Amrut Whisky Tasting at The Glass House

I was recently invited for Amrut Whisky tasting session at the Glass house, Bangalore. As I do not consume alcohol, I took along Arjun from  http://evaluatedpirate.blogspot.in/ along with me for the alcohol tasting while I enjoyed the food at The Glass House.

Amrut whisky is based in our very own Bengaluru, an Indian brand single malt whisky. They have reached international market and already been sold in over 30 countries across the world. Amrut Fusion has been rated at No.3 by Jim Murray from over 4,000 whisky he had tried from across the world, with a score of 97/100. Amrut whisky actually started out as a MBA project of Mr Rakshit Jagdale, this project has put India in the whisky market shocking everyone across the globe.

Mr. Ashok Chokalingam, Mr. Rakshit Jagdale and Mr. Vikram from Amrut took everyone through the blind whisky tasting. This was a blind whisky tasting, where there were just six glass with whisky without any identification of the brand. The tasting session was taken forward by Mr Ashok Chokalingam who was the Whisky Ambassador for the year 2012, voted by the Icons of Whisky. He explained us the various aspects of whisky that can be briefly explained as nosing, tasting, balancing and finish, along with guessing the age and origin.

Arjun rated the below whisky according to what he found the best:
1. 22/40 for Glenmorangie
2. 30/40 for Amrut Classic Malt
3. 26/40 for Black label
4. 31/40 for Jim Beam
5. 34/40 for Amrut Fusion
6. 32/40 for Amrit peated

Do note that one man's whisky might not be liked by others. But the manner of whisky tasting sessionwas very impressive where many learnt new ways of appreciating whisky.

After the whisky tasting, chef at The Glass House served us few of his signature dishes. We were served with Stuffed mini eggplant roulade, Goat cheese lollipops, Margarita pizza, Chicken fire cracker, Beef carpaccio and Lamb sliders The chef used very less ingredients in his dishes to enhance the flavors.

The Chicken fire cracker had a mix of mango puree and mustard which was an interesting combination and the tender chicken blended well with this combination. A tangy twist suited my liking.

If you like goat cheese then you have to try the Goat cheese lollipops. I do not like goat cheese much but did give it a try. The saltiness in the goat cheese and the dates and jalapenos stuffing was liked by many but not me.

Margarita pizza was a thin crust pizza which was repeated on the table. As I love sliders, Lamb slider was thoroughly enjoyed. The lamb patty was juicy and cooked to perfection.of the food.

A hint of The Glass House will surely take me to the restaurant again.


For more information on Amrut Whisky or for distillery tour, you can contact them at:

Sales inquiries:
Ashok Chokalingam ,General Manager – International Operations, Amrut Distilleries Ltd,
Tel:+44(0)191-233 6316 Fax:+44(0)191-233-6346
E-mail: info@amrutdistilleries.com

Head Office:
Amrut Distilleries Ltd, (N.R.Jagdale Group), # 41/1, 72nd Cross, Rajajinagar 6th Block,
Bangalore, 560 010, India.
Tel: +91 80 23100402, 380, 379, 389, 23503860 Fax: +91 80 23351542
Web Site: www.amrutdistilleries.com www.amrutwhisky.co.uk

The Slider Slam Festival at The Big Kahuna

The Big Kahuna is known for its unique tropical environment, signature cocktails and scrumptious menu offerings. The lounge offers a phenomenal range of world-inspired food with fresh ingredients. The Tiki-culture inspired lounge has introduced an exquisite array of sliders called ‘Sensational Sliders’ to get you prepped up for this festive season. Having studied the growing food trend for Sliders, the Chefs at The Big Kahuna have brought forth interesting renditions to satiate the cravings of diners in the city.

With 10 delicious sliders to choose from, the new menu includes Cottage Cheese sliders, Herbed Grilled Chicken sliders, Asian Shrimp and Chicken sliders etc. that have been specially developed for this festive season.

