BENGALURU : As 2020 continues to play tricks on us with the economic downturn, high unemployability, and a raging pandemic, perhaps the only comfort one can find is in treats, be it sweet or savoury. City restaurants seem to be thinking along the same line as they whip up a Halloween-special menu. While some are giving their signature dishes a spooky makeover, others are incorporating classic Halloween ingredients, like pumpkin, in their menu.
Take, for instance, Lazy Suzy. The Indiranagar deli is offering a Halloween pie (with a choice of spiced fruit or chicken filling), Halloween special macarons (with an orange and caramel filling), and a baked-on-order pumpkin bread. While Lazy Suzy doesn’t cater to Halloween, they made an exception this year owing to popular sentiment. Owner and chef Udayshankar Shenoy says the menu will appeal to both kids and adults alike. “Pumpkin is a signature element for this celebration which is why we made sure it is the hero ingredient. All the dishes in this limited edition menu are baked. Chicken pie, spiced fruit pie, soft centre-filled cookies, macarons and pancakes are all crowd pullers this time of the year, easy to eat and loved especially by the little ones,” he adds. The menu (which begins at `250) is available for pre-order till Nov. 26.
While Halloween is mainly thought to be an American festival, Pan Asian restaurant Shiro also decided to join in on the celebration. They are sticking to Oriental offerings, albeit with some changes for their week-long festivities. The menu, called An Ode to the Haunted Chinatown, includes Flaming Dragon Maki (literally shaped like one), Spooky Head Dim Sums (inspired and decorated to look like little monsters), and beverages such as Dragon Margarita, Berry Eye-Ball and Haunted Graveyard.
“We wanted to present dishes that one would want to devour, but also, happily share on their social feeds. But of course, the menu required inspiration from Asian cultures, and hence we went for some of our best-selling items such as maki rolls and dim sums,” explains chef Priyank. The menu is available till Oct. 31.
Magnolia Bakery is offering Halloween mini cupcakes, spider cupcakes and cakes, and Jack O’Lantern cakes. While the designs look spook-tacular, don’t be fooled by them. Concealed within are the bakery’s signature vanilla and chocolate offerings. These are available from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. The cupcakes range from `160 to `300, whereas a Spider Cake slice retails for `300.
The six and nine-inch variants of the cake are priced at `3,000 and `3,500, respectively. The Jack O’Lantern cake is available for advance orders beginning at `2,600. The store also has a special surprise for young ones. Zonu Reddy, the co-founder of Magnolia Bakery India, Spago Food Pvt Ltd, says, “Bringing in the whole vibe of trick-or-treat and adding to the fun with more goodies, we are going to be stocking up on candy for children who visit the store.”