Tres Review

Jatin Mallick was already an experienced chef, when he decided to venture on his own.

A veteran at cooking, his resume’ includes such as the Taj Bengaluru, The Intercontinental Marine Drive, Gordon Ramsey’s – Maze. Terrence Conran’s -Canteen, L’auberge in Hammersmith etc. And finally Set’z in New Delhi. Phew!! And then Tres happened. Named after the trio – Ronnie Lobo, Chef Julia Desa and Chef Jatin Mallick himself. Chef Julia Desa herself being a seasoned chef and co-owner of Tres, has a very decorated background. This goan firecracker is the spice quotient of the otherwise sedate eatery.

More of an upscale casual restaurant, it certainly does not serve ‘French’ food as claimed by certain food networks. “It is European food, actually contemporary modern European cuisine with world flavors” to quote Mallick, and to give the baby a name.To begin with, the menu was narrow in scope. If not adventurous enough, it was still above standard fare. Yet it remained a far cry from the diversity of Set’z and complexity of L’Auberge. Mallick believed a game-changing improvement lay somewhere between those two. “I wanted a place that was friendly and accommodating but the talking point should always be the food”.

Since opening the restaurant Mallick’s front-of-the-house role has been to draw customers into the comfortable, dark wood interiors. For those who know the Lodi Colony area in New Delhi, it would’ve been perfect if there was permission by the authorities for outdoor curbside seating, especially during the fall and winter months. Equally excellent for soaking the bustling city scene and sunshine, especially at lunch.

Chef Julia Desa along with Mallick, have the job of keeping the guests happily fed with a menu focused on classic concepts, with a modern approach with clean yet fancy twists. Like their latest seasonal edition of the Goat cheese churros with salt roasted beetroot, rocket and apple walnut dressing. I have eaten Goat cheese churros at the very posh NoMad restaurant in New York City, there the head chef Nathan Sasi adds the goat cheese to the churro batter and fries this traditional Spanish desert. As a churro would be defined traditionally, it is not unlike a doughnut. At Tres the chef pipes in the goat cheese and serves us a filled churro. Truly imaginative and delicious. And just like at NoMad, it has been inspired to become a lovely snack or an appetizer which can be had with a glass of wine or as a salad.

Several dishes like the slow roasted Belgium pork belly with sweet and sour cabbage are menu main stays. Though in my opinion, the dish would be perfect with radicchio and if the crackling was better done. It felt a little over. Says Mallick about the pork belly, it’s a fan favorite that pleases regulars and surprises new comers with its pleasantly spicy bite from the caramelized chilly sauce.

The pan fried Kalari is something of an acquired taste. Kalari is a traditional cheese indigenous to Jammu and Kashmir. A very dense cheese, it is like a cross between haloumi and mozzarella and is cooked in its own fat. It is too heavy a thought for a summer dish in a place like New Delhi and quite insipid in taste in my humble opinion.

On the other hand, a fun appetizer that has become a regular now is the Foie gras brulee with sweet and sour Himalayan cherries which are absolutely delicious even by themselves served with homemade wafers. With the ongoing Foie gras controversy/ban in India, I hope this dish still remains in the menu.

Since Mallick is very passionate about his ingredients especially the seafood, he’s free to play with specials such as the Marinated Scottish Salmon Tartare with sesame ginger tuile taco, mango-pepper relish and herb salad. The tartare had an after taste, sort of a not so nice fishy flavor. There are places in Delhi itself, which serve excellent Salmon Tartare and Tres certainly isn’t one of them. This said, the twist of using a tuile taco instead of the traditional bread/baguette is very interesting. The mango pepper relish is a super accompaniment and served as a perfect contrast to the smokiness of the salmon.

Which is Mallick’s style when it comes to ingredient choices?

He is a fan and supporter of “craziness, madness, lots of passion and commitment, very adventurous and non conventional ways”. These are the ingredients that go into his cooking, which is visible in the Vanilla panna cotta, mango spaghetti and balsamic caviar. The balsamic caviar is way off the mark, gluey and solid, but the idea is interesting and nouvelle. The panna cotta beautifully set, was fresh and close to perfect.

He does however believe that a way to woman’s heart is through her stomach. “Though they’re always dieting nowadays”, he says with great thought. “No dairy, no cheese, no fat”. “So maybe the way to her heart would be through a great glass of wine”.

He did make a semi-way to mine with Baron Philippe De Rothschild Cadet doc-Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon of the same. The Prosecco did make me take back a few steps but I had been won over by the Spinach and herbed cheese roulade, with fantastic asparagus crumble, prune ketchup and peppery balsamic.
Coming back to the wines they do have a decent wine list, balanced in parts. From a Louis Roderer – France to a Chandon Brut – India. From one of my favorites Marchesi Di Barolo Barbaresco – Italy to a Don Cano, Malbec – Argentina for the Reds. From a Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc to a Vina Tarapaca La Isla Sauvignon Blanc – Chile for the Whites. Though I was content with the wine list, one thought did cross my mind, as to why most wines listed on the Tres menu do not mention the year. A few do, like the Baciami Langhe Dolcetto doc 2010-Italy, but I can just see a couple which have been written about in the right way. I for one would love to know before-hand the year of my wine prior to ordering it.
So much for the wines, but being versatile in his techniques as Mallick calls himself, he promises to make sure the way is fully paved into my heart by making “a good steamed fish” – “very elegant, sensual, bursting with flavors in short a very good looking dish”. Sounds a lot like me I happily agree with him on the adjectives with a smile. “I like to customize my solutions, I don’t follow state old formulas”, he says with assured confidence.

We end with the quirky iced water chestnut, hazelnut and chocolate S’more with fresh cherry-mint salad. A different take on the original which is served with Graham crackers, roasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate.

Will I come back for seconds? Certainly, the steamed fish, the Barbaresco and the Kombucha (a healing detoxifying tea) beckons me, as does Jatin Mallick’s affable, care a damn demeanor.

Rating