When your friend starts consulting for an eatery and invites you to try out their wares, what do you do? You say yaasssss, hold up, I'm on my way! That's exactly what I did when my friend Yasha invited me to Newbury. Just to be clear, I was invited in the capacity of a blogger and a friend who can be trusted to give honest feedback. I did not pay for anything, but this was one of those few times where I enjoyed everything at my table.
I brought my cousin along who loves food as much as I do and has a discerning palate. The promise of a good carpaccio is what lured me to Newbury, and it was a promise delivered. Now for the purists, don't freak out when you see it was served on a crispy flatbread, hence the name Carpaccio Crisp. The truffle oil, dressing, and squeeze of the lemon provided atop the fresh, tender carpaccio blended perfectly with the crispy bread everything was settled on. I would skip on the rocket though. The peppery flavor overwhelms the carpaccio. But the twist of the carpaccio on the crispy flatbread, that I liked.
Then came along the Chicken on the Bone, Served with Salad and Crisp Potato Chips. Now, the magic in this seemingly simple dish comes from two things. The first is the method with which the chicken is cooked. It's called sous-vide (Pronounced soovee. You're welcome) Newbury is the first of restaurant I know of where this cooking method is used to produce the perfectly cooked chicken. Tender, juicy, succulent with the meat falling off the bone, and yet not falling apart, preserving its texture and flavor. The sauce it was basted in was spectacular flavor, and one I really can't describe. I think it was the same sauce served on the side with the chicken. I would honestly take it home, and have it with rice, roti, or even with a spoon, it was that yummy. The salad was meh. No dressing, no thank you. The sun-dried tomatoes are in-house, and while I did enjoy them, I picked them out from the salad and ate them. The string potatoes I thought were fried noodles, so don't make my mistake and eat the aalu!
We got to try the Crab and Shrimp Pizza next. The flatbread was similar to the one in the Carpaccio Crisp, but the cheese, sauce, and sweet crab meat flavor infused into the pizza, along with the shrimp perched on each slice made this a delight to eat. I have definitely not had a pizza as good as this before, and I don't exaggerate. Well, maybe except for the pizzas my khala used to make from scratch when I was a kid. Now, if you're the sort of person who's going to count how many shrimp are on one slice, don't order this one, okay? I personally thought that one shrimp was enough for one slice otherwise the crab flavor wouldn't come through.
The second pizza was a special one made for us by the owner himself *insert huge grin at special treatment here*, a simple but beautiful Margherita. Why was it beautiful? In its simplicity, with high quality ingredients. Not the finest, not the best, not the most expensive in the world, but definitely high quality cheese, flour and fresh basil, with a base of well made marinara sauce. I always say the marinara plays an important part in any pizza.
By this point, I was beyond full and still had a dessert to go. I needed something other than water to sip on while I took a break from eating. The mint lemonade was suggested, and it didn't disappoint. It wasn't too sweet, was nice and tart and the fresh mint really did make a difference.
Now for the dessert. Mujhe Maro. Nahin, mujhe mat maro, that was the name of the dessert. It was a chocolate dome and a cake base, sandwiching vanilla ice cream. This is the perfect summer dessert. And if you're a child of the 80s and 90s, the chocolate will remind you of the hard chocolate coating at Snoopy's, just elevated in finer chocolate flavor. Yasha seemed borderline offended by my comparison, but I don't think he comprehends just how much I love and miss Snoopy. Now for the name, 'Mujhe Maro' is coined because the chocolate dome has to be cracked before melted hot chocolate is poured over the top. The dome of chocolate melts and so does the ice cream. This is a dessert you have to try! There was an issue with the cake slice, but that was because it had been microwaved prior to plating. The sudden hot-cold-hot temperature change caused the cake to get hard and crumbly from soft and spongy. Just to make sure this doesn't happen to you, ask your server not to nuke the cake.
For my taste testing was a definite delight, with clear care taken into everything from the interior to the ingredients. As I always say, being invited and going on your own can be two entirely different stories. I'll make a surprise visit on my own to see how I fare without an invitation in the near future. Until then, Newbury is my new favorite place for excellent food.
Comments
Post a Comment