New menu at The Flying Elephant

The relevance of any restaurant depends on how often menu changes take place. The invite to review stated that 25 new dishes had been added to The Flying Elephant's menu, replacing some that had been taken off. Curated by TFE's Chef Jyotisankar and his team, the new one features fresh, locally sourced ingredients in cuisines ranging from Thai, Italian and Indonesian to Indian.

Salad and appetisers 

Insalata con rababaro e cuori palma, caprino, pistachio, salsa al miele

So that's how we were looking at a bowl of roasted rhubarb, heart of palm, goat's cheese and pistachio in a spiced honey vinaigrette dressing. Rhubarb is not a common vegetable in Chennai but I do know they are grown in the hills and available at select vegetable stores in the city. Sliced thin, it was crunchy and sweet, contrasting with the peppery rucola and the light tang of goat's cheese, a lovely combination of flavours.

Burrata al forno con salsa di pomodoro e olio di tartufo

A baked burrata that had been smothered in the ingredient of the season - strands of golden seviyan. Tomato sauce with truffle oil completed this delicious salad.

Polpettine di polpa di granchio con salsa agrodolce
Crabcakes are a seafood lover's delight; this trio had us asking for seconds

Gohu makanan laut

Gohu makanan laut is a Ternate-style seafood dish with raw tuna, prawn, crabmeat and finely chopped kaffir lime leaves. The dressing was made with coconut oil, lime juice and grapefruit; the dish could have passed off as an Asian twist on ceviche. Sliced almonds provided the crunch factor and it was an absolute standout.

Going Indian with Paneer E Hasan, each disk had a different stuffing 

Soup

Zuppa di mare alla provençal

Zuppa di mare alla provençal was everything that a seafood soup should be. Bursting with the flavours of a stock made with the shells of fish, crustaceans, herbs and tomatoes and thickened with tiny potato cubes, it was poured over shrimp, mussels, pink perch and saffron aioli. Just the soup to satisfy your soul.

Mains  

Ravioli di zucca e confit di cipolla, mascarpone fresco, salvia e noci

Thinner pasta to enclose the roasted pumpkin and onion ravioli might have been better; the flavour of the onion overpowered the delicate cheese filling.

Risotto alla primavera - beautiful colours but the stock was a let down

Ayam betutu - roast chicken topped with spinach.
The spinach had a tannic aftertaste while the chicken, paired with spicy sambal matah, cured all ills!

 

Dum nalli Hasan

Dessert

Salted caramel tart with honey crunch ice cream; mango and coconut verrine with basil mango salsa

Salted caramel AND chocolate in the same tart is a beautiful way to end a meal. The pastry that encloses the tart is thin, buttery and fabulous. The mango coconut verrine looked pretty though the dessert would have won more points if the mango was sweeter.   

The Flying Elephant is at Park Hyatt Chennai and is open from 7pm onwards.