As I was invited to be part of the on-going 'The Slider Slam' festival, I was thrilled as it was my first at The Big Kahuna. I started my evening with Coral reef mocktail, a tropical drink made from strawberries, mango and coconut cream. It was sweet, thick and really filing till my sliders were on the table.

The first slider I tasted was BBQ pulled chicken slider which had slow cooked BBQ chicken with marinated onions and mix pickle slaw. It was very tasty and the mix pickle slaw with BBQ chicken did the magic. After this slider, the standards were set very high for me. It cant get better than this to start the evening.

The second slider was a veg one, Crispy spicy cottage cheese slider, the spicy mayo with soy chilli marinade and crumbed cottage cheese along with a slice of onion in between the bread did the magic and the first veg slider was good.

Next was Asian shrimp and chicken slider which had a patty of chicken and minced shrimp along with asian tartar sauce. A strong taste of shrimp was felt. Though the first taste had a little extra garlic taste which does not suit my liking, but the next bite helped me get a good taste of the patty and tartar sauce.

The next was a mushroom slider named Herbed mushroom and roasted pepper slider which had thyme (herb)-balsamic (vinegar) mushrooms along with bocconcini cheese (small mozzarella cheeses like the size of an egg), roasted peppers and pesto mayo. A non-mushroom lover will also enjoy this slider. But the taste of roasted peppers is hidden behind the mushrooms.

Next, Herbed grilled chicken slider was served which had herb marinated grilled chicken along with garlic mash and chilli garlic aioli. With the first bite, I got the taste of mashed potatoes along with chicken which impressed me. I was stunned with the superb taste despite the major presence of garlic.

Crispy Quinoa slider was served next. This was the first time I tried quinoa. Panfried quinoa and veggie cakes served with cheddar-parmesan cheese along with maui waui sauce. I could not exactly identify the taste of the sauce but the slider was very filling.

Sicilian lamb ball slider was served which has rosemary scented lamb balls with spicy tomato sauce, fresh basil and parmesan cheese. The lamb ball was bigger than the bread and one who enjoys lamb will surely enjoy the spicy lamb balls slider. It felt like having lamb balls with some bread here and there, exactly the I like.

Next, Mexican taco sliders was served which was the most waited slider. Kidney bean patty along with tortilla chip, guacamole, pico and herb sour cream. Every bite was delicious and truly worth waiting. Mexican food is always enjoyed.

The last slider I tasted was Chilli and lime fish slider which had chopped Vietnamese basa, fresh chillies, lime zest, apple cider mayo. With the first bite I got a strong taste of jalapeno which over powered the taste of chilli and lime fish. A chilli would have preferred over jalapeno to enhance the taste of fish.

The only slider I did not taste was Cubanitos which had a juicy tenderloin patty with pork salami, caramalised onions and cheddar cheese.

One can also enjoy a jumbo platter, Veg - Mexican taco sliders, Herbed mushroom and roasted pepper slider and Crispy spicy cottage cheese slider and you can enjoy this at Rs.750 and a Non-veg platter - Chilli and lime fish slider, Herbed grilled chicken slider and Asian shrimp and chicken slider at Rs.850.

To end my meal, I had Dark chocolate temptation which had rich chocolate mousse with crunchy nougat. Salted Caramel cheesecake which had baked cheesecake topped with salted caramel, dessert need not be sweet always and Coffee creme brulee which was an expresso infused custard with caramalised sugar crust, dessert in a cup. I enjoyed all three dessert and despite being a chocolate lover, I enjoyed the Coffee creme brulee more.

Dark chocolate temptation

Salted Caramel cheesecake

Coffee creme brulee

All the sliders will be available at the price of Rs 280 to Rs 320. Get ready to hog on sliders of different flavours and from different cuisines. The sliders are smaller than the usual sliders you get anywhere but very comfortable in eating them. Though this is not a main course nor a appetizer but somehow can fill you up when had with couple of drink and conversations with friends. These bad boys are going to change your life and your appetite too. 'The Slider Slam' festival that is going at The Big Kahuna is sure to excite you. You can enjoy the festival till 14th December, 2014.