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Monday 22 October 2018

Haute: Wine and Tapas Review

While there are a lot of good places in Bangalore that serve Wine, there are few which tailor the food so that it pairs well with wine, without compromising on the taste. Haute is one of those places which seeks to please the casual wine-drinker as well as wine-connoisseurs with an excellent selection of New World and Old-World Wines and some domestic favorites as well. Does the food stand-up to the gorgeous wines they have curated? Let’s find out.

We learnt from Chef Adithya Kidambi,(the Executive Chef here) that the concept they are going for, in terms of food is two-fold. For the lunch menu, the food will be a combination of short eats and one-bowl meals, suited to the more casual diner. Dinner however would be an elaborate affair with a multi-course meal, with wine-pairings for each course. For the preview, we had a five-course meal paired with a Fratelli Chardonnay and a Fratelli Gran Cuvee Brut. More on that later.
Course 1: Teriyaki

Mixed Greens, Cherry Tomatoes, chicken slices (marinated overnight in a traditional soy-sauce based marinade), cucumber and the best part, the crunch of a homemade chikki made of sunflower & flax seeds in jaggery. The salad was delicately balanced with sourness from the cherry tomatoes, the crunch and sweetness from the crumbled home-made chikki, some freshness and additional depth-of-flavor from the mixed greens. A brilliant start to the meal. 

Course 2: Beetroot
My initial thought was, this was one dish that the chefs might have gone overboard. Was I wrong! Gazpacho is all the rage on the Indian food scene these days, and while it might be colloquially called, a ‘cold soup’, it is so much more. The one here at Haute was pretty well done. A slow-roasted beetroot gazpacho, served with a dollop cultured cream on the side. The Gazpacho was a brilliant red color, which can only be described as beetroot red and the earthy flavors of beetroot had been mellowed down considerably. The addition of dried orange segments added a much-needed crunchiness to this soup while imparting its own lovely flavor. The cultured cream when mixed with the soup, completely balanced out of the flavors, and to be honest, this is definitely the best Gazpacho I have had so far.



Course 3: Dumplings
We ordered the Prawn bisque and the Paprika Chicken dumplings. Both of them were very well-made with a beautiful, almost-translucent skin. The filling was ample and while the paprika chicken lacked the strong-punch of paprika, this version would appeal to most palates. However, both of these were served with a brilliant, grainy pepper sauce, which I absolutely loved.  

Course 4: Mains
I ordered the Cream of Chicken & Peas hand-cut Linguine while my spouse ordered their popular Bibimbap. Linguine is a pasta which falls somewhere between a spaghetti and fettuccine in terms of width. The linguine here was hand-cut and served with a creamy, buttery sauce and topped with shaved parmesan cheese, and thinly slices of chicken. I have to say, I loved this preparation immensely.


The bibimbap was served in a smoking hot cast iron bowl and was Korean Style Rice with 2 types of kimchi, assorted veggies, a poached egg and was served with a bowl of lamb slices that could be mixed with the bibimbap or had on its own. This is probably the most colorful Bibimbap I have seen in Bangalore, and was pretty good as well!

Course 5: Chocolate 
A beautiful tart with layers of single-origin dark chocolate. True chocolate connoisseurs will appreciate the beauty of the nuttiness of the dark chocolate and when had with the superbly creamy Dulce de Leche that it was served with, it was just heavenly. Not overly sweet nor too bitter, this was another masterpiece. A beautiful finale to a delightful symphony of flavors and textures.

Haute: Wine and Tapas Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoVerdict: Haute is one of those rare places where the execution of a beautiful concept has been done flawlessly. Excellent Wine-Selection, Brilliant food and an Ultra-Chic ambience are the reasons you should visit this place as soon as possible!

Abhishek Chatterji / Author & Editor

A Grammar Nazi. Suave, Savvy, Geeky. Calm,Impatient,Versatile. Ductile, Malleable yet Brittle beyond a point. A true-blue Gemini!