The high table

BOARDING schools, resident colleges, corporate dinners all prepare you for the pecking order that makes for the high table, in that, the most important guests or members occupy it and it becomes the cynosure of all eyes to set the precedent.

Thursday night at The Chambers, Taj, at a dinner hosted by Upper Crust, Behram and Farzana Contractor pulled off a social and culinary coup. Master chef Anton Mosimann was undoubtedly the star of the evening, as he lead us through a banquet that was a gourmet’s delight. When I arrived, our host and hostess, assisted ably by the charming Mark Manuel, were busy introducing the guests at our table of eight. The roll-call of guests included the charming, erudite Dilip De, his wickedly glamourous, talented, better half Shoba De, the oozy sensual Zeenat Aman, the dapper Ravi Shastri, the evergreen Asit Chandmal and the effervescent, gamin beauty Sharon Prabhakar.

While Behram sat between Shobha and me, Farzana flitted about like the proverbial butterfly, with keen purpose as she trained her camera with professional aplomb at the high table with devastating results. We were led through charm and cajoling, to relax and ignore the camera, which I am certain picked every tell-tale dribble, recording it for posterity.

The epicurean connoisseur amongst us was Asit, who had previewed the master chef’s five-course menu and with the care of a master sommelier had chosen wines to accompany our perfect dinner. There was a fine Puligny Montrachet ’98 to wash down the salmon with crab meat, bliss! Then came a Cloud Bay ’96 to enhance the scallops in a light cream sauce, a longan and lemon sorbet cleansed the palette for the grand main course: a saddle of lamb, perfectly pink, accompanied by cabbage, asparagus and snow peas with a touch of coconut, a la thoran, bringing with it a whiff of Anton’s brief sojourn in Kerala prior to his stay in Mumbai. A perfectly decanted rich Chateau Latour ’93 complemented the main course and to say that it rounded off a fantastic meal would be common place — that it inspired us to divinity was perhaps more appropriate, as Sharon burst into her now eponymous Don’t cry for me Argentina. It stirred and shook us all. I followed with some passionate chanting and we drifted into a world of intense depth and sublime meaning, imbibed as we were, of fine wine and an epicurean meal

Anton then joined us for a brief photo opportunity and introduction. In my London avtar, I was lucky to have been to the opening of his restaurant, Mosimann, over 12 years ago and count it amongst my favourite restaurants in the world. A chef of superlative talent, Anton counts amongst his friends, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, the Prince of Wales and the late Princess Diana. He confided to me that Liz Taylor calls him long distance, to book her table and discusses her meal with Anton almost every time. He also said that all of us must give him notice and come to the restaurant, connoisseurs of food and wine as he felt we were.

Behram seems to be recovering well from his health blues and I got to share with him my observation that his column had got wittier and sharper, if that were even possible. Delightful and humble as he is wont to be, he smiled away the compliment with a compliment — that it was lovely to have me seated by his side — which just swept me away. In the 21st century, the honour and tradition of a gentlemen born and bred is rare but indeed a pleasure and Behram fits the bill to a T: an all-time great and favourite.

The camaraderie and high jinx on the table owed itself to a superb meal complimented by the wines and in no small measure to the perfect
company. Having gone into a self-declared social hibernation, this wonderful evening will stay etched in my memory for time immemorial.

Farzana, the prime motivator who fine-tuned this exquisite gourmet experience, had pulled off a coup of sorts for her magazine Upper Crust, especially with Anton’s specialty culinary skills being showcased so impeccably. Upper crust, it definitely was, a refreshing ‘one off’ that only personal, precise planning, with a casual informal bonhomie, can make happen. Be sure to read more about it, in one of the future issues of the magazine. Hats off to the High Table, the master chef and a delightful Upper Crust host and hostess.