It was in August 1992 that one of the landmarks on Bengaluru’s MG Road, The Oberoi Hotel, threw open its doors to the public. This year, the sprawling property, with an iconic rain tree dominating the centre around which the hotel has expanded, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a small dinner that took some of the dishes from its opening menu from 1992 and gave them a modern twist.
The event began with a small gathering at the hotel’s presidential suite, with a massive balcony set right under the cover of the rain tree (one of the constraints laid down while constructing the hotel was to avoid felling trees where possible). The design of the hotel ensures that all the rooms have balconies facing outward, with the luxurious courtyard-like one in the middle reserved for the presidential suite.
The dinner itself saw a table set overlooking our view from the suite a few moments ago, and combined some menu classics from decades ago with some 2017 ‘swag’, starting off with a unique pop cocks candy-inspired amuse-bouche that was served in a shot glass, with all its unique and tangy elements being ingested in one go to prepare the palate for flavours that transcended time.
Avocado took centre stage after this, with an avocado and prawn combination and a mozzarella combined cremeaux following up, providing a nice blend of textures to work through. A refreshing kiwi cooler on the side helped no end in washing down the intense assortment of tastes.
The soup for the evening was a creamy combination of golden corn with saffron, which proved to be a winner, but the main attraction for the meat lovers was a slow cooked chicken served with a side of caramelised chanterelles and plated to perfection. The soft chicken and mushroom mix, proved an excellent way of capping off a dinner to celebrate culinary evolution, both in the way food is prepared and presented. Dessert presented itself in the form of ice cream, and an assortment of chocolates, one of them modelled into an effective replica of a cigar. As a parting nod, some chocolates were served above a mini aquarium, inspired by the koi pond on the hotel property.
All said and done, the event itself was a fairly personal, low key affair, punctuated by good food and great conversation. After all, in an industry that prides itself on efficient, experiential service, what better way to celebrate a silver jubilee than with a meal and merriment.