JOIN USBengaluru has become a food capital that is willing to try different cuisines and flavours. This time, it’s the flavours of Israel that one can experience.
Organised by ‘Nook’, at Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park, is the ‘Taste of Israel’ festival. Chef Shachar Aschengrau and the team have put together an array of delicious dishes to create a culinary repertoire that will play a symphony on your palate.
Hailing from the port city of Haifa, chef Shachar is excited to showcase dishes that bring out the flavours of the country. While many would think that only ‘hummus’ and ‘pita bread’ are the main dishes of Israeli cuisine, the team here proves otherwise.
Bread such as ‘pita’, ‘chala’, ‘fricassee’ and ‘Jerusalem bagel’ have a different taste with each bite you take. The ‘Jerusalem bread’, for example, has a ‘chat-patta’ taste to it that one wouldn’t find otherwise. Even with the slightly hard coating on the bread, the flour is well-risen and gives a soft and moist texture on the inside.
Eggplants are one of the major ingredients in this cuisine and there a few varieties that one can indulge in during the festival. Adding freshness to your palate are the interesting salad options. The ‘Israeli salad’ and ‘Tabuleh salad’ is recommended as it has everything one would hope for to give it that extra crunch.
Israeli food wouldn’t be complete without its dip. The ‘Amba’ is a mango dip which instantly becomes one’s favourite thanks to its tangy yet savoury flavour . The ‘tahini’ and ‘mentha dip’, along with ‘harrisa’ , give the dish that extra touch.
The food festival also offers dishes like ‘falafel’, ‘sabich’, ‘inflated French fries’ and ‘shawarma’ to take one closer to the street food flavours.
For the main course, one can enjoy the ‘Spring chicken’, ‘fish in tomato sauce’, traditional Jewish stew’, ‘Musakah’ and ‘baked fish’. One simple attraction as a side dish is the ‘Baked all cauliflower’. Though it may seem intimidating, as an entire cauliflower is placed in front of you, each flower that you taste will put a smile on your face.
It has just the right amount of sweet, salt and spice to keep the dish interesting. There is also a wide selection of desserts that are both sweet and savoury for one to end the meal with. The flavours include the fresh, soft dates and cakes as well.
The ‘Taste of Israel’ is available until August 26 for both lunch and dinner. For reservations, call 45101033.