Is This Bangalore's Best?. Review on Caperberry, Dickenson Road, Bangalore

My initial plan was to dine in this avidly praised Bangalore restaurant in the immediate euphoric aftermath of our cricket team's great 2011 World Cup victory, but Caperberry was hosting an Italian food festival (at least a week long) at that proposed span of time,at the end of which I had to leave dear ol' Bengaluru for a long hiatus.But the afore-mentioned win is a phenomenon whose joy transcends later tragedies, extends over epochs and stretches into eternity, so I came back eventually for my tryst with this restaurant's multi-course full-blown affair which is the considered one of the elite gastro-romps the city has to offer.

It is surprising that Caperberry is the only place in Bangalore popular for serving the cuisine of molecular gastronomy- this involves stunts like encasing flavoured liquids in quivering "spheres", using liquid nitrogen to make desserts of novel texture and temperature, employing foams instead of conventional sauces,and "deconstructing" classic dishes and cooking each of its components innovatively. Super-Chef Ferran Adria masterminded the legendary El Bulli (now closed) - the restaurant which ignited the trend of this neo-cooking. Now, Heston Blumenthal's 'Fat Duck' and Grant Achatz's 'Alinea' reign as the champions in this tricky category. But I wanted both classic excellence and modern flourishes for my meal in Caperberry. Would Chef Abhijith Saha succeed in proudly putting Bangalore on the world's fine-dining map?

So one sun-baked afternoon, forgetting the fact that Indian cricket team was getting mercilessly pounded by the Aussies, I set out towards the one place that I'd have chosen over all the other restaurants in the country for lunch that day.

The Grand Non Vegetarian Tasting menu with 12 courses was the target of my adventure. Its primary cost on the menu was Rs.2450. That rate would later be garnished with a 25% tax. There is also a Vegetarian version similarly priced. An attractive a la carte menu also competes for your attention -one can peruse all of this on the restaurant's well-designed website. The average cost for a meal for two from the regular menu is Rs.3000. Tasting portions,it may be clarified, are smaller than the regular menu's dishes so that one can sample a wider variety of dishes in order to understand the length and breadth of the kitchen's ability.

The following is a review of my experience....Please pardon its length. In trying to cater to those who crave the concise, I cannot deprive others who dig detail.

Ambience- Stepping off a busy plebeian road, and walking into a big undistinguished compound ,one sees the restaurant's signage "Caperberry- Fine European Cuisine and Tapas Lounge" mounted above the wire grill which houses a transformer. Walking into the plain atrium on the ground floor of the building and seeing the restaurant's modestly designed entrance, one hopes that the elegance missing outside will be found indoors. A hostess,noting my reservation,guided me to my table. The air is relaxed - a cool mix of tropical and temperate climes. The design is elegant but restrained - don't expect here the full-throttle frippery of royally opulent restaurants. A large chrome grid of glass and green triangles is suspended from the ceiling. Black marble forms the floor, while the chairs made of blond wood and without arm-rests, are reasonably comfortable. The table-top arrangements are unremarkable, and the space between the tables should have been wider for more privacy. One side of the main seating area has glass walls with white latticed shades. A separate smaller domain marks the lounge for nibbling tapas and quaffing premium liquor.

Service- It's good but does not pamper you out of your mind. Restaurants which are truly detail-obssessed go to the lengths of treating their patrons like kings, while here the service merely makes you feel like a duke. There's a distinct difference between troublesome over-attention and tactfully exact vigilance- Caperberry comfortable avoids the former while not enforcing the latter. Nevertheless,the staff here do behave with graceful respect. My steward for the afternoon was Varun, a young man who conducted himself with the right amount of professional focus and sincere concern. Chefs Saurabh Arora and Sharad Rao operated the kitchen while the man himself- Senor A. Saha -was seen moving around attending to business and even giving an interview.We exchanged brief pleasantries as he walked past to chat with a nearby party. He evidently didn't realize who the real dignitary was..

The Meal - I opted for a Cryo Signature Cocktail in form of a Mango Margarita (Rs.475) to kick things off. Cold smoke arose from the liberally portioned drink which had the 'reserves" waiting in a nearby beaker. It had an iced full-bodied sweetness ,cut by the rim of salt. Suitably "whetted", with a steeled stomach and primed palate,I got ready for the tasting course to commence- the Amuse Bouche was a melon spherification - an eggyolk-like shape placed on a soup spoon. The melon-flavoured liquid was encased inside a thin translucent skin. It tasted ,unfortunately,like a shy rasam.

Next,thin tubules of spaghetti ,actually made of tomato gel, swam in a chicken consomme topped by four quenelles of mashed chicken. The idea was to take the tomato sauce which usually covers the pasta and use it to make the noodles itself. But the dish lacked a developed sense of taste and remained just a technical stunt.

Steamed Sponge Crab Cake then endeavoured to make a tastier case. This carried only a scintilla of the star player's essence,while the egg-endowed fluffiness was more evident. When this was used to sponge up the wasabi sauce, an agreeable savouriness arose minus the spicy kick. Fried rice noodles added crisp bite.

Course 4 - Foie Gras Mousse in petite swirled layers and foie gras powder sprinkled like a snowfall ,evoked a parmesan-cheddar redolence and were arranged over the sweetness of figs cooked in red wine. A salad's foliage was added to undercut the richness. Like the previous course this one too could be polished off without the risk of fantasizing about it later.

Before the trio of main meats- Mushroom Duet- I had several sips of the Mushroom Cappuccino before wryly noting that if this was indeed what it was claimed to be,then I must have unknowingly tasted Cream of Tomato Cappuccino and Mulligatawny Cappuccino before in my culinary odysseys. A faintly mushroom-scented froth which topped the drink did little to justify the name. Its neighbour was more coveted- intensely smoky porcini mushrooms packed a real umami hit ,enriched by caramelization. The custard below had a milder flavour and when both were tasted together, the latter swirled around the former creating a gradation of taste and texture.

A palate cleanser was served by way of a Watermelon Sorbet- 'twas cool,refreshing and adequately served its purpose. All the heavy hitting had been left to the middle order. Would they deliver?...

A fillet of Norwegian Salmon was roasted with soy sauce and ginger. Both Scandinavia and China did nothing to shame their respective domains. The accoutrements were a cheese-laced lemon puree and small circular cuts of what looked like banana chips but which were actually fried potato.I soon started the fairly enjoyable practice of tasting triple deckers of potato chip topped with salmon crowned with lemon-cheese.Continued in comments section