KOCHI: The brooding clouds and constant drizzle definitely makes people crave a cosy retreat with some warm food on their plates. A cup of coffee or a bowl of soup is also definitely in order. The Renai Cochin has something better on offer for the season—sizzlers with free soup before and post-dinner ice cream (think uncommon variants like jackfruit and blueberry). “We’re ready to give the city’s connoisseurs a distinct dining experience with this week-long food carnival from November 2 to 9. While the Rasaleela Restaurant invited people to try a live fish grill fete last year, this time they’ll get to try some steaming plates that will sizzle their way to the table,” says John Samuel, Business Development Manager.
Rising up to the challenge of taking diners on a novel culinary journey, the executive chef Denny Davis has curated a three-page menu featuring over 25 dishes. If you jump to the conclusion that steaks and sizzlers are for non-vegetarians, the card begins by dismantling this notion. Names like Scalloped Eggplant and Legumes Assorted Mornay will definitely woo vegetarians into the 48-cover outlet that overlooks a fountain and has live music performance during dinner hours. A simple yet delicious pick for vegetarians would be a grilled platter that has an assortment of Brussels sprout, zucchini, button mushroom, baby corn and more, slathered in vegetable brown sauce.
“A lot of people nowadays are conscious of what goes into their food. Our festival focuses on grilling, which reduces the fat in the meat, and we are mostly using Western marinades over heavy Indian masalas,” says chef Denny. A typical pick from the list is a chicken chops sizzler which has well-glazed chicken breasts marinated in Worcestershire sauce, olive oil and herbs. It sizzles on its way to the table, filling the room with the fragrance of butter, and is served alongside a portion of butter rice and a bowl of white sauce laced with a tinge of saffron for a subtle flavour profile.
The chef has made sure to add some flavours familiar to the Indian palate on to the list. As its name suggests, their Fish Travancore is an example of one such dish in which two pieces of seer fish is served alongside a creamy coconut sauce. “Besides European marinades, we also incorporate influences from across the world in dishes like Chicken Steak Hawaiian, which uses pineapple for flavouring, and Texas Lamb Chops,” says the chef. There are also various red and white meat dishes for foodies to choose from including pork rib and seafood on skewers.
Considering Kerala’s love for spicy dishes, they also have Black and Steak which has a bird’s eye chilli paste and powdered black pepper rubbed with a few drops of pineapple juice. The well-grilled tenderloin cut leaves a lasting pungent heaviness on the palate, something the average Malayali would love for his dinner. If you’re headed to the outlet in a group, also try their Rasaleela special platter which would be appetising for three or even four people.