Some places are iconic because they’re game-changers. The Wine Company is bona fide, one such place, who’d have thought they could create an entire brand based on a spirit. Wine Company did exactly that, the premise of the entire experience based on wine, that too, at a time when wine was still considered. bourgeoisie. They made wine a mainstream beverage, that can be enjoyed by anyone who was interested in exploring the world of wine. Space is huge and gorgeous, as a wine bar ought to be, there is a wine mart to the left, where you can buy a bottle practically at cost, sip it while you’re there and order from their new menu which is by far one of the finest menus they’ve ever done.
The best news is that their Karari Roti now comes in flavours, this crispy, giant bowl of a roti is what I imagine was made on an upside-down, enormous ‘kadhai’, till it’s super crisp, then it’s slathered with garlic and cheese (that’s the one we liked the most) and it pairs with almost any wine you choose. You could skip that and choose a board, they have cheese, meat, vegetables or their house bread, I suggest you go with the cheese board which includes, 4 types of cheese, pickled olives, peach and orange jam, Podi nuts and sourdough bread.
Stay awhile, don’t fill up on the board, the new selection of starters has a lot of star dishes, we loved the idea of a Bruschetta Bar which has a selection of 6 bruschettas, out of which the Parma Ham and Papaya Sambal is unmissable. They also have a taco station, keeping with the true to tradition, the tacos are soft, I could live on the one with Braised Pork Belly, Gari and stir-fried vegetables, the pork belly is perfectly cooked with a slight bite lest you think you’re eating potatoes.
In the selection of Small Plates, the Goat Cheese Churros are incredible, savoury churros have got to be the next food trend, I would promote that stuff. If you like funky cheese, as cheese should be, the Churpi Cheese and Peconio Fondue is next level, Churpi is a mountain cheese from Darjeeling, sourced exclusively at The Wine Company and it’s revelatory in terms of how good Indian cheese can be. For meat lovers, there’s the Duck Kulcha, possibly the one thing I would keep going back for, if you prefer chicken then don’t miss the Crispy Chicken Chaat, it combines my two favourite things, meat and chaat!
At a place like this and with a menu this big, I can easily skip the salad and soup, mainly because the Main Plates are huge and hearty. This is where the Chef has played with regional Indian and global flavours to create dishes that are both unusual and familiar. The Quinoa Biryani comes with an Avocado Raita and the Kerala Veg Casserole is cous cous, coconut milk with a South Indian tempering. Since I’m an out and out carnivore, my personal favourites have got to be the Steamed Banana Leaf Wrapped Sea Bass, what a spectacular and delicate way to treat a fish this fine. Served with raw mango salsa and Beurre Blanc, this is as gourmet as it gets for this kind of money, imagine this with fine white wine and you’ll be as smitten as I am. If you prefer red meat, then order the Kolhapuri Raan blindly, perfectly seared raan served with citrus garlic kulcha, not that Raan needs an elevation, this elevates it right away. Finish the meal with the Boozy Brownie Trifle and thank me later!
The best news is that their Karari Roti now comes in flavours, this crispy, giant bowl of a roti is what I imagine was made on an upside-down, enormous ‘kadhai’, till it’s super crisp, then it’s slathered with garlic and cheese (that’s the one we liked the most) and it pairs with almost any wine you choose. You could skip that and choose a board, they have cheese, meat, vegetables or their house bread, I suggest you go with the cheese board which includes, 4 types of cheese, pickled olives, peach and orange jam, Podi nuts and sourdough bread.
Stay awhile, don’t fill up on the board, the new selection of starters has a lot of star dishes, we loved the idea of a Bruschetta Bar which has a selection of 6 bruschettas, out of which the Parma Ham and Papaya Sambal is unmissable. They also have a taco station, keeping with the true to tradition, the tacos are soft, I could live on the one with Braised Pork Belly, Gari and stir-fried vegetables, the pork belly is perfectly cooked with a slight bite lest you think you’re eating potatoes.
In the selection of Small Plates, the Goat Cheese Churros are incredible, savoury churros have got to be the next food trend, I would promote that stuff. If you like funky cheese, as cheese should be, the Churpi Cheese and Peconio Fondue is next level, Churpi is a mountain cheese from Darjeeling, sourced exclusively at The Wine Company and it’s revelatory in terms of how good Indian cheese can be. For meat lovers, there’s the Duck Kulcha, possibly the one thing I would keep going back for, if you prefer chicken then don’t miss the Crispy Chicken Chaat, it combines my two favourite things, meat and chaat!
At a place like this and with a menu this big, I can easily skip the salad and soup, mainly because the Main Plates are huge and hearty. This is where the Chef has played with regional Indian and global flavours to create dishes that are both unusual and familiar. The Quinoa Biryani comes with an Avocado Raita and the Kerala Veg Casserole is cous cous, coconut milk with a South Indian tempering. Since I’m an out and out carnivore, my personal favourites have got to be the Steamed Banana Leaf Wrapped Sea Bass, what a spectacular and delicate way to treat a fish this fine. Served with raw mango salsa and Beurre Blanc, this is as gourmet as it gets for this kind of money, imagine this with fine white wine and you’ll be as smitten as I am. If you prefer red meat, then order the Kolhapuri Raan blindly, perfectly seared raan served with citrus garlic kulcha, not that Raan needs an elevation, this elevates it right away. Finish the meal with the Boozy Brownie Trifle and thank me later!