hit animation film, Ratatouille, tastes like? Or what do the simple flavours of the perfect burger from the horror island in 2022’s The Menu taste like? We recently had a chance to catch a preview of this unique menu in the city, wherein the dishes are all inspired by real or fictional dishes presented in Hollywood films. The Chef’s Cut menu at the Six ‘o’ One at The Park, Chennai, is an ode to food in films as part of the hotel’s 22nd anniversary celebrations.
Our tasting began with the best that this menu had to offer. The Baked ratatouille mille feuille was a wholesome dish, bringing out the most animated expressions (reminiscent of Remy the rat’s) on our faces as we relished each bite. This dish’s use of the provençale pepper sauce produced a creamy yet piquant flavour that blended brilliantly with the baked goodness of vegetables and cheese. The twist introduced here is the flaky pastry that blankets the ratatouille.
Up next were the Pearl barley, Cherry tomato and burrata risotto taking inspiration from the 2015 film Burnt. The use of barley, burrata cheese, and spinach garnished over the risotto, makes this dish soothing, smooth, and incredibly flavourful.
We also tasted a variety of drinks from a recreated cocktail menu at The Leather Bar. The Bumble bee, with its Carribean three-year-old rum as a base, produced sweet, minty, and sour taste notes. Next up, Miss malli was described to be the ultimate summer cocktail with jasmine-infused dry gin, along with a variety of other flavours.
Our next dish was, yet again, a must-try recommendation from the menu. Perfect burger, the pivotal dish from The Menu, quite literally saved the lead character of the film from death. For us, it elevated the dining experience tenfold, thanks to the mildly crunchy Lamb pathar steaks along with caramelised onions and the garlicky goodness introduced by mint aioli.
For dessert, we tasted a creative version of the Golden Ticket, the McGuffin from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. The silky French chocolate presented some bitter undertones of dark chocolate upon which lay the ‘Golden Ticket’ printed on white chocolate. The peanut crunch coat gave us a nice roasty undertone, while the raspberry jello paired with the chocolate filled our sweet tooth for the day with ease.
All in all, with much more on this menu yet to be discovered, it truly felt like the start of a great culinary journey and a standout one at that. The Chef’s Cut will be the closest you can get to the flavours you imagined while watching these movies
Meal for two: INR 2,000+ (without alcohol).
On till May 25