Dhruv Oberoi at work
| Photo Credit: Special arrangements
Chef Dhruv Oberoi from Olive Delhi believes India has several herbs and indigenous vegetables waiting to make it to progressive Indian menus.
The chef is now in Hyderabad for a special pop-up at Olive Bistro Hyderabad, where he puts forth a progressive Mediterranean menu that combines Indian ingredients with Mediterranean techniques. He is making diners polish off Mediterranean salads that have the Indian amla and desserts with jamun.
Dhruv may be surprising his diners with his craft with food, but he says he discovered his inborn love for the kitchen quite late. He says, “At first, I was an interior designer. I slowly understood that my interest was in the kitchen and food techniques. Once I realised that, I quit interior designing and trained as a chef. I went to Spain to work and learn; there I saw the how deftly they play with ingredients and flavour.”
The pop-up by Dhruv is a splash of progressive culinary delights. His tangy amla and green mango salad, the Himalayan cheese soufflé served with pickled jamun, and the minced Sirohi goat and quail egg kufteh meatballs, served with smoked aubergine labneh are a few of the best sellers. Then there is the butternut squash and harissa, tahini and seabass, cuttlefish, and pici.
Do his interior designer facets show up in his food, say in terms of colour, symmetry, and looks? “Not at all. I have completely let the interior designer in me remain dormant and not interfere with my chef life. Presentation is important for me, but it should be neat and understandable to the diner; it should only highlight the ingredients and not outplay the dish,” he adds.
One of chef Dhruv’s creation
Dhruv likes to call himself an ingredient-forward chef, so he seems to always on the lookout for ingredients to be discovered. He is absolutely in love with Leh Berry, amla, jamun and cheese from fromageries in India. “As a chef, I also feel that food should come with a story. I have a story to tell about the amla in a Mediterranean salad. So when I took over as chef at Olive Delhi I was reworking the menu and trying to marry Indian with Mediterranean without diluting the flavours. I first thought of the amla murabba. But it was too sweet. So we worked on it and got a beautiful product. When I shared my idea with our director, AD Singh, he was not happy about it. However, when we shared the final product with him, I got a nod of approval instantly. The surprised look on his face was the best,” adds Dhruv.
Dhruv is also very proud of the desserts: Basque cheesecake baked with almond frangipane and served with jamun compote and almond turrón crunch, and the tiramisu picnic basket that has coffee, rum-soaked sponge and mascarpone trifle, along with staples like fruits and cheese.
The pop-up at Olive Hyderabad is on for lunch and dinner till August 31.
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