Gautam Krishnankutty and Padmakumar Pillai, the owners of Thulp, hosted a Naga Food Festival a few years ago. “With a little research Gautam got a smoker running for the festival to make smoked meat,” Padmakumar tells us. “With this small smoker at hand, the interest around it took over and since then the research into smoking techniques began,” he adds. The labour of this love is newly opened The Smoke Co. in the heart of Koramangala.
With high ceilings, glass windows and industrial chic decor, the restaurant is the perfect setting for a lazy lunch. After a quick tour of the place (that included a sneak peek into the smoker, cold storage, terrace kitchen garden and the soon to open performance area), we began our meal with a Charcuterie Platter. On our platter was the Smoked Country Ham, Spicy Chorizo, the Bresaola and the Soy and Sesame Cured Yellow Tail Tuna. The distinctive flavours along with the lack of any preservatives made each of the cold cuts unique. And we have to give a special mention to the savoury and crumbly Corn Muffin served with honey and butter, as a side.
From the mains we opted for the St. Louis Ribs - baby back ribs slathered in their in-house sauce, these babies disappeared from the table very fast. But the highlight of the meal was the Smoked Bone Marrow. The roasted and smoked marrow is served with sea salt and olive oil is cooked to perfection. While they did not claim so, we are almost certain that they are the only restaurant in the city to serve this marrow in this manner. The Crispy Potato and Parmesan Mash was a comforting side.
Say cheese
While the menu is meat-focussed, there vegetarian choices are also interesting. We tried the Baked Brie in Shortcrust Pastry, flaky on the outside and creamy within, it is a delight for the Brie lovers. The Grilled Pears and Gorgonzola on Toasted Sourdough worked as a combination especially because of the nutty arugula in the middle.
For dessert, the choices include the New York Cheese Cake, Country Apple Pie or Cheese Platter but we opted for the Flan with Burnt Caramel. Served with orange brandy and honey comb, it was a much-needed light end to our heavy meal.
With everything made in-house, meat sourced from free range farms and unique smoking and curing techniques, The Smoke Co. is certainly in a class of its own when it comes to restaurants in the city.
Rs 1,900 for two. At Koramangala, 6th Block. Details: 46218500
anagha@newindianexpress.com
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