Mumbai Food: 4 restaurants where chefs are adding edible gold to food

The festive season is upon us and expectedly most gold brands will lure patrons with attractive collections and discounts Turns out restaurants have joined the fray with ediblegold culinary extravaganza Its not a new phenomenon though Indias penchant for gold in all forms can be traced back to over a thousand years where the khansamas or the royal cooks would present the kings with goldplated food to honour them or celebrate festivals It was said to improve vitality and also display ones prosperityHistorically evidence shows that it was the Egyptian pharaohs who consumed it as an elixir as gold was believed to have properties that make you look younger Today restaurants are using gold leaves vark to add a touch of decadence and luxury to their meals Even though silver vark is commonly found on Indian mitahis gold isfavoured for its grandiosity Here are four options in the city that could serve as a good bang for your buckAsian blingRs 599Andheris Asian bar Yazu has two offerings the 24K gold leaf sushi Yazu twist with MexicanAsian ingredients and the 24K gold dust dimsums with charcoal coating Working with edible gold is as good as working with any other expensive ingredient You have to use it judiciously The gold leaf sheets balance the texture of the dish and also lend an essence of luxury required to elevate it says Ranbir Nagpal partner at Yazu Being a noble metal the gold dust on the charcoal dim sum or the leaf on MexicanAsian sushi does not alter the flavours of the original dish It does not oxidise or corrode due to moisture making it safe to be consumedThe mighty MidasRs 1000Before Huber amp Holly introduced the unicorn ice cream in the city they added sparkle to their menu for the festive season with the decadent Mighty Midas Made with 17 elements the dish is made using fresh gooey brownie caramelised nuts nutty Praline Rocher rocks hot fudge Belgian dark chocolate ice cream and hazeltella filled chocolate spheres It is topped with golddusted golden chocolate ice cream a raspberry rose sorbet macaron pipette of ginger passion fruit caramel chocolate bar ruby nutties and finally garnished with 24carat gold leaf flakes It comes together by being served in a chocolate layered cone covered with gold sprinkles Gayatri Chona founder and product development head says We wanted to create an ice cream that looked dressy Which is when we decided to create something glamorous for the festive season And what better way to do that than using gold Chonas biggest challenge was to handle the gold leaf as that made for half the cost of the ice cream and even a slight amount of error would lead to the gold leaf disintegrating into dustFor the royalsRs 415 Lucknowi cuisine was made by nawabs for their pleasure which is why they would incorporate gold and silver into the dish to enhance its value Chef Vikram Arora Tamak wanted to add an exquisite dish on the menu which is when he thought of rustling up the potli kebab Since potli resembles the shape of a purse it was meant to keep what you consider precious safe In culinary terms this would elevate the dish from fine to grand explains Arora What a gold leaf lacks in flavour it makes up in medicinal propertiesmdashit is an aphrodisiac He adds that 9999 per cent purity gold is used in the making of the gold leaf It is made by certified skilled workers only I source it from a vendor at Masjid Bunder You can buy it onlineMiddle Eastern experienceRs 1495Middle Eastern finedine Bayroute has launched gold souk a dessert inspired by Dubais gold markets Chef Sandeep Rane corporate chef bakery and confectionery says We have meticulously created this dessert which replicates Dubais richness grandeur and magic of the gold markets It is filled with rose vermicelli kulfi assorted icecream and sorbet saffron pearls topped with lotus ruby chocolate flower plated with edible 24 karat gold leaves fruits and nuts While the dessert looks spectacular Rane tells us that working with gold leaf needs a stable hand to place it on the dish He adds Since 24karat gold is very soft and fragile most edible goldmdashwhether leaf flakes or dustmdashhas no taste texture or calories Edible gold might be an expensive treat but it is safe to consume It gives a dish a royal and spectacular lookCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates