Try instagrammable, bowls of bliss
BENGALURU: It doesn’t happen very often that you are bowled over by back to back lip-smacking food at a restaurant. However, this happened to me at Shizusan – the Southeast Asian Shophouse & Bar. Their latest offering Wok to Plate festival has 12 types of rice and noodle dishes created by Chef Paul Kinny. This food and noodle festival, inspired by the wok culture that prevails across Southeast Asia, is on till December 4. It is sure to transport you to the streets of Asia. The clinking of woks, strong aroma of Asian spices, local ingredients and big flavours – is what defines this Wok to Plate festival.
What’s Good?
The menu has seven rice and five noodle dishes to choose from. While every single one of them had the best to offer, it were these five dishes that stood out and left an impression to cherish for a long time.
Yum Woon Sen – Thai Glass Noodles
This glass noodles salad was the first dish presented on the table and it left everyone’s eyes pop out. The spicy Sriracha rub, wood ear mushrooms, shredded snow peas and edamame beans together forms a delectable and wholesome dish.
Khao Phad Kaprow
Talk about classic foods from the streets of Asia and Khao Phad Kaprow tops the list. This Thai fried rice has a strong essence of basil with ingredients such as bird’s eye chilli, tomatoes and caramelised onions with the add-on options of chicken, tenderloin and prawns. I have tried Khao Phad Kaprow many a times at different restaurants but the ‘oomph’ of bold flavours and spices here is what elevates this dish to a different level of awesomeness.
E-Fu
This Cantonese flat noodles with straw and enoki mushrooms, pea shoots, alfa sprouts and baby pok choy, is lipsmacking. Hats off to Chef Kinny to have nailed the Asian flavours in this bowl of happiness.
Lo Mai Gai
This Shizusan version of sticky rice wrapped in Lotus leaf is the best I have ever had. The aroma as you unwrap the lotus leaf is just out of the world. It has pickled cucumber, broccoli, carrot, bean sprouts and green peas.
Purple Rice
This sweet traditional rice is a stunner and has all the elements to be called as an ‘instagrammable’ dessert. This is beauty with taste. With ingredients such as sago pearls, mangosteen extract and grapefruit segments, this is one of the most unique desserts I have had in a long time. Don’t expect it to be too sweet, just allow the mild flavours and subtle sweetness to win you over.
BAD
Wok to Plate festival manages to pull off the whole menu with great flavours with nothing bad to point out at. However, I feel Pan Fried Noodles didn’t match the rich flavours and taste of the others and could have been better.
UGLY
None.
Price (approx): `525 (rice) and `495 (noodles)