This food festival is strictly for the die-hard mushroom fan. Imagine a menu that begins with a mushroom soup and ends with a mushroom dessert! Organised by the Chefs Sunny and Ranjit of the Taj West End hotel, the Mushroom Food Festival brings interesting and unique flavours for the Indian palette.

Said Chef Sunny, “It’s a lovely season in Bangalore. Mushrooms grow best in monsoon. Generally, people don’t like mushrooms and we want to prove that there is more to mushroom than salad and subzi. Mushrooms are low in calorie and are fat free.” The chefs added that there are over 250 varieties of mushrooms available. About 12 varieties, imported from Italy and UK, are being used for the festival.

We began our gastronomic journey with a bowl full of ‘Duet of Mushroom Cappuccino’. Thick in consistency, the button and oyster mushroom soup emitted intense flavours. The chefs told us that the mushrooms used were first roasted and then pureed to make the soup.

What followed was ‘Morels Fricassee’ - a crinkly mushroom salad with white sauce dressing. ‘Morels’ or ‘Kashmiri gucchi’ is one of the most expensive mushrooms available and costs Rs 1000 per kilogram approximately.

‘Asparagus salad with Pickled Mushroom’ was yet another refreshing salad. The fresh green asparagus and citric button mushrooms intermingled to create a unique taste.

As far as the main course was concerned, the vegetarian options interestingly scored over the non-vegetarian platter. ‘Assorted Mushroom Risotto’, traditionally cooked in wine and butter is a must-try. ‘Cloud Ear Ravioli served with Chive Cream Sauce’ is another good bet. A conventional pasta with an unconventional cloud ear mushroom stuffing, makes a good filling main course for the conservative foodie.

The non-vegetarian options included pre-plated dishes like ‘Salmon with Wild Mushroom and Passion Fruit Emulsion’. Chargrilled salmon over a bed of mushroom chunks with a swipe of tangy passion fruit created interesting flavours. The arrangement was complete with a dome of mushroom chunks encased in a smoked salmon bulb. This dish stimulated all the five senses effectively.

This one is surely for the beef lovers - ‘Tenderloin served with Truffle flavoured jus’ served over a bed of mashed potatoes, topped with zucchinis and broccoli. The oil of truffle mushroom is perhaps the most expensive oil in the world and had been used generously in this gastronomic arrangement.

What came next finally took the cake, quite literally! ‘Soft center button mushroom chocolate pudding with a dollop of Porcini ice cream.’ The warm chocolate pudding opened up to gooey chocolate sauce that overpowered the taste of button mushroom chunks stuffed in the brownie. But one cannot miss the distinct Porcini mushroom flavour in the ice-cream. Definitely for the brave, especially after the soup, salad and the main course.

In all, there are only 14 dishes on the all-mushroom menu. However, each dish can be a great meal in itself! The mushroom festival is on only for dinners at The Mynt from September 21 to 30.