After opening shop with handcrafted desserts last year, L’Amour in Nungambakkam, is expanding its horizons. The original idea, we find out, from owner, dermatologist Aishwarya Selvaraj, was to do a food menu with gourmet sandwiches, salads and starters. “But we also wanted to create something niche,” says consultant Yeshvin Mathew of the Grub Food Company who curated the menu along with Rajesh Kumar of Gourmet Sage. And that is how the idea of the brisket came to be.
Risk it for the brisket
“Nobody was doing smoked meats in Tamil Nadu and very few in India,” he shares with us as we dive into their 14-hour Smoked Brisket Sandwich. This one is OMG at first bite. Juicy, tender and oozing with goodness — we aren’t surprised when we hear the meat is marinated for an entire three days prior to smoking. We also enjoy the texture of the brioche bun which is light and unabashedly indulgent with “about 50 grams of butter” we are told. But the usual slathering of mayo between the buns has been skipped to keep the spotlight on the hero of this sandwich — the brisket. Expect a touch of green from the arugula and some gouda for balance and contrast.
Try this, prawn-to!
Other variations of the brisket are the Smoked Surf & Turf with a pairing of spicy-meets-creamy prawns, this one is quite a mouthful! For sourdough enthusiasts, there is a Smoked Picanha sandwich option with a gruyere melt, smoky onions and a hit of chimichuri sauce. And if you like a sweet and savoury combo — the soft shell tacos with guacamole and smoked pineapple, along with the smoked brisket serves up a nice tropical vibe.
For an Asian add on, we are also served a most interesting round of mini toast bites, made with deep fried rice topped with miso braised meat. We munch on this, over slurps of their new summer coolers like a refreshing cold brew which is blitzed to a shade of magenta, courtesy raspberries in the mix. Dessert cheekily named the ‘Eggless Egg’ resembles an Easter egg. But break it open for a seasonal surprise. Nope, no candies. Instead indulge in spoonfuls of a Thai-inspired ‘mango and sticky rice’ reimagined. This version has the consistency of a chilled creamy porridge, refreshing and rich
with coconut milk. An egg-cellent idea, indeed.
Meal for two INR 1,000 approx.