Neha Saini
Turning the desi dining experience on its head and turning food into an immersive experience, niche restaurants and cafés are now offering progressive food menu. Not new to the dining scene in Punjab, the wave of innovative culinary experience is elevating not just the mundane act of dining out for food-lovers, but also introducing and even customising popular global ingredients with desi ones to create a whole new dish. And we are all for binging on it!
Omakase, Punjab!
Omakase directly translates to — ‘I leave it up to you’. It is a popular Japanese concept of dining where the chef curates a menu for guests on a live counter, suiting their palate and food choices. Bringing the concept to Amritsar, Punjab’s food haven, and innovating with it, infusing regional flavours or Indian ingredients, Shiso’s founder-owner, Vansh Aggarwal has come up with an exciting progressive menu.
Right from curating five to seven course meals, to a la carte fusion menu, Shiso has several surprises up its sleeves. So, you have Bheja Appam, bite-sized fritters topped with mutton boti, which presents a flavour rich combination of coastal South Indian appetiser with a twist of Mughlai; Malabar Gyoza, Japanese style cheesy dimsums with pumpkin filling, for the not-so-experimental foodie. For others, there’s Duck Chettinad, Cold Tofu Salad, Nepalese jhol momos and more.
Vansh says the idea was to go beyond the familiar fusion flavours of Chinnese and Indian cuisine made popular by street food boom. “As a norm, North Indian food market is quite receptive to oriental cuisine, yet it was only restricted to Chinese and may be common Japanese flavours. We have tried to experiment with ingredients in a way that brings out the best in terms of taste on the plate.”
Championing the cause of Oriental cuisine, Shiso offers a range of Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese delicacies, some with an Indian twist, although things take time to work. “Of course, you have to nudge them to try. Once they do, it all works out,” says Vansh. To break into a strong traditional food market like Amritsar, where one has to compete with the famed Dal Makhni and Butter Chicken for the win, innovation in food menu requires a gradual introduction of globally renowned flavours.
Grain by Elgin too has been experimenting with a fusion food menu. With Nori Spaghetti, a combination of Japanese and Italian ingredients, and of the dramatic Black Bun burgers, a Japanese twist to an American fast food, using charcoal dough or squid ink in its preparation, the modern dining scene in Amritsar has seen an upgrade like never before!
Lure of Oriental flavours
Mona
If there is one good use of technology and transport, it’s that we are becoming increasingly one, especially when it comes to food! If pizzas and burgers dominated the market so far, it’s time for baos and gyozas to make it to the menu. Oriental, which was considered exotic till a while, is becoming common place and infusing a fresh flavour in it is Executive Chef Ankur Sharma, at The Lalit, Chandigarh.
The oriental restaurant OKO at The Lalit has got a menu makeover that its zealous Chef Ankur has put in place in four days flat. ‘Progressive oriental’ he calls his menu, which has Salmon Pizza, Balinese Prawn Curry with sticky rice and Matcha Tea Cheesecake.
“Every ingredient has potential; it’s the chef’s expertise that brings the best of flavours together,” says the Chef. “I believe in keeping it rustic and robust,” he asserts. Like his Steamed Edamame with rock salt and a Drizzle of Truffle Essence, which is fast becoming a regular accompaniment to drinks. Sous Chef Vijender recommends Watermelon Mojito, which make a colourful accompaniment to diverse dishes making it to the menu. Chef Ankur praises his team. “A new menu in four days could happen only because we have such a greatteam,” he beams.
A bit of twist here, turn there, and the new menu picks up from different regions. The avocado asparagus rolls are pretty standard around the world, but here he serves them with beetroot rice that lends it a red colour!
While there is a huge variety to pick from ala Vegetables Puffs Dumplings (Chef’s signature vegetable fried dumplings with spicy sauce), Rock Shrimps (crispy fried shrimps in spicy mayo) and Pan-Fried Lamb Dimsums with Peanut Butter Sauce, you must have an experimental palate to enjoy the new pairings!
It’s JapMex in Jalandhar!
Deepkamal Kaur
“Cannot decide between Mexican and Japanese food? No worries, we have a fusion of both flavours in one delicious plate for you.” That’s what Vidur Malhotra from the recently opened Asian food restaurant — Pho Mo — in the Model Town area of Jalandhar tells you.
The Maki Zushi Sushi Taco, which arrives in about 10 minutes, one is in complete awe. Sushi, comprising rice and veggies like cucumber, carrots and scallions, and slices of avocado, are wrapped in a crispy Mexican shell. Accompanying the fusion taco is a sauce garnished with micro-greens.
The taco holder in wood and copper, and the bright colours of the veggies in the taco are so fascinating that the first thing that everyone does is click its pictures. “The taco is special too. It is made of seaweed sheets, which I have imported. The sheets are made crunchy and crispy by a special coating that our chef prepares,” says Malhotra.
He adds, “We planned this dish after many of our customers would request us to help them choose between Mexican and Japanese food. So, we give them both the tastes in a single dish. We are doing the same experiments even with our wontons, which we steam and do not fry. We sprinkle Mexican herbs in this otherwise Chinese platter and innovate with our dips too.” Even their American-inspired Chinese style Chop Suey—Flying Noodles—are also a hit. In this dish, the noodles hang from a chopstick into the bowl even though there is no one holding the chopstick, which is really fascinating!
Malhotra, who has worked in various Korean and Vietnamese restaurants before opening his own venture, quips, “The idea of calling my place Pho Mo itself meant that anyone who does not come could be affected by Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) for all my dishes are unique and new experiments! I chose to replace ‘FO’ with a similar sounding ‘Pho’ as it is a Vietnamese dish that we specialise in.”
