The Mediterranean Food and Wine Pairing at Howard Johnson, made for a nice little treat this weekend. I was invited by the restaurant for the bloggers table. The Mediterranean Food festival starts, August-19th, 2016.
The Tasting session was held at Verve, with a 16 seater capacity the cafe lounge is the perfect perch for those who swear by caffeine. Verve is the ideal venue to host private parties for more information visit: http://hojobangalore.com
Executive Chef Dev Bose joined us at the bloggers table and said, I've specially crafted a modern Mediterranean menu for this Festival, from countries like France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal along the north; Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel on the east; and the African countries of Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia on the south. When we think Mediterranean its always hummus or pita bread.
My thought process was different I wanted to pick one or two ingredients from all the countries and incorporate in my dishes. It was a challenging task to procure many ingredients for this festival. Overall I wanted guests to experience the food which feels special, and is reasonably priced.
We started our tasting session with a welcome drink a sangria shot.
Fratelli Chenin blanc 2013 Wine
Mediterranean Fig and Mozzarella Salad
The fruity salad was hearty and a great start to begin the meal. The salad was dressed with fig reduction and topped pine nuts.
Dehydrated Tomato Salad with Crispy Black Forest Ham.
Our second salad arrived which was Roasted Artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and crispy ham, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette was an excellent meaty salad paired well with the wine.
Freshly Baked Bread Rolls and Soup Sticks.
Roasted Bell Pepper and Tomato Soup
Roasted Aubergine with Tzatziki Sauce
We progressed to main course. Grilled Aubergine with Tzatziki Sauce is a delicious and creamy dish of eggplant served with light yogurt based sauce. This Greek dish has always been my favorite it was prepared and presented perfectly.
Stuffed Chicken Roulade
Chicken roulade looked best served with a chunky tomato bell pepper sauce and sauteed vegetables. The spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken was very tasty and tender.
Cous Cous Polenta
Cous Cous cooked with herbs and tossed with saute seafood was tangy visually appealing and most importantly a very healthy dish. All the dishes paired lovely with white wine. we enjoyed our meal and progressed to desserts.
Greek Yogurt Cheese Cake with Ouzo Poached Figs
This was the first time I've tasted a greek yogurt cheese cake and throughly enjoyed every bite.
Guava Sorbet
Overall I was pleased with the food tasting event. After all, what’s not to love about spending your afternoon eating delicious food, exploring new-to-you wines, and making new friends? With decent portions and an interesting wine, the Mediterranean Food and Wine Pairing made for a nice little treat. I must thank the Restaurant and PR Company for a lovely indulgence.
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