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Eat it and flaunt it too!

Dining out is a status symbol now. It is all about expensive food with rare ingredients and best wines, finest cutlery with best table décor

PHOTO: S.R. RAGHNATHAN

AESHTETICS MATTER Today, restaurants present food in the most aesthetic way for the elite and charge accordingly

Ever wondered why some people drive a Ferrari when the good old Fiat can just as well take them to destination? Why some people wear labels and not just shirts? Yes, it has all got to do with that indefinable joy of status, rank, hierarchy; of having your nose ahead of the rest. And this feeling extends from the car and the wardrobe to the food table. So, does your food table define your status symbol as well? Yes, simply because there is more to food than nutrition and dieting.

The food table speaks volumes about you. What is seen on your food table not only speaks of your food preferences but also defines your status symbol. Remember the "soney ki thali aur chandi ka glass"? That was the traditional way of showing you have arrived. Now, the haves use luxury foods and special tableware to demonstrate their superior status.

And restaurant owners know it too well. They have mastered the art of presenting the food table for the elite and charge accordingly. Be it rare ingredients, best wines or the finest of cutlery and crockery or even the best of table décor. It is all value addition for the status conscious diner, the man who wants to have a small helping of seven dishes in one meal and soaks in the joy of being pampered. And to do just that, no corner of the world is out of reach. If the best of the best has to be imported then so be it.

Exotic food

Today, we often choose slightly more expensive food, choice food that is exotic for the sole reason that it is a status symbol. Today, you certainly won't serve the rice to your guests that you used to have in vegetarian pulao in childhood. You will probably walk down to the nearest upmarket store and lay your hands on the finest variety, even if it means digging deeper into your pocket.

Hilsa may be an all time favourite fish for our local palate but Norwegian salmon carries the tag of being exclusive. You may not be the lover of Caviar but its presence makes your table appear special for special people.

Mention of shitake mushrooms alone is enough to impart a touch of exclusivity. So is the case with Australian lamb. Lobsters are not that exclusive any more, so people are asking for Moreton Bay Bugs from Australia. Rarest of scotch has similar magic. On much the same lines is the trend in crockery. Once exclusive, gold line crockery is no longer royal. It is being quietly replaced with famous international brands. Designer crockery and cutlery is in. At the end of the day everything on the table has to be good enough to match the status of the diner.

Now, a recipe that is exclusive enough to match the status symbol of the elite:

Valencia Prawns

Ingredients

Tiger prawns peeled but head on3 nos.

Norwegian salmon 3 thin slices
Orange juice 50 ml
Half lemon
Salt to taste
Green peppercorn1 teaspoon
Basil leaves few
Butter 20 gms
Chopped garlic Half teaspoon
Chopped parsley Half teaspoon

Method

Take prawns and marinate them with salt, half orange juice, quarter lemon for 20 minutes

Place prawns in a greased tray and cook in medium heated oven till almost done. Wrap prawns in thin salmon slices and cook again in oven for two minutes.

Make sauce in a pan with remaining orange juice, lemon juice and butter. Add green peppercorn too at this stage.

Arrange the wrapped prawns on the serving plate.

Pour the sauce on top of the prawns in just the sufficient quantity. Sprinkle the chopped parsley

Garnish the plate with basil leaves and green peppercorn sprigs. Serve hot with the portion of vegetables and/or rice.

RAKESH KUMAR

(The author, a Limca Book of Records title holder, is Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza. He can be emailed at chefrk@crowneplazadelhi.com)

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