PICS: PRAMOD SHRESTHA

A dining experience at the Hyatt is guaranteed to be one that is decadent, hedonistic, and always delicious. When you eat here, you are doing more than just feeding your stomach; you are reveling in delights that pander to all your senses. With the change in season, the Rox Restaurant, the hotel's signature outlet, has introduced a new menu which while retaining the perennial favourites, hosts a dazzling array of new items.

With its emphasis on quality and safety, the Hyatt boasts of being the only Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certified hotel in the country. And since there is no compromise on quality, it is to be expected that this excellence comes with a price.

We started our meal with the Spanish Garlic Soup (Rs 695), a thick creamy bowl of goodness that is nourishing and comforting and also very healthy. The taste of garlic is not overpowering, but manages to be a subtle essence that imbues the soup with flavour. It was the perfect start to the meal and a tantalising peek into the gustatory wonders that awaited us. The thick sweet delight of the Pan Seared Trio of Scallops with blue cheese (Rs 1,600) was so good that I wanted a whole plate filled with them.

At this point it would be fair to say that I had started salivating on just reading this item on the menu so my expectations for it were great. And the Blueberry Risotto with Smoked Duck Breast and Mascarpone Cheese (Rs 1,350) did not disappoint. A substantial amount of rice on which nestled these slices of sweet smokey and succulent duck breast with skin that had just the right amount of crackle and crunch to it, this I have to say is among the best risottos I have tasted in my entire life. The next dish to be plated up for us was the Wheat Pasta Napolitana with fresh basil (Rs 1300) which like it sounds was wholesome and healthy.

While there is nothing wrong with healthy, I was at Rox to groan in pleasure with each bite and the Himalayan Rainbow Trout with Sicilian ratatouille and butter caper sauce (Rs 1750) had me in moans of ecstasy with each bite. I am not a keen fish eater having been subjected to virulent attacks of food poisoning after eating said piscine but after this meal I have been eating fish everywhere I go. Like they say there is no greater devotee than she who has refound faith and food is my religion.

The Australian Lamb Shanks (Rs 2,100) come with the creamiest mashed potatoes (I do not want to think about the amount of butter in that) and rosemary jus. While the shanks were a little dry for me and thus chewy, the reduction of the sweet sauce for the jus was amazing. By this time my mind was saying no, but my body was telling me otherwise. This feast had to end on a sweet not and what notes they were.

The Mango Panna Cotta with almond snap (Rs 850) was suitably delicious but Rox has spoilt tiramisu from everywhere else for me forever. Because no tiramisu in this fine town of ours is going to come even close to the one they serve here. Dished up in a martini glass,the Classical Tiramisu (Rs 875) is an authentic mixture of mascarpone cheese and egg yolk layered alternatively with finger bread soaked in coco and amaretto liqueur topped with coffee powder and chocolate-coated almonds.

Rox is expensive, there is no denying that. It is also not somewhere I would go to often, for I can't afford it, but if you rich, why would you want to eat anywhere else? For the rest of us, it is perfect for a celebratory lunch or dinner where you want to go all out and splurge on a meal you'll be relishing and talking about for months. I did away with my rating system recently but if I hadn't, I would have awarded all ten 'forks' to executive chef Subrata Debnath. Well done, sir, well done.