BENGALURU: Here’s the setting for the night: Ominous red lighting, three long tables set up along the room, burning candles every few metres and banners of Houses Stark, Targaryen and Lannister hanging from the ceiling. It’s impossible to invite a Game Of Thrones (GoT) fan to a dinner like this and not have them think of the feast where Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark and Talisa lost their lives.
Luckily for us, no one pulls out a dagger and our heads stayed attached to our bodies throughout the night. Instead, the brutal Red Wedding scene is played out on a projector and we’re told that it serves as an inspiration for our first course. Welcome to Feast For The Throne, an exclusive dinner organised by Star World, at Conrad Bengaluru, where diners were served a five-course meal based on five iconic moments from the show.
The first course, King’s Bloody Soup, is a strawberry and gazpacho soup, served chilled, just like the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the scene we just watched. Croutons and splatters of (strawberry-tasting) blood complete the dish, which had interesting flavours but was both a hit and miss with us. While the chilled serving temperature was refreshing for some, others longed to see the steam emerging from the bowl in front of them.
Course two (Artichoke and Mushroom Filo for vegetarians and Pan Seared Hokkaido Scallop for non-vegetarians) comes dark in colour and smoky in flavour, reminiscent of the scene where Daenarys steps into the fire only to emerge as the mother of three dragons. Another similarity the dish and scene shared? A surprising lightness on the stomach: At Daenarys making it out uncharred and at how crisp yet flaky the puff-wrapped artichokes tasted.
Conversation flowed easily around the room as fan theories, favourite scenes and criticism were discussed at length. In true GoT fashion, diners were kept waiting long between seasons, sorry, courses. Served in delicate portion sizes, we spent far too long drumming our fingers on the table as compared to the mere minutes it took us to devour each course.
Up next was the Lemon Thyme Sorbet, inspired by one of the most quotable lines from the show: Ygritte’s cool-toned ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow’. Cut to one bite of the sorbet and here’s what we know: We’re not big fans of a thyme and lemon combination. Possibly served as a palette cleanser, we stuck to just a few bites but our verdict remained the same.
Our main course, Lamb Pithivier and Homemade Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli, were both inspired by the scene where Daenarys eats a horse’s heart. Our non-vegetarian companion much preferred the scallops served in course two to this meat dish, while the vegetarians preferred this course to our second course. Plus points for presentation. Compared to the horse’s heart, our dishes looked too appetising to touch.
It’s quite possible the team left the best for the last. We watch Khal Drogo bestow a crown of molten gold on Viserys Targaryen and wait for our Golden Crown Baked Alaska, the last meal for the day, which is a fluffy mango and cream dessert, served atop an intricate pattern of what looked like the weirwood tree in Godswood. The best part of the dish? Viserys may not have got his crown but we all did, or well, a sweet little fondant version of it.
All’s well that ends well, be it for your favourite medieval fantasy show or a five-course meal inspired by the same. Game Of Thrones might be coming to an end but executive chef Praveen Shetty’s dishes prove that the show’s influence will stick around, just like the old gods and the new.