Delicacies at the Le Meridien’s Together@12 are a healthier option as compared to regular chips or nibbles that are usually served at fine-diners, says Shambhavi Suri

Amid the rush of urban living, we forget to just sit back once in a while and savour the city that we live and breathe everyday. Le Meridien’s new 12th floor restaurant in Gurugram offers a magnificent view of the Aravali skyline dotted with city lights and skyscrapers. Its décor is dominantly wooden, old world elegance combined with comfort. Together@12 makes for a tranquil perch, one where we may steal some time with our loved ones. But do the go-alongs, in this case food and drinks, work?

The place grows some of the produce in-house such as, herbs, leafy vegetables and houses loads of succulent which adds to the serenity of the environment. Nitin Tewari, a bar and beverage consultant and chef Vanshika Bhatia along with the staff is united by one mantra — to bring the freshest produce cooked deliciously and paired with drinks that are suitable to the Indian palate. “For us, our priority is to offer the best of produce and ingredients, through freestyle cooking which is accustomed to the Indian palate. Our menu isn't set as we prefer to use fresh ingredients and  so with every season it changes according to the produce of that season,” says chef Vanshika. Some  dishes, of course, would remain constant.  Adding to which Tewari said, “The drinks have been made in a way that the customers would be hit by nostalgia and at the same time these would suit every palate.”

The drinks — the Candy Crush and the Marigold — did live up to the promise. With pineapple, three ways — candied, fresh and syrup, this drink was refreshing and sweet, whereas the marigold was more for the ones with a mature palate because of its sourness with a touch of sweetness at the end. It was finished with dried marigold powder. What the bartenders have cleverly done, is to play with known flavours or emotions to prepare some of these cocktails that were innovative, different and take you down memory lanes.

With the drinks, we were served a bowl the Vegetarian chip bowl with mustard salsa as an accompaniment. The bowl, as the name suggests, had chips of several kinds — kale, sweet potato and banana. These tasted delicious, were a healthier option as compared to regular chips or bar nibbles that are usually served and dipped in the mustard salsa, packed a punch.

Next up were the appetisers. The first one was the Star fruit, sweet potato. The chef played around the Delhiites' love of shakarkandi chaat, but with a dash of sophistication, that was appropriate given that this dish had all the flavours of the original yet, there was one element that elevated the dish out of the streets. The star fruit along with the roasted sweet potato added to the flavour and balanced the sweet and sour flavours of the dish.

The second plate served was the Celery toot, sweet potato gnocchi, black garlic. I bit into these small and soft balls of deliciousness only to realise that they just melt into the mouth and flooded the palate with their creaminess and richness. The sauce had a a garlicy flavour, though it was not over-powering. To offset the softness, there were roasted celery roots which added a bit of crunch and freshness, on the side.

The Duck, pasta made a grand entrance, as the first main. Seared and pulled, the duck breast was tucked into a ravioli, stuffed agnolotti and drizzled with a cheese sauce. For anyone who loves pasta, this is to die for. The rich sauce drizzled over the beautifully made pasta and carefully made duck, was nothing short of food heaven.

Second in line was the Red snapper, broccoli, kohlrabi and sweet potato. Lying on a bed of broccoli basil puree was the gorgeous piece of red snapper with a side of sweet potato chips. The fish was fresh, had a bit of a salty flavour which worked perfectly with the broccoli basil puree that was earthy. Adding sweetness and crunch to the dish were the chips and to my amusement, actually worked with the dish.

Buffalo cheeks, carrots, whiskey, smoke made its way to the table next. The slow cooked buffalo cheeks just fell apart at the mere tug of the fork. It was glazed with the thick smoked whiskey sauce which added an element of richness and the smokiness. The flavours on the plate really came through and this dish would certainly make it to the unforgettable ones, when I get down to making that list. It leaves you craving for more.

The last of the mains was the Prawn, rice crepes. An innovative take on South Indian food, the prawns were served wrapped in rice crepes, that substituted the appam. Though it was a western version, the overall effect was such that one still felt that one was eating a dish from down south.

Since every fabulous meal needs a dessert to bring it to a fantastic end, two were served here — Rum, pineapple and Pistachio, rose. The first consisted of ragi discs which sandwiched a mascarpone rum cream, giving it a s'mores look. It was served with a side of a sorbet and a pineapple and fennel compote. The plate had all the elements that would satisfy each of the senses. This truly was a soul-indulging dessert. As for the pistachio, rose dessert, this one consisted of a cute little pistachio cupcake, topped with rose Chantilly and garnished with a candied rose petal. Sitting on a bed of apricot jam, it was a phenomenal offering for someone who doesn't have a sweet tooth and loves their dessert to be well balanced. The pistachio gave a nutty and an earthy taste to the cupcake and the rose Chantilly added the flavour and the fragrance of rose. All the sweetness was only derived from the apricot jam.

 Certainly a perfect end to an unforgettable meal.