Launch of Gourmetitup at Mia Bella, HKV

With upwardly mobile population increasing in India, there is a ripple effect on food business in the county, with young population have started dining out a lot. This has spurred entrepreneurs to take the plunge into food business. Mumbai based husband-wife duo had Deepa Jain andKunal Jain hadstarted the culinary web portal Gourmetitup.coma year back to provide one-of-a-kind dining experience at affordable prices. After Mumbai and Pune, Gourmetitup.com was launched in Delhi last week at Mia Bella with Four Course ‘Braai’ inspired Menu paired with premium wines from Sula Vineyard.
We were invited by FBAI, which was supporting the event. The event started with a wine tasting session by Neelam Parmar from Sula Vineyard. The five wines served were Sula Brut, Sula Riesling, Sula Dindori Reserve Voignier, Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz and Sula Late Harvest Chenin Blanc. The session was very interactive with Neelam telling the attendees about the nuances of the wines being served.Post the session, we settled down to enjoy the ‘Braai’ cuisine and understand its pairing with wines. The ‘Braai’ cuisine is African barbecue food which is cooked in open flames. With the choice between vegetarian and non-vegetarian, I opted for non-vegetarian. In the appetizers, I was served a platter consisting of Chicken Picatta, Brazilian Churrasco and Shish Taouk paired with Sula Brut. The light-bodied sparkling wine perfectly gelled the spicy platter. Next was the Nazza, a naan bread based pizza topped with bell peppers, zucchini, mushroom, broccoli and baby corns which was paired with Sula Riesling. The medium-bodied, fruity wine was complimenting the flavors of crisp vegetables. The main course had Chicken Peri-Peri paired with Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz. The full-bodied, smooth, silky wine was balancing the spicy flavor of the chicken. The desserts were a platter of Chocolate Brownie, Cheescake and Tiramisuwhich were paired with the dessert wine Sula Late Harvest Chenin Blanc. Again a master pairing as the aroma of tropical fruits was gelling with the strong aroma of chocolate.Other than the food and wine, renowned Magician & Illusionist Shanker Bakshi was also there with his bag of tricks.The objective of Gourmet It Up is to enhance the dining experience of its members through exquisitely designed menus, master classes, other gourmet events. They have already partnered with some of Delhi’s finest gastronomic destinations such as Rara Avis, Ploof, Shiro, Lodi – The Garden Restaurant, Guppy By Ai, Diva, Olive Qutub, Uzuri Deck.I found it to be a brilliant concept, but my experience in terms of food at the event was not up to the expectations. Though I liked the Nazza, but the Chicken Peri-Peri was dry and had got cold by the time it came to my plate. The dessert portions were very small. Brownie tasted more like a run-of-the-mill cake. I could not feel the aroma of coffee and the taste of liquor in tiramisu.Gourmet It Up has served 25000 experiences and I look forward to their experiences in Delhi.P.S. I have signed up for the membership.