To Sorrento, Shangri-La Eros’s fine-dining restaurant famed for its artisanal pastas, Neapolitan classics, and soulful Italian food, chef Karim Khouani, who has spent three decades in kitchens, many of them Michelin-starred, brought in Nordic flair with a solid base of French artistry.
Taking over Sorrento from September 3-7, Khouani, who helms the Copenhagen restaurant Texture, served a delicious meal that was full of surprises, shaped by seasonal and classic ingredients, and infused with a great deal of passion.
A tomato tart topped with sorbet, lobster with grapefruit, a tight chicken parcel with black truffle shavings, a creamy potato gnocchi with Parmigiano Reggiano, a fillet of Chilean sea bass with a reduced warm butter sauce – each dish was a roll call of excellence. The top meat on the table that day was chicken; and the chef served other dishes close to his expertise in seafood and poultry.
Why no buff or lamb? “The menu was designed to be light, fresh, and contemporary, reflecting European tradition while considering local preferences,” said the chef, explaining the curation.
“Dishes like Canadian Lobster with Grapefruit and Carrots or Tomato Tart with Mustard and Tomato Sorbet bring in brightness and balance. The focus is on seafood and poultry, which best showcase the skills I’ve developed over the years,” he said. “Although French cuisine often uses cream and cheese, my approach is to let the natural flavours of the main ingredients speak, showing that Shangri-La Eros, New Delhi, maintains the same high standards and care I bring to any kitchen. In my restaurant, Texture, we serve 95 per cent seafood and fish like foie gras (foie gras is not just made of goose liver but made of the liver of monkfish as well), because with the seafood we can really get the perfection and it is popular in the south of France too.”
Which dishes were most liked by Indian diners? The Fillet of Chilean Seabass with Beurre Blanc and Croutons, Potato Gnocchi with Truffle and Parmigiano Reggiano and Eggs 63 have been diners' most loved dishes, confirmed the chef.
Specialties such as fresh black truffle and caviar were sourced from Europe to ensure authenticity. Cooking is as much about heritage and memory as technique, and that is the spirit the chef said he wanted to share with diners here. Each dish echoed his Mediterranean roots and his grandmother’s influence—his first culinary teacher. What kind of food does he personally like to eat? “I enjoy simple, authentic food where the ingredients shine. Mostly Italian, Indian and Japanese are my favorites. The common thread is always balance, flavour, and heart,” he said.
Had Delhi’s taste influenced the menu? On his first visit here, the chef said he did not set out to make a fusion menu, but he did consider what diners in Delhi would enjoy while staying true to modern European cuisine. “The dishes we served here are approachable yet authentic. My goal was to offer diners something exciting and enjoyable without changing the essence of my style. I think everyone around the world just needs to hear a story about the preparation and then they will enjoy the dishes even more.”