If you can’t go out for a fine dining experience, maybe fine dining can come to you. We are talking about Gourmet Couch recently launched by ITC Hotels throughout the country. In Hyderabad, you can choose from ITC Kohenur’s Yi Jing and Kebabs & Kurries from ITC Kakatiya. What it offers is a curated variety of dishes - starters, entrées with chosen condiments, main course options and desserts. We were told that it will be delivered at our home with stringent safety measures - their‘WeAssure’ initiative lists out detailed safety protocols they maintain. It would be better to call or email the hotel well in advance to place the order. They would precisely and patiently note down your dietary preferences and design the parcel accordingly.
We opted for Pan-Chinese cuisine from Yi Jing, which includes recreated specialities from Sichuan and Hunan provinces of China. Unboxing the Gourmet Couch parcel, was a novel experience - we noticed that it is wrapped well with care. It comes with a leaflet with detailed heating instructions depending on the type of cuisine you have ordered. After unboxing, we first opened the starters - Chicken Coriander Sui Mai and Chicken Potstickers. These handcrafted potstickers or steam-fried with juicy minced chicken filling was an ideal start. We are told that a large portion of the ingredients are local and the dishes crafted with vegetables, spices, meat and seafood available in the local markets.
The Sui Mai or the open-topped dumplings were quite flavourful. Post that we tried the Stir-Fried Chicken with Fresh Chilli which we discovered goes really well with Scallion Sauce. There are around three to four kinds of condiments that you can choose from. We liked the Yi Jing Veg Rice, which is indeed one of the most flavourful fried rice variations we have come across in recent times. The slight crunch because of the added corn and bell pepper only add to the texture. We paired this with the Wok Tossed Prawns, which went well with the rice because of its inherent sweetness. The prawns were cooked well with bell pepper and were juicy too.
Towards the end, we savoured every bit of the delightfully light Jasmine Tea Tart. The dense flavour of the dark chocolate beautifully was tempered with the floral aroma of the jasmine, making for a memorable finish.
Available for lunch and dinner, after pre-order with the outlet.
Rs 6,500 onwards.