A three-course meal with nine dishes dedicated to jackfruit won’t sound like much of a novelty to South Indians who are known to use the fruit in a variety of delicacies. But what’s different about this elaborate meal is that it featured a wide range of cuisines, from Thai to Mexican, with dishes such as Jaca Loaded Potato, Parmesan Polenta and Jacky Edamame Crumble.
These dishes are part of the specially curated menu of the Wakao Food Fest at Conrad Bengaluru. Wakao Foods launched packaged raw jackfruit as a plant-based meat substitute, and chefs at Conrad have gone all out to experiment with it. We were first served the starters that included Faux Pao, Jaca Loaded Potato and Phanas Pepper Fry. Faux Pao was a dish made with finely chopped raw jackfruit sandwiched between slices of bread which were deep fried. The contrasting textures of the crisp slices of bread and the soft jackfruit made it interesting. Phanas Pepper Fry, mini masala dosas stuffed with jackfruit pepper fry, was simple delicious.
Main course included dishes such as Wakao Krapow, Parmesan Polenta, The Wakao Burger and Kathal Biryani. The burger was quite impressive. The harissa-spiced crunchy patty was as good as any meat patty and that’s what really surprised us. The other dish that we enjoyed is the Kathal Biryani, which was cooked with chunks of jackfruit that were almost like mutton. The desserts — both the Bar of Bliss and Jackfruit Edamame Crumble — were visually appealing. We particularly liked the Crumble, which came with a scoop of ice cream that had tiny pieces of jackfruit. Overall, the meal was quite an unusual experience and is definitely worth a try because of the versatility of jackfruit.
Rs 1,800++ for two. Until November 30. At Ulsoor
ayeshatabassum@ newindianexpress.com
@aishatax