Cake mixing at Hyatt Regency, Gurgaon.

I had the privilege of attending the cake mixing ceremony -which is the traditional way to usher-in the holiday season at the sparkling new multicuisine restaurant at Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, Kitchen District.

The show was orchestrated by their Chef Ashutosh, their pastry chef, amid the encouraging cheers of the jocund crowd, which truly made the atmosphere festive. The event begun with the mixing of colourful cherries, dates, plums and dry fruits all together in the heady concoction of wine and champagne, with the participants ceremoniously aproned and donning a Chef’s cap as well. As the nuts and cherries soaked in spirit, the guest soaked in Christmas spirit and the whole atmosphere seemed to have transformed into that of joyful merriment. The mixing was followed by a high tea, which did not let us down in terms of either joy or grandeur.

The Hyatt’s commitment to excellence was continued in the sinfully delicious display of sweeties that was there for us to enjoy after our hard labours. We were treated to chocolate ganache tart, peanut butter cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, double chocolate cupcakes and a selection of petit fours. The best of the petit fours was a lovely caramel opera gateaux slice, with soft moist layers and chewy caramel. The cupcakes were a treat for the eyes as well as the tongue, with some really funky and innovative icing techniques ensuring a generous serving of frosting on each mini cake, as well as making the display look absolutely fabulous.

However, beating the lot by a sweet country mile, the undisputed highlight of the desserts were the raspberry macarons, luscious sweet pillows of French pastry perfection. They were larger than the traditional macarons, but this can only be a good thing, as there was more to enjoy – perfectly formed feet on the cookies, melt-in-the-mouth texture and a raspberry puree filling that was the perfect balance of sweet and tart. We loved how they were adhered to little white chocolate bases to stand up tall and proud on the cake stands. They were very obviously freshly made, and were a solid contender for best macarons in the NCR.

Another memorable culinary moment was created by the white chocolate lollipops, formed in the shape of the Kitchen District logo and in bright, cheerful, highly unusual colours that drew the eye and the palette to any table where they were displayed. The little mason jars that contained these lovelies were served to us with high tea and on display in the restaurant as well. Tiny sandwich bites on the lower tiers of the cake stands (traditional fillings of salmon for the omnivores and cucumber for the herbivores) served as a savoury counterpoint to all the sweetness, and nicely rounded off this delightful afternoon tea.

How can I not mention “Johnny ki Chai”?. Hyatt has  a well equipped bar named “long bar” and their mixologist  Abhishek served us this fabulous drink. It was served in cutting chai glasses from an aluminium kettle and innocuously resembles our regular chai. One sip of this drink made me realise this was much more and the various flavours were frolicking on my tastebuds. The concoction was heady and curiously full of different notes. This one drink is potent enough to make me head back to Hyatt and do a full fledged review of Long Bar . As for Abhishek I strongly feel this person has a long bright future ahead.

Such a ceremony has been a much celebrated concept among European nations; it is supposed to be the precursor to everything good that comes with Christmas. This traditional ceremony marks the beginning of New Year celebrations and is believed to bring good luck for the coming year, which for us is an only too familiar concept. Christmas Eve, the mixture will be blended with cake batter to make the delicious giant plum cake.

The evening was more than mere cake mixing. It coincided with children’s day and Chef Adam,  and Chef Ashutosh did succeed in awakening the child in all of us by their friendly banter and the lively ritual. Moulina and Anadita ensured that we all feel at home and enriched the experience with their warmth and hospitality. This was an experience that will linger in my memory for a really long time.

Co written by Jasmeen Kaur Malhotra