Coastal delights in Bengaluru

BENGALURU:If you miss the touristy feel of Goa, try the Goan Food Festival at the JW Kitchen. It is sure to fill your appetite and leave you nostalgic. The fest serves a global cuisine that you find in Goa due to increasing popularity of the place and a range of tourists visiting the beach destination from different parts of India and abroad. The main ingredient of these dishes

Most part of the menu is conceptualised and prepared by Goan chef Bernadine who has also trained the team into crafting these dishes with authentic Goan spices. Goan cuisine as we know it, is a mouthwatering amalgamation of indigenous flavours with a tinge of inspiration from Portuguese, Asian and Arabic cuisines. The main highlight of the festival were the pork and prawns specialities which were out-of-the-world experiences. Deep fried pork sauteed in onions served with pav as appetiser called Pav with Pork chorizo was a delight to savour. The soft meat, salty chorizo that tastes like pepperoni and crunchiness of the onions created a good mix of flavours. It was also filling for a starter.

The food festival showcases many Konkani dishes from Goa including the Goan Prawn Curry served in a creamy sauce, Chicken Xacuti, Mutton Vindaloo and fish in oyster sauce. The chicken Xacuti had an unmistakable taste of fresh ground spices as well as a coconut flavour. The Fish in Oyster sauce was a delight as well, but the fish did taste a bit bland. The oyster sauce did however, rescue the seafood dish.

A variety of home made salads catering to both vegan and non vegans were available for serving. The appetisers were also many in number and each dish had a speciality of its own. The main course was full of surprises as there were a variety of rice dishes to choose from ranging from white and brown rice to Kerala Chicken Biryani to Pork filled Rice with Mixed Vegetables. A variety of chinese dishes including noodles and fried rice were also served.

Speciality Goan dessert highlights were Blackberry Pannacotta, Kiwi Berry Mousse Cake, Coffee Cake Slice, Bebinca, Kalu Dodol, Guava Cheese, Bhaat, Serradura, Patoleo and Bolinas. The coffee flavoured cakes were a treat to our taste buds as we are people with sweet tooth. For the profiteroles, the cream filling could have been more dense but nevertheless, it was satisfying as a whole.

Cocktails and mocktails were ready to be served at your table with four varieties of each. Among the cocktails, if you are looking for a something sweet with a distinct coconut flavour, then Madhari Colada is your go-to drink. An interesting fact was the added pineapple and lime juice in the drink, though the lime juice was quite subtle.

Our other favourite was the Goan Pride. As the name suggests, it definitely did get us into the Goan feel. According to the bartender, there's a rumour about the drink that it glows like the sunshine at one of the popular Goan beaches. Admittingly, the drink was teensy-bit too strong. So if you prefer a strong drink, this could end up being your most favourite cocktail from the lot.

The food festival is on till April 15 at JW Kitchen, Vittal Mallya Road.

Cost for two: Rs 4,000