A few days back I visited Benjarong, Bengaluru for their ongoing Southern
Thai Food Festival (till Oct 8th, 2017) and was surprised with my
experience thinking why on the earth I haven’t been here before? Benjarong
means 'five colors’ used in the unique Thai Porcelain. The intricate and fine detail
used in this porcelain makes this different from other pottery creations and a
favorite piece of art for royal and commercial use. My experience at Benjarong
was also so unique in terms of food and service they offered.
When I finally decided to visit this
restaurant, I had the confidence that they won’t disappoint me. Why because,
till now I haven’t heard a bad experience about this restaurant. My friend and I
undoubtedly love Pan Asian cuisine; especially ‘Thai’ and we were so happy to
dine at Benjarong where you will find only authentic flavors on your table.
We started our lunch with ‘Miam Khum’ which is a traditional welcome
platter in Thailand. The Thai version of ‘Amuse
Bouche’ I would say. The platter consisted
of lettuce leaves, roasted peanuts, fried coconut silvers, lime, galangal,
onion, chilies, and jaggery- coconut sauce.
All you have to do is, pick a small portion of each item on a leaf, wrap it and
just enjoy. First time I tried something like this and the crazy combo just created
a burst of flavors in my mouth!
Southern Thailand is famous for its fresh
seafood and spicy take on food. Unlike Indian or Chinese cuisines, Thai cuisine
uses more of fresh herbs and ingredients than dry spices or sauces. I always
felt Thai and Kerala cuisines have many similarities because of the usage of
fresh coconut, ginger, bird’s eye chili etc. What we tried at Benjarong was an
amalgamation of (Umami) taste – sweet, salty spicy, sour, and tangy.
Salad
Yum Pla Dook Foo – Steamed, minced and deep-fried catfish
topped with raw mango salad and cashew nuts. Trust me! The best raw mango salad
I have tried till date. The generous sprinkle of deep fried catfish crumbles on this salad will give you
extra oomph factor.
Soup
Gaeng Som Cha-Om
Talay – a traditional spicy seafood soup
with Cha Om (Spinach leaves) omelette. I
could live my entire life with this soup and the raw mango salad :)
Appetizers
Goong Tod Gai – Beautifully made minced Chicken
dumpling with Prawns stuffing. The deep fried dish went well with the spicy
dip.
Gai hor baitaey-
The succulent morsels of chicken delicately marinated, wrapped in pandan leaves
and deep fried. A signature dish of Benjarong served from more than a decade.
Gai Kolae – Spicy red Chili marinated
chicken satay (skewers), a typical Southern Thai delight which tasted good.
Main course
Khao Pahd Sri Racha – Spicy fried rice with
choice of meat or veggies wrapped in lotus leaf, steamed and served hot. I
tried this Khua Kling neau and the combo was heavenly. The spicy
flavors from Bird’s eye chili and green peppercorn can literally put your a** on fire :P If you don’t prefer beef,
you can either try Chicken or Tofu in this curry.
Pad See Ew (Kanna- Broccoli) – Spicy flat noodles
tossed with green vegetables was a standalone dish which can be taken without
any accompaniments.
Khua Kling
(Neau – beef) – minced beef curry with lots
of kaffir lime leaves, bird’s eye chilies
and tender peppercorns
Dessert
Tub Tim
Krob – water chestnut rubies served with sweetened and chilled coconut milk.
Kluay buat chee
– Bananas cooked in palm sugar syrup and topped with sweetened coconut cream
and served with vanilla ice cream
The taste lingers in my mouth while writing
this review and if you haven’t tried this fest, then head to Benjarong. I had an
extraordinary experience of Thai cuisine at Benjarong, something which I haven’t
experienced before. The key ingredients are all imported and hence provide
their patrons the best and authentic Thai experience. Yeah… Some restaurants do magic and I left this place
with a completely satisfied feeling. South Thai Food Festival will be on till 8th
Oct 2017 and available for lunch and
dinner (a la carte). A meal for two would be ₹1500 (approximately. Do check out and share your feedback with me :) #Yougottatryit
Address:
Benjarong
#12/1, Above Ente Keralam
Ulsoor Road, Bangalore
For reservations, contact - +91 9902410269
Follow me on Facebook - You gotta try it
Zomato- Yougottatryit
Twitter- Soumya_Gopi
Instagram- soumyagopi
Twitter- Soumya_Gopi
Instagram- soumyagopi
For any queries or feedback, call +91-9886771173 or send a mail to afoodiestrail@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment