BENGALURU: During cold November nights, spending time on a rooftop restaurant while relishing grilled Syrian delicacies is enough to warm up your mind and body. The 10-day Syrian Food Festival at The Persian Terrace, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel, Rajajinagar, has soups, vegetarian kebabs and non-vegetarian kebabs on the menu.
Our dinner started with Cheese Sambousek and Mezze (appetizers) Platter, which included hummus, pomegranate-tomato chutney and fresh veggies. I found the Mezze served with pomegranate-tomato chutney plain in flavours. In their Chicken Vermicelli Soup, the chicken was cooked well so it went well with vermicelli. Less carrots, celery and spices gave a mild tastiness.
Kebabs like Syrian Spiced Lamb Chops, Seesh Touk, Syrian Prawn Kebab and Damascus Kofta Kebab were served with rice. In smokey lamb chops, the raw taste of Arab spices – black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves - were dominating. The meat could have been more cooked. Syrian Seesh Touk, which included boneless baby chicken leg, marinated with chilli flakes, hung curd, lemon juice and garlic was spicier among others. In the Prawn Kebab, the shrimps were of pearly-pink colour and the tails were bright red, a perfect look from which we can spot that the meat is firm enough. The chef, KK Gopal Krishnan, has tried not to make shrimps more firm, so they become rubbery. There were three varieties of rices - Syrian Rice, Bagale Rice with Dill Leaves and Broad Beans and Saffron Rice and Iranian Berry Zereshk, among which the last one was my most favourite. The Saffron Rice with Iranian Berry, had a brilliant mix of tangy taste and sweetness and it went well with prawns.
After a heavy meal, it’s time for a sweet bash. The chef served Saffron Pista Ice Cream, Baklava, Date Tart and Milk Crème (crumbles) with Watermelon Balls, a brilliantly balanced dessert,which had fruits, dry fruits, strong sweetness, crunchiness and chill.
The chef has tried to give his personal touch in every dish, something which we surely loved.
The festival is on till Nov 17. Cost for two: `1,700 (approx)