Column

Gastro gnome

One of the most difficult cuisines to do well in five star restaurants is Indian.This sounds odd particularly as we are inIndia and if we cannot get our own cuisine right, how can we expect others to?

Other than the ITC group, which has showcased the royal cuisine of India and regional cuisines such as in Dakshin, no other hotel chain has really managed to present Indian cooking in its full glory.This is in sharp contrast to some of the ground-breaking Indian restaurants in London which have repackaged Indian cuisine, making it lighter,
digestible, restoring the traditional subtlety of spice and improving on presentation.

I have been sceptical of the Taj’s Masala formula, as I find it difficult to accept the plated food concept pioneered by Chef Hemant Oberoi. The meals I have had at Masala Kraft at the Taj Palace have been mediocre and expensive. This is unfortunate as there has to be a novel way of presenting our own cuisines, and there has to be a wow factor.

However, I think the Masala formula seems at last to have come good, at least from a recent dinner I had at Masala Klub at the enchanting Taj West End in Bangalore.The wow factor is not just in the food, but in the setting — sylvan and entrancing.There are several factors which have gone into the planning of this restaurant, which hold relevance to the way we eat and live.

First, they offer a tasting menu that is a variety of tasting size dishes for a fixed price. It is a practical formula for single diners of whom there are many, particularly hotel guests on business.It also means that if you are taking out guests you are in control of the price of the meal rather than the restaurant.

In Masala Klub the non vegetarian tasting menu was exceptional and included some delightful departures from the norm, like an excellent spring hopper, a moist chicken pulao rather than a greasy biryani.This is a return to the thali concept of variety and selection and is in keeping with the rhythm and character of the cuisine, except for such Indian cuisines like Bengali which are traditionally served coursewise.

Secondly, the menu, whilst exotic, is also homely with a good local regional representative, coastal, Chettinad.

With lifestyles changing and working couples, the concept of a home-cooked meal is for many a luxury and something they yearn for.The Kandahar in the Oberoi, Mumbai have also tapped on this nostalgia for “grandmother’s cooking” at their Sunday brunch. This is something which may not have been a selling point 40 years ago when the likes of Kwality and Gaylordswere doing roaring business, concocting a distinctly rich cuisine full of ghee, nuts and spices, it is now.This again is a departure; the emphasis is on homely food rather than the stylised restaurant food of the ‘60s.

Thirdly, a common feature of the Masalaexperiment is the emphasis on healthy cooking mediums, the use of olive oil for example.

Unfortunately, the Taj appears to have an irrational dislike for ghee, confusing ghee for a trans-fat which it patently is not.But concern is not just for lightness, but the creation of a well-balanced meal is the intent of this restaurant and it does work.
Email:javed.gaya@gmail.com