Food Review: Here’s an exclusive sneak-peak of Kyba, the newest oriental diner in Bengaluru

Despite Asian restaurants springing up in Bengaluru every month, it’s hard to find one place where you can expect delectable Chinese, Japanese and Thai fare. But it seems like our prayers have been answered! Pan -Asian restaurant Kyba has recently opened in Sahakar Nagar and we dropped by the restaurant with a lot of expectations and a tinge of fear of it not living up to the hype!

As we entered the restaurant, we noticed that the décor gave an earthy vibe, with basil-green walls adorned by woodblock flower paintings. Wooden floors, vintage chairs, houseplants at every nook and bamboo-wood lanterns flooding the space with warm light made the place cosy and inviting. Sitting at a table by the window, we perused through the menu, but overwhelmed by the innumerable options, we left our choice of food to the chef himself.

We started with a Thai Tom Kha Soup with Prawns (coconut soup with lemongrass, galangal, chilli, seasonings). A spoonful of it enveloped our mouths in the richness of coconut cream while the citrusy aroma of lemongrass added a definite kick. We wolfed down the soup as if nothing else would be served to us after that.

So cheesy!
Next, we sampled Cream Cheese Dumplings (cream cheese, water chestnuts, bird eye chillies, scallions) and Chilli Basil Chicken Buns (wheat-flour buns stuffed with chilli basil chicken, seasonings). The former looked so pretty, it seemed like getting photographed for Instagram was its entire purpose. But one bite proved us wrong. This sweet-and-slightly-tangy dish definitely tasted better than the buns, with cream cheese filling that had the perfect consistency. The stuffing inside the buns, on the other hand, would have tasted better with a milder flavour.

Switching our focus to Japanese, we tasted an Avocado and Jalapeno Maki (jalapeno, avocado, cream cheese roll served with gari, wasabi) and Salmon Sashimi. In the maki, the sweet sushi rice, the buttery avocado and the surprising tang of jalapeno blended smoothly and gave way to a well-rounded taste. With a firm yet melt-in-mouth texture, the Salmon Sashimi was on point too. Sips of the gin-based cocktail Basil Smash and the mocktail Shanghai Rose helped us wash this down.

For appetisers, we had Bok Choi and Mushrooms (stir-fried in garlic and sesame oil) and Garlic Pepper Prawns (battered prawns tossed with garlic, pepper, chillies, bell pepper). The former cleared our palates but the latter was our favourite among the two. Despite being fried in batter, the prawns retained their natural sweetness. We were well-aware we have bigger eyes than a stomach and that main course was yet to arrive. Yet we could not help but finish off all the savoury, succulent pieces of prawn.

Life of Thai
Thai Green Curry (with chicken, galangal, coconut milk, Thai herbs) served with jasmine rice was the main course that followed. The creamy texture of the coconut milk in the thick gravy was complemented well by the herby notes of cilantro, zing of the makrut and mild spice of green chillies. It was so scrumptious that we could not help but polish off every morsel of the gravy-laden rice.

We wrapped up our dinner with Thai Mango Sticky Rice (served with coconut milk and mango jelly) and Classic Blueberry Cheesecake (served with raspberry sauce). With a generous dollop of blueberries on top, the dense and smooth cheesecake was so indulgent that we gulped it down while we saved the best for the last. The Thai Mango Sticky Rice made our hearts happy. The glutinous rice and fresh mango slices, blended with the creamy goodness of coconut milk, reminded us of our desi summer delicacies. This is highly recommended, specially for diners who have a low sweet-tolerance.

Meal for two: INR 1,400 onwards. At Sahakar Nagar

Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @MallikPrattusa