Krish

 

I love to see black and white houses and have always wished to live in one. The white external walls with wood support painted in black are so attractive. Therefore I was looking out to all the black and white houses in the colonial style Rochester Park cluster of restaurants. Each of these eatery is elegant and I do wish I can run a restaurant as well as stay in one….you know what I mean?

 

Krish is a beautiful restored colonial style bungalow with a great al fresco bar sitting on 6000 square feet well looked after grounds. The inside of the main ‘house’ looks like a French chateau with bistro chairs as well as leather banquettes here and there, an amazingly beautiful chandelier made of old bottles, marble topped tables, black and white pictures, mounted plates, long kitchen tables, plants and nice library bar at one point, knick knacks and so forth, making you feel so at a cozy home. The restaurant also has the Greenhouse Bar which is literally a glass ‘showroom’ overlooking the main house. Here you can sit and drink in air conditioned comfort or seat on huge wooden swings and laze around. The place is cozy for a few friends to get together and chat, eat and drink till midnight. With a good list of wines, cocktails, snacks and ciders, this is definitely one place you might want to consider for hosting a company’s event or a wedding. The place can take in 300 people! The three owners Nikhil Krishnan, Artika Sulaiman and Matthew Baker are passionate about good food and lifestyle and they have travelled well enough and have a vision to make Krish the place for South Asian influenced contemporary European cuisine.

 

 

 About 8 years ago, pork bellies will never appear in a fine dining restaurant. Nobody associated thick strips of white fat and rosy meat with such restaurants but these days I noticed that pork bellies, along with other rich, unabashedly fatty cuts of the pig, have landed right on the menu and who would have thought of creating a pork belly tikka?! I started off with Pork Belly Tikka with Tamarind Reduction and Indian Salad. The well marinated thinly sliced pork was moist and the tangy taste of the tamarind reduction gave a kick. The Indian Salad I found out was just lightly tossed onion dices. I could hardly taste the pork fat and the meat was very tender. The Spice Carrot Ravioli with Ginger Brown Butter Emulsion and Pomegranate Seed just slided into my mouth. The ginger brown butter emulsion was a bit too lacking in flavor but the pomegranate seeds added color and a bit of twist in the taste. The ravioli was creamy and decadent.

 

 

The Seared Duck Breast with Duck Confit Hash, Fennel Salad and Tamarind Reduction was next. First of all the Tamarind Reduction was a  repeat from my Pork Belly Tikka. I should have avoided this dish as it clearly states in the menu. Well, that is what happens when you go gaga over a menu and order blindly. The seared duck breast showcased the duck's natural savory flavors without any fuss. And when you eat a slice of the duck breast with the Duck Confit Hash, the flavor gets further enhanced. I like mashed potatoes or grated potatoes with meat or fish. What happens when you buy a duck just so that you can sear the duck breast? Be clever and use the legs for making duck confit and then shred it and combine into a heavenly hash. I could hardly find the fennel.......... The Pappadum Crusted Snapper with sauted Zucchini and Squash, potato puree and mint coriander Emulsion was certainly different way of serving fish. This was a big portion. Though it was a very creative way of cooking the snapper, I would think crushed cornflakes would have made the crust crispier. The snapper was fresh and the mint coriander emulsion added a varied flavor to the combined food on the table.

 

 

Panko Crusted Tofu with Creamed spinach, Cinnamon Roasted Mushrooms and Tomato Jam was my favorite main course and it is suitable for vegetarians. Panko is the Japanese version of bread crumbs and they tend to be lighter, crispier and crunchier – and so was my deep fried tofu. The tomato jam and the cinnamon roasted mushroom complemented it very well and it was the complete one dish meal with protein and all.

 

 

Dessert time and the Dessert Devil had Valrhona Chocolate Frangelico with Pink Peppercorn Sauce and Mint Yoghurt Sorbet. The pink peppercorn sauce which was not pungent at all but rather sweet complemented with hazelnut flavor from the Frangelico. Just in case you don’t know, pink peppercorns are the dried berries from the Baies rose plant. They are cultivated in Madagascar and imported via France and it is an expensive spice. Not only are they colorful but they are also used in cooking, such as a variety of sauces and the seeds have a strong mixed flavor of pepper and anise, with sweet accents and therefore matches a decadent chocolate cake. I also tried the Saffron Cheesecake Foam with Panko, Buttermilk, Oats and Cashews.