Kathmandu:

It’s not the Biblical meek that shall inherit the earth, it is 29-year-old Executive Chefs like Dhiraj who will either change local taste or end up being changed by it. “I learnt continental food in the Egypt Hilton after working hours with French Chefs learning the art of foreign cooking. I knew that continental food was the way to get ahead.”

Self assured, gastronomically aggressive, filled with a desire for memorable one-liners and memorable dishes, Chef Dhiraj has a coffee shop menu for Shangri-La’s Shambala Garden Café

with things like spring rolls from the Fujian province of China to pastry filled with creamed asparagus laced with sun dried tomato coulis. He has about 10 sandwiches and burgers, pastas, the inevitable pizzas and typically Dhiraj innovations…

… like the Quark Canapé which maitre de Devendra Sunwar laid on. The Quark Canapé wasn’t physics but a Danish cream cheese flavoured with thyme, walnuts, served on individual Chinese soup spoons and soaked in orange juice. It tasted of dreams. Said Dhiraj, “It took me a long time to settle on the orange juice.”

The Salmon Ricotta and Tuna starter was presented with a flourish that owed its origins to nouvelle cuisine where Chefs Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1972 decided that the Japanese style of food presentation allowed chefs to become creative artists. The Salmon Ricotta Cheese and Tuna floated in an apple vignarette with a reduced Balsamic vinegar spiced with dill, capers, cocktail onions and chives. A choux fritter leaned against the heady tasting dish where flavours hit you and Dhiraj said, “I award points to my recipes beginning with A-plus and going downwards.” The starter needed more than A-plus.

Two soups were served by Devendra. The Lamb and Barley Broth descendant of Scotch Broth (a rich mutton soup with barley and sautéed vegetables and sometimes a dash of curry powder) was interpreted by Dhiraj with extra barley, walnut oil and cinnamon cream. “I just added the barley,” said Dhiraj. It was classic.

The Butternut Squash Soup was made by “trying and trying”, and had roasted pumpkin puree cooked around burning charcoals with celery, leeks, onion and garlic. It was distinctly French in origin but Dhiraj had made it his own with delicacy. My guests demanded the recipe.

As a main course Dhiraj served The Pan Seared Bekti.

Imagine eating a delightful castle, surrounded by a delectable moat, imagine lemon juice mixed with a lemon caper sauce, imagine lightly seared Bekti on a bed of rice with vegetables sautéed in olive oil. Now imagine spending a blissful time where the tartness of lemon contrasted with the taste of Bekti. You end up mopping the rice in the juices while your palate tingles with recent memories.

The Gloria Torten arrived on a long dish with a small cup of fruits, a chocolate brownie and a bowl of chocolate sauce. You dipped into a bit of each with texture and tastes running riot. The brownie is owed to a housewife in Bangor, Maine America whose chocolate almond cake fell and she cut it into bars and served it. This was in the 19th century. In the 21st, Dhiraj improved on it with a rich nutty flavour by saying, “I create my own recipes. It’s the only way to make a difference.”

Taste the difference at The Shangri-La. Call 4412999.