BENGALURU: Think Singapore and a major part of it would be the shopping destinations, sightseeing places and a hub of corporate offices. What cannot be left out is the enormous food scene, most of which is predominated by seafood. And that’s exactly why my favourite at the ongoing Singapore Food Festival at Mikusu, Conrad Bengaluru, was the Singaporean Chilli Crab. The egg-based curry and chilli oil accentuated the taste of the fresh crab meat, which was soft and flavourful.
However, we started the night with Peony Crab Fritters, Shrimp and Chicken Wantons. The fritters were spicy and along with the fleshy crab, it was a delight to the taste buds. The shrimp wantons were crispy and a good starter to pair it up with a drink. We also tasted the carefully-cooked Har Cheong Chicken Wings in shrimp paste. Crispy Mushroom with Five Spices Salt had a certain flavour of the wok-tossed Shiitake and fresh mushrooms and posed as a delectable vegetarian starter.
In the meantime, the bartender made two drinks in front of us – Silk Road Old Fashioned and Singapore Sling – and left us mesmerised by the act. The Janus brandy and J&B Whisky brewed quite a magic here, with the Silk Road being mixed with saffron that was soaked for 14 days and the other one shaken and stirred with pomegranate juice.
The hot Four Treasure soup was a classic medicine for my sick dining companion, as the blend of five exotic vegetables soothed her nasal passage and gave her quite a relief. Hong Shao Braised Tofu is not something that is easy to cook, as the silken tofu used is very delicate and breaks up easily. It is first fried and then braised, and adding Singaporean sauces, it is a really good choice for vegetarians. The eggplant in orange sauce was quite a delight, with cashewnut and chillies leaving a lasting taste on the taste buds, and very different from the conventional baingan bharta that we cook at home.
We were told to have the Steamed Tamarind Seabass and Hainanese Chicken Rice together. Served with chilli sauce and cucumber garnishes, the poached, smooth and silky chicken in thin slices was accompanied by chicken stock, and teamed up for a healthy main course combination. Chef Lew Soon Yew from Conrad Singapore has rightly done justice to the Singaporean cuisine by keeping the quality and taste intact.To end the night, we had Mango Pomelo, a contemporary-style chilled sago with mango cubes and bid goodbye. The food festival is on till June 20 and cost for two is `2,500 (approx).