Decked Out at Lapis returns to the al fresco deck at The Oberoi, Bengaluru, following its successful launch last summer. Usually hosted on the last Friday of every month, the series opens Season 2: Episode 1, this weekend, with A Taste of Ladakh, marking the debut of monk-turned-chef Jigmet Mingur in the city.
The three-night event showcases a menu shaped by the climate and geography of Ladakh, reflecting the chef’s early life as a monk and his focus on the culinary soul of Leh and the Nubra Valley. The offering provides an authentic experience that features dishes often unknown even to discerned travellers.
The meal commences with Kunak Tea, a traditional Ladakhi welcome of salted tea served with a buckwheat cracker. This is followed by Khambir, a warm, charcoal-roasted fermented sourdough bread, paired with Skotse butter made from Nubra Valley wild chives. For those who are open to experimental flavours and prefer their meat rare, the Shapjen & Kholak features mutton tartare with wild capers and native roasted barley flour. The Moskot is an effortlessly delightful serving of indigenous buckwheat pancake accompanied by an orchard-picked walnut and onion sauce.
The Siachen Salad acts as a true refreshment, combining soft Labo cheese, yak cheese, wild capers and sundried apple. Dressed with the juice of sea buckthorn grown at an altitude of 11,500 feet, the crunchy leaves and nuts pair well with the creamy cheese and subtly tangy flavours.
Another notable dish is Gyuma, a handmade mountain goat blood sausage from the Changthang plateau, which possesses a savoury, brownie-like texture. Its vegetarian alternative, the Himalayan Morel MokMok, featuring whole wheat dumplings served with apricot chutney, simply reminded us of the versions savoured during our trip to the Union Territory.
The selection continues with Loah Khacha, a nomadic preparation of pan-seared mutton lungs that fascinates meat-lovers. The dish features an extremely fragile texture and mouth-feel that earns only good words from those at the table. In contrast, the Phorok Nangka, a whole wheat parcel stuffed with cabbage and caper leaves, on the vegetarian menu delivers a slightly bitter aftertaste. However, its accompanying tomato and walnut chutney is surely binge-worthy and balances out the flavours well.
For the pasta course, the vegetarian O’skyu — a thumb-pressed pasta with vegetables and burnt garlic in a milk sauce — makes for a comforting choice. The non-vegetarian option, Chhu Tagi, features handmade bow-tie pasta with mutton trotters, flavoured with Kashmiri chilli, turmeric, wild caraway seeds and wild chives oil. We opted for the former and were left blissfully satiated.
Before the final course, the Soaked Chuli provides a pre-dessert experience with an intense, tongue-tingling explosion of contrasting tangy and sour sensations. The meal concludes with Phaymer & Sea Buckthorn ice-cream, which combines roasted barley flour, jaggery and butter with apricot compote. This final dish is perfect — not too sweet or overly experimental, but rather refreshing given the heat outside.
₹2,000 onwards. At Lapis, The Oberoi, Bengaluru. April 24-26 Seatings are at 7 pm and 9 pm, for a maximum 20 guests per seating.
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