White Elephant - A Thai experience

I was recently invited to White Elephant on 100 feet road, Indiranagar to review their menu. On getting to know that it Was authentic THAI restaurant, I was not at all excited as I have tried some 'Indianized' thai food and was not impressed by it. But yes, I was eager to try authentic thai food to decide if I like the cuisine or not.

Entering into a quiet and cosy place, I was pretty much impressed with the interiors, decent and simple with dim lights and table spaced well for everyone to have their private conversations. A huge idol of seated Buddha has a calming effect. I started my evening with a Heart Breaker which was mix of grape, cranberry, lime and blackcurrant. I also tasted Dark House which had hazelnut, vanilla, cola and ice-cream. I was not very impressed with the mocktails so I went with the usual lime juice at the end.

Cocktails had by others:

























Lot of people judge a place with the firs sip/bite they take, I would suggest you to not judge this place by that. Wait till you taste the food.

For starters, Khao Pod Thod Naam Prik Pow, Pla Yang, Kai Hor Bai Taey, Manfrang Tod Samros, Choop Bong Thod, Koong Phat Prik Horm Sab and Yum Woonsen was served. I am sure most of you wouldn't understand anything until I describe the dishes to you.

Khao Pod Thod Naam Prik Pow came first, a veg starter. It is babycorn tossed with Thai chilli paste served in rice tartlets. Rice crackers are a great munchkin so this was an advanced version which was good to start with.

Pla Yang was next which was a spicy skewed grilled fish. Oh, this tasted well and I wouldn't mind another serving of it. it was spicy and full of flavors.

Kai Hor Bai Taey was served which was marinated chicken wrapped in a pandana leaf. If this was had before the fish then I would have liked it even more but I loved the fish. Standalone, this dish was good, chicken was cooked well and the flavors of pandana leaves was evident.

Manfrang Tod Samros, is crispy fried potatoes tossed with tri-flavor sauce. Potatoes are my fav veg starter and my comfort food so I will be completely biased in saying that I loved this.

Choop Bong Thod had crispy fried vegetables which were tossed with Thai chilli paste.

Koong Phat Prik Horm Sab had prawns tossed with chilli, onion, garlic in tamarind sauce. The tamarind sauce gave a tangy flavor to the prawns and was loved by my taste buds.

Yum Woonsen is a spicy glass noodles salad. We tried the veg version and I guess this would taste the best in veg and not chicken.

Time for main course, I was impressed with the starters and hoping for better main course. I went with the suggestions of the Chef for main course. I had Kaeng Keow Whan, Kaeng red, Khao Hom Mali, Steamed noodles and Prawns with lime and garlic. Back to explanation ;)

Kaeng Keow Whan is Thai traditional green curry and we had this with fish, served it with steamed noodles. This was ideally the best combination and tasty green curry I had.

 I guess the fish did the magic too. Kaeng red is Thai red curry had we had this with chicken, served with Khao Hom Mali which is jasmine rice, mid taste of jasmine can be tasted.

Chef's special, prawns in lime and garlic was good but other dishes were better.

Veggies enjoyed some Chef's suggestion too which they relished.

During some days, guest would be stunned with magic show by Rakesh Syam, an international famed close up magician from USA. With every jaw dropping act, he left us stunned with his 10 years of experience. This is a special surprise one would get at White Elephant.

Magician in action

After stunning acts by Rakesh, it was time for desserts. Gruay Thod, Tub Tim Grob, Sankhya Fak Thong and ice-creams was served.

Gruay Thod were deep fried banana with honey and sesame seeds. Preparation time>Eating time. I personally like this from the time I had it at Hanoi Vietnamese Cuisine. So this was yummy too but I would want a scoop of ice-cream to accompany it.

Tub Tim Grob is a dessert where water chestnuts are served with sweetened Jasmine flavored coconut milk. I have had this at Tim Tai earlier and loved it more at White Elephant. The sweet content was exact to my taste which me have an extra bowl ;)

I also tasted Sankhya Fak Thong which contains egg. It is a traditional pumpkin custard with coconut ice cream. I wouldn't prefer this over the above two.

Chocolate, coconut and jack fruit ice cream was served. Though I like jack fruit as a fruit as such but the ice-cream did not impress my taste buds but I loved the taste of chocolate and coconut ice-cream.

Jackfruit

Chocolate

Coconut

Over all a good experience, great food, stunning acts by Rakesh Syam made my Saturday evening special.

An evening with Sublime House of Tea during Trousseau Week

On a cool breezy Friday evening, I was invited to 'Sublime from Prestige – Trousseau Week' for an exclusive Tea Extravaganza at Bangalore's most happening building, UB city.

I was welcomed by a well decorated gazebo showcasing the collection of best of gourmet tea from the Sublime along with some soothing live music.

The evening was hosted by the pretty and dynamic, Uzma Irfan, Executive Director, Prestige Group and Founder, Sublime Galleria. She started ‘Sublime House of Tea’, in 2013 which is promoted by the Prestige Group. She is also founder of Sublime Galleria that provides a great platform for various artists to showcase their work. She lead us through the entire tea journey enlightening us on the various gourmet teas that have been pioneered by Sublime.

The first tea which was offered was aromatic 'Seventh Heaven'. This tea can be served hot and cold. This tea has been made from the handpicked Black Tea Leaves from Nigiris, infused with natural aromas and freeze dried tropical fruit. I started my evening with a cold tea and towards the end of the evening, I tried he hot version too. I preferred the hot version. The tea is highly aromatic but the taste was a little mild than the aroma.

'Green Long Ding' was the next tea to be served to us. It is a Green Tea made from fresh tender long tea leaves, carefully treated and rolled using a distinct method. Not being a green tea lover, I was hesitant to try this but to my surprise the taste was different, refreshing and not at all bitter.

Next was 'Moroccan Mint'. We were told that this is a ceremonial tea served to the guest by the Head of the house. This is composed by flavoring the peculiar green tea leaves called gunpowder tea with the mint. It was highly aromatic and refreshing and I would prefer to have this any day and anytime. This was my favorite tea of the the entire Sublime tea treasure.

Next was 'White Tea with Raspberry'. Truly a drink for post noon. It is a lightly oxidized tea with higher antioxidants properties. The taste was very mildly fruity yet energizing.

The last tea from their treasure which was brought to the table was 'Rose in Bloom'. It is inspired by the Persian rose gardens and with the presence of rose-petals, fennel, liquorice, aniseed, black pepper, white pepper and nutmeg, this is one herbal tea which you would want after every meal which has cooling effect and also digestive benefits. A rosy affair after every meal could be the best decision.

The evening with Sublime House of Teas and my 'date' with the various gourmet teas by them was refreshing and informative. My taste buds were delighted with the variety of teas they offered which were never tasted before. I have my favorites, what about you?

Get more information on Sublimed House of Tea here.

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.