Gauri Devidayal & Naserah Tyebally: Foodies at Heart

Words have a tendency to create a sense of vagueness. In fact, so do pictures. But we all know that images do have this innate power to cause cravings – more so when food is the subject of such visual seduction. Consider the Tiramisu Pancakes, which consist of Mascarpone Bavarois, Coffee Meringue, Cocoa, and Coffee-Amaretto Syrup. Haven’t got much of a sweet tooth? Then how about – Yellowfin Tuna Tataki with Avocado, Tomato Gelée, and Sesame Vinaigrette, or a

Duck Salad, Watercress & Herbs Salad, Red Cabbage, Hoisin Glaze, Thai Chili, and Pomegranate?

The food pictures (described above, and gracefully laid out on these pages) are just a microcosm of some of the dishes Gauri Devidayal’s The Table is capable of crafting, all thanks to her coterie of star-class chefs. Of course, with a restaurant that has been evolving for the last 7 years, The Table (www.thetable.in) was the brainchild of Gauri Devidayal and Jay Yousuf – a restaurant that has been solely inspired by the restaurant scene in California. A lawyer and accountant in a previous life, Gauri is the method to the madness. As she says with a smile – Rohitha, when running a restaurant every day is madness! But madness does lead to some genius creations; and the dishes by The Table, which came out during The Colombo Supper Club’s latest Pop Up, was nothing short of magical.

Focusing on simplicity, and believing that one should always taste the food, Gauri went onto describe The Table as – cuisine agnostic. Cast a voracious eye across her menus and you are sure to find the entire world represented; and, it is this representation that gels oh-so-well with the philosophy of Naserah’s Colombo Supper Club. Naserah explained how our Colombo denizens are slowly leaving their conservative desire for what’s comfortable (think of the buffet of French, Italian, Japanese, and South Asian cuisines) and exploring more adventurous fare. It is this focus that has made Colombo Supper Club so sought after by the social glitterati of Colombo. With a large majority of society being well-travelled and well-educated, they’ve found out that the world truly is their oyster when it comes to gourmandizing adventures.

Naserah wove a tale of desire and craving for food that is not only discerning but which also exudes quality with exceptional ingredients and condiments being utilized; the novelty of trying Japanese or Italian has, in a sense, worn off; people are more aware and want to taste the magical preparations of celebrity chefs. In other words, the restaurant industry is not cuisine-driven rather it is chef-driven. These are the trends of the time, and if one were to be honest, who wouldn’t want to taste something as exotic and tantalizing as a Rose Petal Panna Cotta with Damson and Lavender Viennese Shortbread dreamt up by a Michelin star chef?

Descriptions and pictures have an uncanny way of making us gourmands wag our tongues with expectation, and with pictures such as the ones plastered on this article doing just that, remember that Gauri was insistent that The Table’s most unique proposition was the use of organic produce. Her guarantee? You will taste the food, and, as a result, you will crave it. It is this desire for all things organic and natural that has made Gauri a fan of Sri Lanka and it’s abundance of vegetables, fruits, and seafood. Disclosing that she can eat her bodyweight in hoppers, she spoke of the great things this diminutive island of ours has to offer the world in terms of cuisine.

Remember how I mentioned that words and pictures have a rather annoying propensity to create a sense of vagueness? Nothing truly sets your mind at ease like appeasing your appetite, which is just craving to know. With that in mind, may I suggest you follow Colombo Supper Club on Facebook, and avoid that horrendous disappointment that afflicts all foodies, which is not knowing what you are missing out on. Regret, as we have found out at some unfortunate point in our lives, is an unpleasant state to be in.

 

(Oh, by the way, Rumour – that mischievous damsel – has it that Naserah Tyebally is hard at work crafting yet another adventure with a Lankan twist for her next Pop Up. As hard as it is, we are all familiar with that age-old proverb – patience is a virtue – so stay tuned.)

 

Written by Rohitha Perera

Photography by Suren Nimalan

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