The brand new menu at Mikusu in Bengaluru promises familiar flavours with delicious twists

It isn’t easy to build a brand new menu, especially when the cuisine being experimented with is Asian. It was therefore curiosity that drove us to Mikusu at Conrad Bengaluru, the other day for a sneak peak or should we say, a bite from their brand new menu. Chef de cuisine Indra Singh Rawat is a demigod in the kitchen and that is a well-known fact, but what could he do to surprise our already-bored palette? That would be the challenge at hand and rest assured, he stood up to take it on like a pro and how!

The amuse bouche featuring midly spiced avocado paired with pine nuts was invigorating enough to excite us about the meal to follow and we were more than wowed when a salmon carpaccio and a raw tuna truffle pizza were laid before us. Needless to say, we wolfed down the delicately flavoured starters from the Raw Bar and while the vegetarian yellow and red pizzas were a little underwhelming, the tuna pizzas and salmon more than made up for it. 

We then switched focus to the Mikusu Rolls section featuring a spicy salmon roll with avocado, wasabi mayo and avocado crunch and quickly followed that up with an absolutely delicious Prawn Cheung Fun and Xiang Long Chicken Bao paired with an Asian Daiquiri (rum, lemongrass, coconut water and yuzu). The cheung fun was delectable and we were amazed to see how similar yet different it could be from its more popular cousin, the har gao. We’re still confused on which would qualify as the better dumpling. 

We then finally decided to try out the appetisers and first up was some juicy grilled chicken and chilli jam. People often forget how Far East Asian grills often manage to keep their meat tender and juicy and this perfectly-cooked dish did just that! We were then served the only disappointment of the meal, the turnip cakes, which chef Indra has promised would be enhanced, at least texture wise, much to our relief. 

Our main course was Mikusu’s take on a chicken hot pot on an open plate and the dish was what we could only call, ‘the best hot pot, without a hot pot.’ With a whole bunch of fresh vegetables and protein in a mildly piquant curry served alongside rice — we couldn’t get enough of this dish and if this wasn’t a preview, we would have definitely ordered seconds or maybe even a third serving. 

We ended our fabulous meal with one of the most creative desserts we’ve ever had the pleasure of indulging in — a citron with kaffir lime cremeux with an orange centre and citron gel — and this was the perfect finalé to a well put-together meal. Kudos to the chef! We’re definitely going back for more. 

Meal for two: INR 3,000 onwards. At Mikusu, Conrad Bengaluru.

romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal