BENGALURU: Lore as in folklore, Lore as in Bangalore, Lore as in locavore – this is what sums up the sit-down dinners hosted by founder Kaushik Raju and chef Johnson Ebenezer. At the grand feast organised at Whisky Bar - Radisson Blu, Palace Road, recently, the team took diners on a culinary journey through storytelling with the help of a specially-curated menu and carefully-chosen Paul John Single Malt whiskeys.
Partnering with the Indian brand proved to be a sensorial experience for the guests as chefs served every course along with a designated drink. We were told to take a ‘neat’ sip of the first drink, Brilliance, to absorb the flavour and understand what is to be expected as its pairing.
We started off smooth with Camembert cheese along with corn dust sprinkled all over. As the next dish came up, we added a few drops of water to our drink and started settling in to get in the flow. Apple Dew with Carraway sounds like an exotic dish, but in reality, it was simple. For a crunchy twist, we were served Potato Nest with Wilted Onions, which were cylindrical in nature, with an outer coating resembling a mesh of twigs. The Bengali in us relished the mashed potato filling. To put the Brilliance course to rest, we had Obulato with chicken pepperoni. It had the look of a pizza, but the base was replaced with edible sheets made from potato starch, soy lecithen and sunflower oil.
The next Paul John drink was Edited, which felt a little stronger than the previous one, and we were told to take a few drops of it on our palm and rub it together. Surprisingly, we got a leather-like smell, which indicates the goodness of the whiskey. Presentation of the Edamame, white asparagus and false custard took our breath away. For a ‘grassy whiff’ with the drink, the next item – Ragi waffle/housemade cheese/cured yolk and crab – was DIY time for which we took a waffle, spread it with cheese and sprinkled it with yolk and soft crab meat, both grated smoothly. Some of us asked for a second helping of this one.
Moving on to our next drink, Paul John’s Bold is peated whiskey with 46 per cent ABV, in other words, it heightened our senses a little too much. To add spice to our palate, we were served Toddy Coral, Shrimps and Scallop. Looking like a collective element straight out of the beach, its unique flavour paired really well with the drink. For meat lovers, chefs brought over smoked beef or chicken and vegetarians had their share of smoked celeriac.
Nirvana – the last Paul John drink for the night – was smooth and perfect to put us in a state of peace. Accompanying this was Brown Butter ice cream with Araguani Barley, fruit cake pops and honey. We ended the night with succulent crumiel and cherry leather, and explored modern cooking techniques through the lore.