Date: 04 Aug 2018
Venue: DLF Cyberhub Gurgaon

There are celebrities and celebrities. Sarah Todd is definitely one of them. She is one of stars of Masterchef Australia. Also, she is among the youngest chefs who have made a name in the culinary circuits across the world.  In fact, we were very impressed with the TLC program about her starting her restaurant in Goa. The Wine Company at Cyber Hub, Gurgaon is celebrating its 4th anniversary with a brand refresh and an all new menu curated by celebrity chef Sarah Todd. She was present here last Saturday evening and hosted a wine pairing event over drinks and dinner.  We had heard about The Wine Company and given the involvement of Sarah Todd, were expecting a blast.

What we got in turn was a beautifully laid table with three wine glasses for every diner who was invited that evening. The dinner was preceded by a cocktail session where wine based cocktails seasoned with rosemary or mixed with orange juice. Glasses of Chardonnay were doing the rounds. Cheese, nuts and fruits were also laid for nibbles. It was after a while that we had met many of our blogger friends. The catching up experience was even more pleasant over the refreshments.

Dinner was announced in some time and we all got seated. Sarah and Joideep Singh from The Wine Company introduced the menu; a print was laid separately for every diner. The menu was segregated in entre, main course and dessert. Very clean flow, no clutter. Every course had the appropriate wine paired with it.

For instance, for vegetarians the entre was grilled pesto mushrooms and prawns for non-vegetarians. The Italian Prosecco, a sparkling wine, was paired with this. The main course comprised chicken pad thai for non-vegetarians and quinoa biriyani for vegetarians. The Pad Thai – a tad spicy, was full of flavours. The red wine Tempranillo from Spain was served with this course. The dessert was a Lemington topped with cholocate mousse. Sauvignon from Chile was served with dessert.

The food was mild yet supremely tasty and very fulfilling. Moreover, the service was impeccable. It was two tables of total 60 diners and every dish / wine came on time. The service was with clockwork precision and the sit down dining experience was such a welcome break from the buffet that we are more accustomed now.

The post would be incomplete if we did not write a little bit about Ms. Todd. For one, she was resplendent in a black evening dress. It looked as if she had stepped straight out of a fashion magazine cover. What impressed us most is her down to earth approach. No airs, she was pleasantly mingling with the diners and merrily getting clicked. Wish our celebrities in India took a page from her book.

Lovely company – great food – live band and free flowing wine, there is very little else we could have asked from a Saturday evening. It was a great orientation – a first time for us to The Wine Company. Sarah Todd’s presence was of course the cherry on the icing.