MasterChef Kenneth Gopinath's Dakshin pop-up dazzles Whitefield with reimagined South Indian flavours

Cold weather, a breeze across our face and a burning need to warm ourselves led us to Barbeque Nation, Nexus Shantiniketan, Whitefield. At this point, the only thing that could warm our heart and soul was some good old South Indian cuisine, and that was exactly what we stumbled upon! Dakshin: Flavours Reimagined, a South Indian fusion pop-up, curated by MasterChef India’s Kenneth Gopinath.

Surrounded by people holding on to warm soup bowls and scarfing down the food infused with South Indian cuisine, we made our way to the table hoping to partake in their specially curated menu. With a coal pit in the middle of the table and a supply of food being served, we started our journey of reimagining South Indian cuisine.

The first dish was Kaal Soup Wonton Bowl Military Hotel Style, perfect for warming our stomach! The soup was infused with grounded coriander leaves, which were added to the broth to bring out its distinct taste notes. Following the soup, we were given an array of starters, each bringing out taste notes that would make a grown woman drool! We were served two shawarma pockets — Paneer and Chicken — both infused with hints of Mangalore coconut, aiming to transport us to the coastal city through their flavour. With the pockets stored safely in our stomach, we moved on to the next dish, Chicken Chettinad Pepper Dry with Truffle Twist. The dish was a blend of strong masala and spices paired delicately with truffle oil, bringing out a subtle umami flavour. No doubt, the dish was quickly sent into our stomach to keep the shawarma pockets company!

Just when we thought we could not have anything more delicious than the chettinad pepper fry, we were served Lemon Grass Meen Pollichathu, which without a sliver of doubt became the favourite dish of the day! Wrapped and packed in a banana leaf, the fish was cooked to perfection, oozing with flavour and softness of the meat. Bite after bite, the fish was now swimming happily in our stomach! We caught the fish, but we definitely couldn’t leave without catching a prawn too! And that was exactly what we did. Andhra Royyala Vepudu Open Tacos was a dish that reimagined prawn and paired it with taco shells along with salsa and guacamole.

Closing the starters with a heavy heart and looking towards the main course, we could not stop ourselves from rushing the food to come to us faster! Ragi Mudde Gnocchi with Nati Koli Saaru Sauce, our immediate victim, was a bite-sized mudde that rolled smoothly into our tummy. We followed that up with Non Veg Classic Donne Biryani, a classic of Bengaluru, and Kaai Anna — a rice dish that was infused with coconut. Though of different flavour palates, both the dishes brought out Bengaluru’s taste onto the plate.

The meal was not over without a sweet and the chef had made three beautiful desserts that our tummies could not wait to digest! Mysore Paak Cheesecake (from Karnataka), Tender Coconut Palada Payasam Shahi Tukda (from Kerala) and Classic Badam Halwa Pockets (from Tamil Nadu) were laid out on the table — waiting to be eaten whole, for which we gladly obliged!

INR 899 onwards. At Whitefield.

Written by: Rewaa Mohanraj

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