This Sunday, celebrate International Jazz Day at a brunch that packs a punch with flavours from its birthplace
Grits Fritters. Pics/Datta Kumbhar
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The seductive notes of the saxophone and guitar combine in our head to conjure up a lovely Jazz melody as we sip a spoonful of Seafood Gumbo (Rs 350) at Café Zoe. The tangy-spicy flavours from the well-seasoned soup, laced with tender calamari rings, hit our throat, and we wonder if this is what a lazy afternoon in New Orleans, the birthplace of Jazz and Gumbo, would feel like. As we scoop the diced okra in the soup onto our spoon, chef Viraf Patel interjects our reverie. "Okra isn't used just as a vegetable but it helps thicken it. So, the dish becomes a meal in itself."
Seafood Gumbo.
This Sunday, Gumbo makes its way into the restaurant's New Orleans-inspired one-day-only brunch menu for International Jazz Day celebrations with Ryan Sadri (saxophone), Adrian D'Souza (drums), Abhinav Khokhar (bass) and Karim Ellaboudi (keyboards) jamming all afternoon.
Jam over Jambalaya
The menu offers 10 dishes, including Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguini, Sausage And Shrimp Jambalaya, Muffuletta Sandwich, where mortadella sausage is stuffed in a sesame bun and desserts such as Banana Foster. "New Orleans' cuisine has French, Spanish, Italian and African influences. We've balanced traditional with modern fare. Muffuletta Sandwiches, brought in by Italian settlers, have become the thing to eat in New Orleans, especially during Mardi Gras," says Patel, whose knowledge of the cuisine stems from the research he carried out when the Lower Parel restaurant would curate country-specific menus.
Grit-ty flavours
We move to Sunburst Salad (Rs 370), dressed in Tabasco-cinnamon vinaigrette, which balances lettuce with cranberries, orange segments and crumbly goat cheese with panache.
Cheesy Grits
Doused in heavenly smoked flavours, skewers of barbecued prawns and bacon rest next to a mash of cornmeal (grits) in Cheesy Grits (Rs 650). "Earlier, the leftover grits were used to make fritters the next day," says Patel, who offers its modern avatar as Grits Fritters (Rs 380), where crisp bricks of starchy cornmeal come covered with grated parmesan.
Bees Knees
We wash them down with Bees Knees (Rs 450), a refreshing concoction of gin, lime and honey, which is one of the five cocktails curated for the brunch. "Gin is associated with the era of Jazz and New Orleans," shares partner Jérémie Horowitz. We also love Ward 8, which offers whisky with summery orange and lime juice.
Partners Viraf Patel, Jérémie Horowitz and Tarini Mohindar with the brunch spread
Beignet talk
We move on to Creole Chicken (Rs 540), a meaty stew with peppers, tomato, onion, ladyfinger and celery served with thyme black rice. The familiar flavours of vegetables combine with the spiced gravy to symbolise the melting pot that is New Orleans.
As we bite into Beignets, warm and pillowy dough squares dusted with powdered sugar, we're regaled with a nugget about Café Du Monde, a legendary coffee house that has stood in New Orleans since 1862. "Beignets are difficult to handle. So, they fling them into the fryer," Patel laughs, assuring us that he doesn't follow the same practice in his kitchen.
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