My Favourites
Allow me to start by saying that the Chocolate Miso soup was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It was tasty, warm, inviting – like a warm embrace. 100% chocolate made it naturally, ever so slightly, sweet. It was a savory soup and it had that hint of sweetness. Delicious. Probably the highlight of this meal for me.
But then, there was also this salad. Pomelo. Bean sprouts. Burnt garlic shavings. And a custard apple mousse as the base. If you’d told me only about the ingredients, I might have been intrigued enough to ask for a photograph. But I wouldn’t be sure whether I would want to eat it. The bean sprouts + garlic + pomelo were tossed in light chili oil. It was a beautiful salad – not to look at – but to eat. Everything from the textures, to the taste, the crunch and the sweetness of the custard apple. It clearly took a lot of research and work to come up with that custard apple mousse.
The idea behind this particular Supper Club dinner was “Going Native”. In some parts of India, when we’re going back home to visit family, we say, “I’m going to my native place.” This meal was supposed to bring the native place to you, in a plate. Chefs Pallavi and Kanishka drew from their native places and shared those delights with the guests.The red rice & kuzhambu main course was also warm and felt like home. The mango / imli chutney with curry leaves. Yumm.
The Menu
Let me share the entire menu with you :The only alcohol was a Brut and Flower Jelly served in a champagne glass. There was no other alcohol served at the dinner. There was, however, a lovely Kombucha, which I drank several glasses of.
Followed by the 100% chocolate miso broth. Which I’ve already mentioned that I absolutely loved.
Custard apple + pomelo + bean sprout salad. Also loved.
Nipatt ( like a cracker – which was the base ) + pol sambal + brahmi. I remember the coconut from this the most.
Nightshade kuzhambu + red rice + podimas. Even though I am not from South India, I find comfort in South Indian food. And my husband is half Mallu. So, this was like eating at home. Loved it.
Native white curry + carrot capellini + karela. This was a hit with the rest of the table but I was not able to enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked. Especially the hand-rolled noodles. Having never eaten baked karela chips previously, even though I do like karela, I was apprehensive. I want more now. The karela turned out to be my favorite part of this dish.
Garlic halwa + chocolate sable + millet caramel. This was the dessert and it was delightful! The garlic was more like a mousse. And it tasted more like melted kulfi. It was surprisingly good.
The Purple Turtles store looked beautiful from the outside and when I stepped in, the first thing I saw were my friend Trove Craft India’s beautiful hand-painted decor plates on the wall!
Apart from the food, the decor for the dinner was stunning. I did not expect such attention to detail. My compliments to the store’s creative head. Great job. Very Instagrammable too. The entire store, all three floors of it, is Instagrammable. They have a store in Indiranagar, one on Lavelle Road and they’re also working on a new one in Sadashiv Nagar.
The People
So much entrepreneurial talent at the table! An absolute pleasure meeting Vimki of Gourmetised | Tina | Shruti of Maia Design Studio | Jenny, who is an outstanding paper artist | Akshara Verma | Gaurav of The Purple Turtles | Raja of OCD Design Studio | Sushmita | Sangeeta | Rupa | Gita | Anna | Shirley | Radeesh of The Purple Turtles | Sneh | Chef Pallavi | Chef Kanishka
“Would you like to come to Bangalore for dinner?”
Being deservedly apprehensive of such introductory emails, I took a couple of days to make up my mind. All I knew was that it was going to be a 7 Course Vegetarian meal cooked by two chefs. That it would be a sit-down dinner. That it would be in Bangalore, at a store that looked beautiful on its Instagram page at least. I knew nothing about the PR agency that contacted me. Nothing about the store. Nothing about the Chefs and I certainly don’t usually sign up for vegetarian meals.
Akanksha’s been experimenting with a vegan diet recently and I’m feeling inspired. While I wouldn’t go as far – no exclusively vegan diet for me – I am keen to explore interesting vegetarian options. Even when it’s a dinner like this one, where the menu is not shared with guests.All in all, an unexpectedly pleasant experience. I’m not one to travel to a whole another city for JUST a dinner but I’m glad I took a chance on this one. Also because I got to make some new friends!If you are in Bangalore, get in touch with them to know about the next meal by this Supper Club!
CREDITS
The Purple Turtles : Instagram
Go Native : Instagram ( for the Supper Club and other events associated with the store )
Beruru : Instagram
Chef Kanishka : Instagram
Chef Pallavi : Instagram
Flowers : La Fleur India : Instagram
PR : Mirabilis Inc : Website
Special thanks to Mariya, Riddhi and Divya.
For previous restaurant / food / dining related photo stories and features on this blog, see #EyesFroDining
Hot unsolicited Bangalore Tip : If you hear of The Chancery Pavilion as a hotel option, flee in the other direction. Who disturbs a guest when the Do Not Disturb sign is on the door? Staff at Chancery definitely do. And not once, but twice. And where do you find a whole peanut in your plain chocolate ice cream? Again, at Chancery Pavilion! And where do you find a piece of raw capsicum at the bottom of your coconut chutney? Also Chancery Pavilion! Definitely one of the top 5 worst hotels I’ve ever stayed at. Sure, it’s a hotel. But there’s nothing hospitable about the service. I’m not even going to get into how utterly clueless the front desk was. Their website claims it’s a 5 Star hotel. After my stay, I can confirm that it’s a 2 Star at best.‘
