Fried rice and noodles have almost become native recipes to the locals as one could find every second shop in the city dish out their own preparations of these delicacies but if you look for authenticity then the better place would be GRT Regency’s South East Asian food festival that brings to town a variety of recipes from Malaysia, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Mongolia.
The Ahaaram restaurant is decked up with giant size pictures of landmark sights from the oriental world. “Have this drink”, greets A. Swaminathan, Assistant Food and Beverages Manager. The taste of the thick and milky Thai welcome drink lingers on as I come to know that the Walnut Almond Creamy Tender Coconut Drink from the Land of Smiles is a tender coconut infused creamy drink topped with walnut and almond.
Just as I think of going for one more, Executive Chef R.N. Shrinath introduces me to the West Lake Lamb Soup (minced lamb soup from Tibet). It only increases my excitement to experience the dishes that I never tasted before.
With a range of sour and spicy condiments such as spring onion, honey soaked ginger, soya soaked fresh red chilli, Hukumansoy saucesoaked tofu, shallots soaked in vinegar, chilli-roasted mushroom sambal sauce and dark soya sauce, I prepare myself for the culinary plunge.
The salad counter looks equally appealing with the traditional oriental vegetarian salad, Indonesian potato, Malaysian fried noodle, Asian coleslaw, Massaman Flowerets, Curried fruit and rice, Cantonese cottage cheese, Corn and Mushroom, Ice berg and cherry tomato and Malaysian tomato corn cilantro salad. A handsome helping of the rice noodle salad draws me more into the festival as I slip into the experimentation mode.
The starter section is filled with inviting recipes that include the popular Chilli Garlic Dragon Chicken and Drunken fish. The oriental style chicken is cooked with a touch of home made red wine. The smoky flavoured chilli fish with a touch of rum has a bitter taste to it, which fails to impress my taste buds. “It tastes better when it is straight from the wok,” advises Shrinath.
The Malaysian Chicken Satay on live counter is an authentic Malaysian flavour infused chicken cooked in lava stone grill in bamboo stick and is served with peanut sauce. Even as I belt more of the chicken satay, the vegetarian starters arrive on my table. The Chilli Lotus Stem is a crunchy cracker. The lotus stem batter fried and tossed in smoked chilli sauce blends well to arrest my attention. Not to miss the star dish of the evening Tofu Satay. The crispy crest of the masala around the bean curd just melts in your mouth.
Coming to the main course, the Mixed Meat Sambal Fried rice is my next pick. The Indonesian mixed meat fried rice with a touch of samba paste has assorted meat that includes finely chopped prawns, chicken and mutton. It goes well with the Thai Green Curry Prawn (Prawn cooked in Thai green curry with the flavour of galangal (Thai ginger), kaffir leaves, lemon grass, chilli and fish sauce and creamy coconut milk). The liberal dose of galangal adds more zing to the recipe.
It is pick and choose for the visitors on the live counter. I go for the Mongolian fried rice and noodle. One can choose between beef and mutton, oriental vegetables and sauces to suit their palate. Shrinath brings me the specially made fried rice. Though the dish looks impressive, liberal use of Teriyaki sauce doesn’t entice me much. But the Cantonese Stir Fried Lamb with Mushroom, a traditional stir fry lamb recipe from the Guangdong province of China makes it up. I end my sinful indulgence on a sweet note with the Strawberry Gateaux. The spongy strawberry flavoured cake cleverly layered with cheese just melts in my mouth. It definitely appeals more than any other dessert on the table.
Chef Shrinath has made elaborate arrangements with honeyed pastry, crunchy chocolate and blueberry mousse. But for the Ice Kachang, a Malaysian street side dessert, the dessert section would have nothing to represent the festival. But it just helps me to relax after a sumptuous dinner.
The festival is on till May 29 from 7 p.m. and the dinner buffet comes to you for Rs.750 plus taxes for adults and Rs.500 plus taxes for children. For more details and reservation contact 0452-2371155/ 9994341135
