Chef’s Table at Oko, The Lalit, Bangalore

I was recently invited to sample an interesting showcase meal where each chef of the hotel had come up with a dish that would be incorporated into the menu going forward. This was happening at The Lalit Bangalore’s Pan Asian restaurant Oko. Oko means ‘welcome’ in Japanese and has seven Asian cuisines- Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Korean. The decor and ambience is great and with wonderful views of the golf course and Bangalore’s famed greenery this is a must visit.

We started with the Amuse Bouche by Chef Tenzin Dolma – Water chestnuts dry fruits and sweet soy caviar – an interesting mix of flavors and a perfect way to start this meal.

We next moved on to Chef Gopal Jha’s Entree Froide – Figs with emmenthal, balsamic, caperberries and microgreens. The combination of figs and emmanthal cheese was pretty awesome and the beautiful presentation deserves a pat on the back.

Course 3 by Chef Bharath Kapoor – the Entree Chaude was a hit. Made with stuffed morels traditionally known as gucchi this dish was the star of the evening. Also this dish had so many elements with pomegranate reduction and chips all of which blended perfectly and was undoubtedly a universal favourite. Perhaps Indian food always strikes a right chord!

The main course – Plats Chauds had two choices – vegetarian and non vegetarian. The Duck was served with Kinoo-mascarpone-thyme risotto, roasted pearl onions and sweet tamarind chutney, a creation from Chef Suvaranjan Banerjee. Vegetarians were served Mushrooms – including spinach crepes, wild mushrooms, fresh asparagus combined beautifully by Chef Abhishek Kumar.

Ending this innovative meal on a sweet note we sampled Chef Gregor Pfaff/Chef Bhaskar Chakraborty delectable champagne ice cream, white chocolate, tomato passion fruit basil gazpacho – a perfect way to end this interesting meal.

Interestingly this meal was unique as all the chefs of the Lalit had come together to showcase some new food which will be incorporated into the menu soon! So if you have not been to Oko, head there now and be prepared to take your taste buds on a gourmet journey!

(Bindu Gopal Rao is a freelance writer and photographer and writes as a hobby and passion. A cost accountant with an MBA, she believes that writing gives her an opportunity to meet a variety of people and explore new places which makes the journey very fulfilling. Her work has been published in several leading dailies and magazines including Deccan Herald, The Hindu, Femina, Design Today, Good Housekeeping, Hotelier India, Air India Magazine, Jet Wings, Go Getter, Discover India, Society Interiors, Savvy, Society, Stylespeak and more.)