It is not that often one gets an invite to a bespoke dinner that has been curated by a true aficionado of food. Esteem Magazine and I are no strangers to Naserah Tyebally and her inimitable concept known as the – Colombo Supper Club; we have featured her with enthusiasm and have had the rare opportunity to indulge in some of her globally-embraced offerings. One of the more memorable interviews I was granted access to was Gauri Devidayal’s The Table. It was a restaurant that has been evolving for the last 7 years; it was the brainchild of Gauri Devidayal and Jay Yousuf, which is a restaurant that has been solely inspired by the restaurant scene in California. Focusing on simplicity, and believing that one should always taste the food, Gauri calls The Table– cuisine agnostic.
Yet Gauri’s story is something that you’ll have to read in the April/May issue of Esteem. This article though focuses on another aficionado of food that practices a different philosophy when it comes to cuisines. I along with some friends from the media had the opportunity to meet Naserah and another star brought down for a Colombo Supper Club popup – Michelin Star Chef Ivan Brehm. Ivan was chief in catapulting the restaurant known as Bacchanalia in Singapore to its very first Michelin star back in 2016. Ivan has an extensive culinary repertoire and gastronomic education with Culinary Art degrees from Senac, in his native Brazil, and the Culinary Institute of America in the US; Ivan’s aspirations have taken him on revelatory gastronomic travels.
What was a truly inspirational fact regarding his style of cooking was the ethos behind it. He is now the owner of Nouri that is founded on his concept known as – Crossroads cooking: a unique interpretation of food, and the fact that all cultures, in essence, are the same. Ivan asks quite poignantly – Can any culture ever own a dish? Perhaps the fact that his lineage is an eclectic mix of different heritages (think Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, Lebanese and Syrian) has led him to appreciate the various types of food that is enjoyed globally. Making the entire fine dining experience on that particular night truly exceptional was Wine World and its range of inimitable wines, which were adroitly paired with each tantalizing dish. The Kingsbury Hotel was the venue of choice, and this monolith of luxury provided exceptional service as always.
Ivan is an affable personality who was as polite as he was dexterous when it came to his craft. Politely answering questions, he went onto explain each dish in detail before leaving us to enjoy something that truly erased any doubt with regard to questions as to whether paradise exists. Each dish was impeccably presented, and Ivan made it look a real cinch. The consensus was that while each dish was exceptional to say the least, the real standout was dessert: the Lady Gray as per the menu was a 48-hour Caramelized Orange with Orange Blossom and Almond Emulsion Bergamot Pate De Fruit Ceylon Tea Emulsion.
The taste was unparalleled and spoke of how beautifully flavours can be utilized to present something that is extraordinary to say the least. Moreover, as Ivan states each dish is a veritable adventure, and what he serves to do is to simply deconstruct each and every dish to its roots. Multiculturalism is in and should be widely embraced; every aspect that makes up culture is some component that is fetched and used from some region or country in this vast homeland that we call Earth.
The 5-course meal that he served up in late June had certain “Sri Lankan-ness” about it too. For example, that inimitable dessert known as Lady Gray used an infusion of Ceylon Tea that complemented the rest of the fruity flavours present, which were largely constituted all things orange. It would be impossible to go through each and every dish he served yet we do have room for one more – the Black Pepper Beach, which was the main meal; it was described as: Picanha Steak Campot with Black Pepper Sauce and Vanilla Pickled Peppercorns with a Bittergourd Salad. Who in their right mind would utilize bittergourd in a steak, I wondered. Yet the combination was truly divine with the bitterness being converted to an almost tartness that accompanied the fierceness of the pepper.
All in all, it was a fantastic dinner and a truly exceptional testament as to what can be done with food. With Sri Lankans opening their minds and hearts to more cultures and experiences across the world, it comes as no surprise that an innovative initiative like the Colombo Supper Club is widely accepted, and has reached a level of popularity amongst Colombo’s elite thanks to a rich serving of uniqueness.
Times in the 1920s would have been bad, and they were; yet this particular speakeasy laying in wait mysteriously ensconced by a little flower shop on Mohamed Macan Mawatha is a brilliant reinvention that firmly belongs here in 2018. The brain child of Anika Fernando, the phrase – Ask for Fern – is a brilliant play on words and is a nod to her own surname. Garnering a string of academic achievements, she along with her brother Dimitry planned a bar that certainly is themed better than any other place I have been to in Colombo. The idea, I am told, lay marinating in Anika’s mind for 3-plus years before being carved intricately into reality – a reality that is found located on 32B Sir Mohammed Macan Markar Mawatha.
