BENGALURU: Sushi with 24-carat gold, anyone? The Kitchen on Table stall at the Japanese Food Fest 2019 at Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru, had several curious visitors flocking the stall to find out about this ‘gold item’. “It’s the first time we are launching this dish. Since sushi is considered a healthy Japanese dish, we thought we could combine it with gold, which is considered healthy in Indian medicine,” said Murugan, proprietor of Kitchen On Table, at Palace Grounds.
The food festival organised by the Consulate General of Japan, which brought over 30 participants saw over 3,000 city residents. Also present was Royal Echo, a Japanese choir that was singing Kannada songs as well, including Huttidare Kannada Nadalli Huttabeku, a popular song by thespian Dr Rajkumar. Cosplayers walked around the space in their intricate costumes. This included Consul-General of Japan Takayuki Kitagawa who was dressed as a ninja. “I got this outfit back home in preparation for the cosplay walk,” said Kitagawa, who completed his look with a sword.
“Last year, we had a footfall of around 1,500 people. This year. it seems like there are 3,000 people. Bengaluru is open to these sort of ideas,” added Kitagawa.
From local Japanese ingredients, shaved ice, curry bon curry pan chickpea and traditional sweets, including Wagashi (sweet Japanese confections made from bean paste) from the Azuki Cafe, options were several. Kazuki Saito, who is currently working as a JICA volunteer, was glad to get a taste of home food. Saito said, “I’ve come with friends, and so far it seems like there’s authentic Japanese food on the menu.”
For the food fest’s third year, the Consulate had invited Japanese corporations to participate, including Sony, Rakuten and Sakra World Hospital, with the idea to make the event more of a ‘Japan Utsav’ with more than 30 participating companies and restaurants. The Consul-General of France, Dr Marjorie Vanbaelinghem, was the guest of honour.