BENGALURU: The lockdown and the fear of the virus have put immense stress on the hospitality business. Restaurant owners have lived through an era of uncertainty and are hoping to return to some normalcy with the gradual opening of restaurants and bars. While room occupancy in city hotels is yet to pick up pace, it is heartening to see diners return. Seeing this encouraging trend, restaurants are leaving no stone unturned to bring back diner confidence not just with safety measures, but also with exciting food and beverage experiences. Think new menu launches, unique food festivals, high tea specials, splashy restaurant openings, the works.
Blue Ginger at the Taj West End is celebrating the Vietnamese Lunar New Year with ‘The Taste of Tet’, an ongoing food promotion marking the arrival of spring. Culinary treasures from Vietnam take centre stage here with hearty soups, Banh Mi, Rice Paper Rolls, Grilled Prawns, Chicken or Vegetable Red Curries and Coconut Caramel Custard. On the other hand, Yauatcha welcomed the Chinese New Year with a limited-edition menu available until month-end. The Year of the Ox menu offers Tofu And Enoki Mushroom Dumpling, Crispy Chicken Cheung Fun, Spicy Crab Dumpling, Stir-Fry Silken Tofu and Firecracker, an explosive dessert made with Roasted Hazelnut, Szechuan Chantilly, Yuzu Gel And Caramel And Madeleine Sponge.
On the regional front, Caraway Kitchen at Conrad has on an ongoing gastronomical journey of Karnataka cuisine by chef Boominathan. The food at Naati Ruchigalu contains country style flavours with locally sourced meats and vegetables prepared with secret home ground masalas. The menu will remind you of Military Mess with Donne Biryani, Ragi Mudde, Keema Ball Curry, Mutton Kurma and Bannur chops.
ITC Gardenia will host a Rajasthani food promotion from next week at Cubbon Pavilion with chef KS Akshraj Jodha who is the executive chef at ITC Windsor and the 14th descendant of Rao Akheraj, who founded Akheraj Deolia.
At the same hotel, Bangalore Wine Society is hosting a five-course Italian wine dinner, Chapter I Cena de Vino at Ottimo, by founder Suryaveer Singh and co-hosted by Abhilash Mithren.
This has also been a season of new menu launches. After a successful reign of 27 years, Rim Naam, the Thai restaurant at The Oberoi, had shut down early last year to make way for a completely new kitchen and menu. The new dishes are a result of a survey undertaken by the hotel where they asked regular patrons about their favourite dishes and new innovations they would like to see at the restaurant. Recently, Rim Naam has been chosen for the Thai Select award given by the Royal Thai Government, which guarantees the authenticity of Thai restaurants.
Shangri-La Hotel has launched Tea Amore at their Lobby Lounge. Here you can indulge in a leisurely afternoon over teas, artisanal coffees, cocktails and sweet and savoury bites.ALBA, at the JW Marriott, has a new chef de cuisine, Vishal Thakur, and an upcoming menu focused on Nouvelle European cuisine based around locally grown ingredients while ensuring a sustainable dining approach.
Buoyed by encouraging dining out trends, the past couple of months have witnessed a slew of new restaurant openings. The legendary Tycoons opened in Indiranagar much to the joy of city folks; Bollywood-inspired Badmaash Lounge launched its second outlet at UB City with a focus on Indian fine-dining; RCB Bar and Cafe opened its door in the heart of the city with a space which mingles sports frenzy with great cocktails, and, the much-awaited Mirage unveiled with a setting from where you can soak in uber-luxe food and drinks under a cool-blue Bengaluru sky.
Meanwhile, the contemporary-styled Khmer Kitchen made an opening splash with a Cambodian menu. Nestled in a spacious home and surrounded by trees, Khmer’s menu offers Angkor jasmine rice, fresh green pepper, noni leaves, kaffir lime, turmeric and freshly made Kreoung paste. Khmer transforms into an artisanal café and patisserie during the day with handpicked single estate coffees, pastries, bread and tarts. Ozaa, the rooftop poolside restaurant specialising in Mediterranean grills, opened at the Oakwood Premier Prestige in UB City, offering stunning views of the city’s skyline. This is complemented by Chef Altamsh Patel’s menu which is a blend of Lebanese, Jordanian, Moroccan, Greek and Syrian cuisines.
(The author is a Bengaluru-based hospitality professional, food lover and travel enthusiast)