Aug 17, 2011 05:27 PM
25153 Views
(Updated Aug 05, 2012 11:38 AM)
2011 emerged with new priorities. I retired temporarily from the Bangalore food scene only to return last Sunday. I could grill & bake better than many restaurants & fixing my own platter fills me with satisfaction. Eluding laziness is pretty tricky as it always comes back with a vengeance. That’s how I was washed ashore the bay of the Oyster.
Two of us reached the much celebrated buffet venue 30 minutes late. Without further delay, the hostess marched us to our table for two. We being healthy people appreciate extra room, hence expressed our desire to occupy an unoccupied seating for 4. We were surprised to witness our request entertained without a second though. Now, that’s what I call as a good output of hospitality education & training. Walls are grayish white with life size photographic displays of marine fauna. Children painted the floor with dessert droppings & the grownups played their part by leaving foot prints on them. Somebody should have been empowered to take the mop :-).
The spread was not extensive; however it was sized to match our appetite. 2 varieties of grilled fish & crab were severed on the table along with vegetable fritters & cheesy cauliflower. The grilled fish was moist & soft. The crab was tender & succulent too. Vegetarian starters were average; however the sweet, sour & spicy Carmelina dip multiplied the joy. The buffet table also housed a mediocre, but edible chicken fry & an EAT ME MORE Aloo Jeera. Potato cubes with skin pan fried with a balanced dose of cumin making it moderately crispy on the outside & soft on the inside.
A tiny menu card placed on the table read 300ml of Foster served with the lunch buffet! I ask the waiter in our vicinity “Could you kindly get us our pints?” No Sir! That offer does not exist anymore. Fair enough, but WHY retain expired offers on the table. Having activated the Candida in my stomach with enough starch, it was its turn to cry out loud for more sugar ….“CRAVINGS”…..Now the difficult task is to choose the drink. I liked everything that was on the menu. So, how did I make a wise pick? Beer on the menu is not their brew; I can drink the same anywhere. However the cocktails are ruled by the efficiency of a skilled bartender & the pricing appreciated my choice as well. Cocktails here are INR100 cheaper than most places in Bangalore. The bar menu offers enough depth, be it beer, liquor, cocktail or mocktail. There is something available for everyone.
Classic Margarita (INR250) & vanilla ice-cream based Mocktail Shogun(INR125) paired well with the starters. The buffet also hosted salads & accompaniments like spicy coconut chutney, fish & shrimp pickle, boiled shrimps, squid rings & tentacles. Mixed sea food salad was a subtle delight with tiny bits of plantain fry. Real crab meat would have boosted the richness much better than “just like crab”. Paneer & Corn curry, Chettinad veg korma , Dal makhani, Peas pulao , Pan seared sea food & boiled rice fared better than the BAUs. Half way into the main course my Long island Ice tea (INR300) arrived only to disappoint me. An overdose of triplesec & too much coke ruined the authenticity. The bartender has to do his research & find the right glass for each cocktail. Long island ice tea in a curvy, narrow glass? That’s really an eye sore.
My sudden dip in enthusiasm post the cocktail failure was recovered by the creamy & tangy prawn butter masala that formed a great alliance with Tawa & Ceylon paratas. Pasta seems to be the chef’s least favorite dish. Fusilli Bucati & boiled squid did not amalgamate with the watery basil pesto. A little simmering would have done the trick. The dessert counter had Strawberry & Vanilla ice-cream, dry fruits, Canned Cheery, Wafers & a Chocolate fountain. Spoon a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream; drench it in the fountain & slurrrp the spoon clean in one shot.
Marine Biologists say that by 2048 AD all edible sea creatures would be depleted. Anybody causing a cooking wreck with seafood is committing a culinary sin. Sea Food Restaurants in non coastal areas like Bangalore are subjected to brutal criticism, emphasizing the lack of freshness. Common...Who are we kidding? It takes ~ 12-24 hours for the deceased from the Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea to reach us. The magic lies in the hands of the chef, His/Her understanding towards what is going to be cooked. This reminds me of an old saying “To a capable person, even a blade of grass is a weapon”.
How does Oyster Bay manage to serve such variety of seafood at INR350? Is this a start-up gimmick to attract customers? Or is it a genius unleashed by a strong supply chain strategy? Whatever it is, they surely seem to have a crew that can speak FISH.
