comes from the way it is served. And the saying can be only further proved with
Chef’s Veena’s motherly love in the dishes she prepares. I was invited to review a succulent winter collection of the talented chef for a Saturday lunch
at the Spice Route in Imperial.
touch and love that was showered while dining. Chef Veena is with the Spice Route since two decades and has always come up with exquisite dishes to satiate
the diner’s appetite.
of Thai recipes with Malaysian and Kerela cuisines thrown in.
South East Asian Restaurant at the Imperial
The Spice Route is a route that will always remain in your
heart for a lifetime. Its aura is as magnificent as you step in. The name Spice
Route has been apt for the restaurant as it flaunts a boat in the centre that
carried spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia,
and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam.
The restaurant is an overwhelming visual
depiction of the art and culture that also travelled with the spices through
these regions, presented in a folk, religious and cultural fantasy of the
Orient.
cultural czar of India, The Spice Route is an architectural marvel that offers
a unique dining experience in a distinctively beautiful setting. The restaurant
that took seven years in the making is completely hand painted with vegetable
and flower dyes by mural painters brought in especially from a temple in
Guruvayur in Kerala with a tradition dating back to 3000 years.
Each section has a beautiful tale to share. The entrance isa small outlet that depicts the entry of a human through a small opening that
later grows to experience different forms of life.
As you move ahead, a
mythological painting showing light depicts that we gather knowledge as we come
into the world. The walls & ceilings are indeed intriguing as there are
filled with intricate paintings drawn on the wall showing moments of joy, sorrow,
and Kamasutra postures. A very interesting thing that I found was the ceiling that
had a painting of moksha.
However, it is not possible to see since there were
wooden pillars coming in the way. This depicted several obstacles to attain moksha.Our gastronomical journey began as we were accompanied with
the talented chef Veena who talked about her wonderful journey as a chef.The staff is highly courteous, who are very careful while
serving their guests. A warm smile is always seen on their face that makes you
want to stay on longer.
The winter collection menu is conceptualized in such a way
that all the dishes and ingredients are perfectly suited for winter season. The
menu has Srilankan Malaysian, Vietnamese and of course Thai creations for a
wholesome and healthy sea food experience. The most unique aspect about the
menu is it is popular from past 18 years since The Spice Route came into
existence. The ingredients are high on health quotient and keep you warm in
winters while going extremely well with catch from the sea.
Here is the winter collection from Chef Veena, offering an
eclectic mix of recipes from the South-East Asian kitchen at The Spice Route. The
wide variety of dishes made from king prawns, squids, lobster and variety of
fishes, made the dining experience extremely palatable and delightful.
We were served appetizers to begin with. The Thord Mun Pla – aThai fish cake is served with sweet chillidip and cucumber. The shrimp cased fish cake is soft and tender that goes well
with chilli dip. The next was Prawn
In A Sarong, a Malaysian style por pia skin
wrapped prawns, that is flavored with lemongrass, chillies and fried crisp, served
with sweet chilli and plum sauce.
The appetizers were pleasing and we enjoyed them truly. To makethe journey more interesting, we were served Kaeng Cherd Tauhu Lod, a clear
vegetable and silky bean curd soup, flavored with fresh sautéed garlic. The main
course consisted of YERA MELLAGU, Prawn
stir fried with Kerala spices. Next was Phanaeng Pla, a Crispy fillet of sole served with
phananeng sauce that was scrumptious. The Thai dishes were enjoyed with Khao
Phad Thalay, Stir-fried rice with prawn and egg in Thai soy sauce.
This constituted the Winter collection. We were also servedthe dishes from menu that included Phad Phrik Tauhu, Stir-fried silky bean curd and bamboo shoots in Thai basil sauce. Next
was the Kaeng Kheow Waan Kai, Chicken
in signature Thai green curry with pea and krob aubergine that was served with Khao
Phad Chae, vegetable fried rice.
entire experience on a sweet note. An Ice Cream Tauhu was served. It was Silky bean curd ice
cream, a vegan ice cream with cinnamon flavor.
dining experience this winter.
12:30pm to 2:45pm and Dinner- 7:00pm to 11:45pm
