Phenomenal Soiree – Review of Punjabi by Nature

#phenomenalworld #phenomenaltastes #FratelliWines #winepairing

This is the tale of the evening that was not just fun, it was FUNTASTIC, informational with sights and sounds to appease the foodie soul and etch it permanently in memory. The blogger table event arranged by the Food Bloggers Association of Bangalore (FBAB) was all that and more.  Wine pairing by Fratelli Vineyards and hosted by Misha (misha@thepolishedthief.com)  and Krish(VP, Operations, Punjabi by Nature), #Foodtasting #craftbeer chugging, wine pairing was the order of the evening. The venue Punjabi By Nature is a fun place for watching matches while chugging craft beers and sitting in opulence while being treated like royalty. What more could you ask for?

Situated in BTM the location can be found here it stands silently proclaiming its presence and of the unexpected rich ambiance it provides

The evening started with craft beers sampling and I had my clear favourite. The Stout with hints of coffee,cocao and other mysterious teases which stood head and shoulders (pun intended) above its other counterparts followed by a pilser which was a far far second. The green apple flavor fell flat in my opinion and was way way below expectation.I cannot believe the stout and the green apple is from the same place. Trust me stick to stout.

There also was the lesser mortals in the drink world called mocktails and milkshakes which were pretty interesting as well. The classic mojito was light and refreshing.The mango margarita was awesome with a taste similar to aampanna.The caramalized cold coffee was thick and the oreo mud was not very special. It tasted like cold coffee with oreo..Period..

The wine pairing was a different story altogether. We felt really literate trying to swirl wines and follow Misha’s explanation of the notes, flavours and the pairings the the wines make with Indian food.

Before that here’s something about Fratelli

The wines are produced with Italian expertise, centuries old wine making traditions of Tuscany,led by Piero Masi.‘Fratelli’ which in Italian means ‘Brothers’ refers to the coming together of 3 sets of brothers, Secci brothers from Italy, the Sekhri brothers from Delhi, and the Mohite-Patil brothers from Akluj.

Fratelli has its own vineyard in Akluj, in the Solapur district of Maharastra, near Pune, where it has viticultural control on its grapes to make quality wines. Fratelli grows 12 grape varietals, imported from France and Italy. 350,000 wine saplings were handpicked and planted,; state of the art machinery imported from Italy, and oak barrels imported from France to enhance the aromas and flavours of the wines, unique characteristics.

The wines are produced with Italian expertise, centuries old wine making traditions of Tuscany,led by Piero Masi.‘Fratelli’ which in Italian means ‘Brothers’ refers to the coming together of 3 sets of brothers, Secci brothers from Italy, the Sekhri brothers from Delhi, and the Mohite-Patil brothers from Akluj.

Some of the vines worth a special mention..
1. Moulin De Gessac (Languedoc-Roussillon, France)

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Notes – Pronounced aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit and fresh cut grass.

2. Vina Caliterra (Colchaqua Valley, Chile)

Variety: Chardonnay

Notes – Golden yellow with green hues, this wine shows great intensity on the nose. Fruit aromas of mango, pear, accompanied by citrus and mineral notes.

3. Moulin De Gessac
Variety – Syrah
Notes – On the nose, it has very ripe blackberries, liquorice, cassis, cedar, vanilla & violet aromas with a touch of leather.

4. Vina Edmaraa
Variety – Pinot Noir
Notes – This wine shows a seductive and complex combination of black cherry and raspberry aromas, rose petals and violets, mingled with a soft touch of vanilla and coconut.Full-bodied and rich, with a soft and velvety texture. Smooth tannins and an elegant finish. This is mostly borrowed from Misha’s notes as she is the wine expert…

Others included Fratelli Cabernet sauvignon, Fratelli Sauvignon Blanc.

The wines paired very well with the spicy dishes that kept coming and coming and coming 🙂 The whites paired very well with the tandoori kabab while the reds went well with the curry.

My clear favourites in the wines  Vina Edmaraa Pinot Noir and Moulin De Gessac Syrah

Coming to the food, it just kept coming and coming and coming.  Seems like a dream right?  Here’s the list. Go ahead readand drool

STARTERS

DAHI KE KEBAB –

(Hung curd patties mixed with white pepper, coriander, ginger and green chilies, slow cooked on

tawa…)

AMRITSARI FISH TIKKA

Fillet of river sole fish marinated with yoghurt and chef special red masala, cooked over charcoal

TANDOORI PANEER TIKKA

Tender slices of cottage cheese marinated with yoghurt base saffron masala and grilled over charcoal…)

MURGH MALAI KABAB

Boneless tender pieces of chicken marinated with cheese and yoghurt cooked delicately in clay

oven.

TANDOORI PHOOL

Fresh florets of cauliflower and broccoli marinated with yoghurt base red masala with flavor of mustard

and grilled over tandoor…)

KASTURI KABAB

(Boneless chunks of chicken marinated with homemade spices and egg yolk, flavored with kasoori methi, cooked over charcoal …)

VEG GOLATI KEBAB

Mix vegetable patties flavored with Indian spices, slow cooked on tawa

MAIN COURSE

MEAT PUNJABI BY NATURE

Boneless pieces of succulent lamb cooked with fried onion and tomato base gravy

MURGH PUNJABI MASALA

Tender pieces of chicken cooked in Indian spiced chopped onion and tomato thick masala with

dices of onion and capsicum

PANEER MAKHANI

(Cottage cheese cooked with rich creamy tomato gravy)

BABY VEGETABLE WITH OKRA

(A combination of assorted baby vegetable cooked with chopped onion and tomato base thick

tangy masala)

DAL MAKHANI

Black lentils cooked over night on slow fire folded with butter, cream, ginger and garlic made to perfection.

Paneer Biriyani/Raita/Salad

The dahi ke kabab was mind blowingly exquisite. a clear favourite in the food followed by fish amritsari and malai chicken. The Meat punjabi by nature and garlic naan made a beautiful combination

All of this with a variety of Indian breads.

I fell in love with the dahi ke kabab which was mind blowingly exquisite followed by malai tikka, amritsari fish, kasturi kabab and tandorri phool. Main course I liked was garlic naan with meat punjabi by nature

DESSERTS

Jalebi with Rabri  – Giant jalebis with thick creamy rabri and

Gulab Jamun – Rum flambeed gulab jamun.

A perfect ending to a spectacular evening. It hit the right notes (that’s the wine speaking) right upto the burrp (that’s the crafted beer for you)

A summary of my clear favourites

Beer – Stout

Wine – Pinot Noir and Syrah

Other drinks – Mango Margarita

Starters – Dahi ke Kabab, Malai Tikka, Kasturi Kabab, Fish Amritsari, Tandoori Phool

Main Course – Garlic Naan and Meat Punjabi by Nature

 

Find the restaurant on Zomato

Linked to ABC Wednesday(L) – Letting your hair down and have a blast