Yauatcha, the dim sum tea house in Kolkata’s Quest Mall, completed 10 years in the city. On the sidelines of the celebrations, the new cocktail menu ‘Asia In A Glass’ was introduced. Chef Shaun Kenworthy and (right) author Aslam Gafoor along with head mixologist Merwyn Alphonso stirred cocktails for the guests at the September 5 get-together
Images by Soumyajit Dey; Drinks and food shots courtesy Yauatcha
The ‘Asia In A Glass’ menu features some curated cocktails like Pink Thyme, Earth Asian, Tian Shang, Jing Mei, Around the World and Ginger Martini, which are fruit-forward and tea-infused concoctions. Each cocktail is stirred with the fine flavours of Asian ingredients like tea, lychee, lemongrass, ginger and more. Exploring the integration of Asian ingredients into the restaurant’s cocktail programme since its inception in 2011, author Aslam Gafoor has contributed a feature article in the latest edition of the ‘Yauatcha Life’ magazine, which was also launched on the sidelines of the event
My Kolkata spotted eminent faces of the city at their favourite dim sum spot. Sharing her favourites from the menu, restaurateur Doma Wang (left) said, ‘I always visited Yauatcha for their Cheung Fun and I think I have never had that kind of Cheung Fun anywhere else.’ Enjoying her a glass of Earth Asian (Mount Gay eclipse, in-house apricot compote, jasmine, lychee, lime) celebrity beauty expert Bridgette Jones said , ‘It’s my family’s favourite place in the whole of Quest Mall. We love their wraps, fried rice and pretty much everything’
(L-R) Anand Puri, the third-generation owner of Trincas, is in love with Yauatcha’s Chocolate Mousse. He picked his gin and tea potion for the evening and reviewed it saying, ‘I loved the Jing Mei stirred with gin, sake and floral tea liqueur from the new menu. It was on the sweeter side and just perfect!’. Designer and co-initiator of Kolkata Pride Navonil Das, who is a regular at Yauatcha for their vegetarian menu said, ‘I am a non-vegetarian but Yauatcha has made me love veg food. They do some amazing stuff with their menu and I always come back for dishes like the Turnip Cake’
Food connoisseurs and founders of Ammolite Ideators F&B Consultancy, Rukshana A Kapadia and Suneha Saha, congratulated Team Yauatcha for ‘the outstanding food and desserts curated over the last decade.’ The duo picked ‘Crispy Prawn Cheung Fun, Poached Peking Dumpling and the Crispy Aromatic Duck’ as their favourites from the menu
Food vlogger and chartered accountant Aerica Sardar posed with her husband Rohit Raj Ghosh, owner of Dwarik’s Grandsons. Speaking to My Kolkata, Aerica said, ‘I tried the Tiang Shang cocktail with Raspberry and elderflower foam. I love elderflowers, so I loved it! I came here for their Prawn Sui Mai and today I found that they are serving it!’
Author Aslam Gafoor, a patron of Yauatcha, was pleasantly surprised when his favourite restaurant approached him to write for their anniversary magazine. ‘When they got in touch, I wondered what I could do. After some brainstorming with my editor, I decided to delve into their innovative way of using Asian flavours, glassware and ice. I was surprised to see that they created a fresh menu inspired by what I wrote.’ Chef Shaun Kenworthy, an advocate for local and seasonal ingredients, is also a patron of Yauatcha. Calling it a night, the chef said, ‘We (wife Shubha ‘Pinky’ Kenworthy) celebrate every occasion at Yauatcha. If you see, Yauatcha introduced the culture of dim sums in India. So, yeah, it was great to be a part of the celebration’
