Restaurant

Restaurant

A rekindling of memories

Memories of China at Vivanta by Taj， MG Road， Bangalore， was once a highlight on the culinary landscape of the city. Then， the restaurant seemed to run its course and shut down for a major refurbishing. It has now re-opened in a brand new avatar. Its design is sleek and contemporary， accommodating a range of dining experiences—from live stations to private dining rooms and a tea bar. Master Chef Lai Hin Tong William’s signature dishes include Peking duck， poached reef cod， smoked duck egg with caviar and steamed sweet custard buns. Tel： （080） 6660 4444

Ham it up

The French culinary calendar is peppered with events that celebrate the special produce from the region. From April 5 to 8 it’s the Bayonne Ham Fair， in the picturesque Basque country. The fair， which goes back to 1426， celebrates the products of the region， especially its distinctive and highly prized Bayonne ham. And ham producers compete to be adjudged the best. An open air market on the banks of the River Nive is part of the festivities. Besides the famous jambon， you can also taste the region’s cider， Basque cakes and some of Bayonne’s famous chocolate at this charming food show.

Singapore is where it’s at

Serious foodies simply have to head to Singapore this April when it hosts the World Gourmet Summit. From April 16 to 26， the entire city becomes an eyepopping culinary showcase. Top chefs from Singapore and across the world will display their talents during the summit. Guests can sample their creations， participate in wine tastings and sign up for workshops.

The best things in life

Taste dishes from Daniel Boulud and sit down to an Omakase meal created by the Yamaguchi and Morimoto. The Pebble Beach Food and Wine show from April 4 to 7 is a gastronomical extravaganza that combines these experiences and more. The event showcases reputed wineries and renowned chefs from around the world.

THE PAN ASIAN

Sheraton Hotel， District Centre， Saket New Delhi. Tel： （011） 4266 1122

Cuisine： Oriental

Cost： Approx 22，500 +taxes per head（without alcohol）

Bar License： Yes

Elevator： Available

Review

We head into Sheraton Saket hungry， and after a longish， sluggish work day. We are headed to The Pan Asian and the promise of interactive kitchen counters sound very interesting.

Our place is set at the Teppanyaki Grill where a smiling chef Dawa Lama is raring to sizzle up the massive teppan hot plate right in front of us.

A sucker for Miso soup， that’s what I immediately seek out from the vast menu. Miso Shiru （2495） comes fragrantly fermented and with delicate shrimps floating around. Chef Lama is meanwhile dishing up some Ebi Yaki prawns （21，195） lathered in a special sauce and butter. It’s fascinating to see him at work. It’s pure drama. The prawns， piping hot， nicely tossed up are neatly scooped up in little platters which are then balanced on his metal food stirrer and held across the hot plate for us to pick off， in one fluid motion.

I do a walk about the various interactive kitchens. There is the Chinese and Thai stir and Wok Fry. I peep in and get tempted by the stir fried Chinese greens with minced garlic （2795） and some wok fried chilli bean chicken， Chengdu style （21，195）. Both are sent over to our table fresh， crisp and devoured quickly.

Meanwhile Chef Lama’s show continues. He is tossing slivers of something on to the teppan and stirring up more magic. The browned bits are piled up in a little platter and spun onto the table. We are intrigued as we bite in. They are fresh garlic chips！ Palette cleansers of a very different kind…

I am very tempted by the Peking duck on the menu （full portion price at 23，195）. This traditional roasted duck served with hoi sin sauce and steamed pancakes with cucumber and spring onions， is spiced and slow-roasted and then shredded. The skin is often served separately as a first course with a dipping sauce and the carcass is used to make a broth to be served with rice towards the end of the meal. But given that it needs an empty stomach to do justice， I beat down the greed rearing its head inside me.

We roll out very happy and absolutely satiated， it is an evening very well spent.

