BENGALURU:It may surprise you that vanilla is used not just in desserts, it can go well with the main course too. The pod with its mild flavour is at its best with white meats and fish. The Movenpick Hotel and Spa celebrates the flavour with its Vanille Salée’ fest.
The six dishes on the menu include White onion velouté (soup) and Sashimi of Tuna and Salmon, and Goat Cheese and Figs Salad. The main course has Pike Perch Filet and Endive, Veal Tenderloin and Garden Vegetables, and Guinea Fowl Breast Melba. In all there are seven savouries made using vanilla.
The White onion Velouté is prepared using white wine. The mild-flavoured white flesh of white onions adds a sweetness and a creamy texture to the soup. It is served in a coupe soup bowl with the white onion cut in a barrel or cylindrical shape, dipped in the soup. It is pleasant and soothing.
Topped with bits of cheese, the Goat Cheese and Fig Salad has an overpowering bitterness of fresh greens. The Guinea Fowl Breast Melba was served with turkey, instead of guinea fowl because the other meat is difficult to get in India, informs the chef Gaurav Bathla. The meat is fibrous and tasted like hard chicken. It is served with boiled potatoes.
The Pike Perch Filet and Endive is a fish delicacy. The boneless fish is delicate and melts in your mouth. The Sashimi of Tuna tastes better than the one of salmon. The fish, sliced thin, is bland and the sticky rice is a bit too chewy like gum.
The Vanille Salée’ promotion is on till March 21 in all the Movenpick Hotel and Spa outlets.
Price for two: `1,300 + taxes