OCEAN

Sahara Star Hotel， Western Express

Highway， Near Mumbai Domestic Airport Vile Parle East， Mumbai

Tel： （022） 3980 7444

Cuisine： Pan Asian

Cost： 23，000 for two （without alcohol）

Reservations： Not required

Review

If you’re a couple， it has a special section with a five-course menu to go. If you are a family， there’s a special room with a seven-course meal. For the corporate lot， there are non sleep-inducing light lunches. But， here the best thing to be is hungry. Welcome to Ocean： Sahara Star’s Pan Asian outlet. It’s a 4，200sq ft aquarium， with 6 lakh liters of water， and 150 species of fish， none of which， thankfully， are on the menu. The restaurant takes its name very seriously—even the plates come in the shape of a water droplet.

The delicacies on Ocean’s menu are carefully crafted by Chef Chang. The soups are delectable and delicate. The entrées （Chicken in Wasabi and Mushroom in Black Pepper Sauce deserve special mention） are a sublime way to warm up your taste buds. The mains are light on the tummy and heavy on flavour （the pork with pork choy and oyster sauce is a must-have）. And the desserts melt your heart just as fast as they melt in your mouth， try the Zao Ni Gou Ping and Xing Ren To Fu—date pancake with almond jelly and ice cream.

The cuisine is Pan Asian. The highlight is Thai. Take your pick next time you land in Mumbai.

—omkar SANE

THE Local

32-32/1 Sukhumvit Soi 23

Bangkok， Thailand

Tel： 02-664-3360-1

Cuisine： Thai， purportedly inspired by the royal cuisine

Cost： THB 1，200 for two （without alcohol） Reservations： Recommended

Review

You can eat exceedingly well on the streets in Bangkok. Fried chicken， sticky rice， hearty noodle soups … it’s all there for a few bahts. So， on the occasions that you abandon the cheap and cheerful for a more refined dining experience it had better be worth it. The Local in Sukhumvit doesn’t disappoint. Housed in an old home， this restaurant is a quiet haven in Bangkok’s tourist zone.

My pick of the appetizers would be the combo they call the Ruam Kam Aroy， a platter of five delicious tidbits， including noodles in a curry sauce， chicken fried in pandanus leaves， rice crackers topped with curry， shrimp salad and， intriguingly， lotus petals topped with toasted coconut， chilli， and peanuts.

The Local claims to showcase dishes sourced from the royal kitchens and you’ll certainly find here dishes not often served in the average Bangkok eatery. There’s the Gaeng Run Juan， thinly sliced beef tossed with herbs， chillies and condiments， an explosion of flavours that define Thai cooking. Another uncommon dish was one of mackerel stuffed with minced pork， deep fried and served with a refreshing mango salad.

These dishes all scored with me. My Thai companion， however， thought some of the curries lacked the necessary heat and punch. Another downer is the bar， for the cocktails don’t make the mark. They do， however， let you bring your own and pay corkage， so that’s what you should do when you dine at The Local， a pleasing showcase for traditional Thai cooking.

THE Tower kITCHEN

16th floor， UB City， Lavelle Road

Tel： （080） 4939 9999

Cuisine： New age European

Cost： 22，000 for two （without alcohol） Reservations： Recommended

Review

The first thing that strikes at 16th floor The Tower Kitchen （TTK） is the casual but elegant décor and feel of the place. Done in deep， dark shades， it’s oddly calm with a large central seating area surrounded by a private dining area， the chef’s table and a cigar lounge with comfy plush sofas. And then there are the spectacular views of the city.

TTK’s cuisine defies slotting： there are dishes from all over Europe and a sprinkling from Asia. To start with， I tried the pommery mustard marinated chicken and apple salad with quail egg， which was really refreshing. This was followed by cumin flavoured spicy chicken albondigas and spinach and ricotta filled potato roulade with pickled carrots and walnut sauce， both of which were delicious. What took my breath away was the watermelon confit and sorbet with feta caviar， which was absolutely stunning in terms of flavour and texture. TTK serves some of the best main course dishes such as the 21 days in-house aged beef， pork belly， beef cheeks， New Zealand lamb， Scottish salmon and lobster. I opted to keep it simple with the Pizzoccheri， a delicate dish of buckwheat pasta baked with greens and potatoes， which oozed of goodness and fresh ingredients. It did seem like a nice finale to a delicious meal.